Taxation & Democracy

Part I of Essay
by Sven Steinmo "The politics of taxation is one of the most important policy concerns in the modern industrial state; yet we know very little about it," author Sven Steinmo states at the opening of , a publication detailing the politics and development of tax systems of t ....

Part II of Essay
.... wealth. Within the hundreds of goals of taxation are "raising revenue, redistributing income, encouraging savings, stimulating growth, penalizing consumption, directing investment, and rewarding certain values while penalizing others. . .indeed, taxation is a major instrument, if not the major instrument through which governments try to affect the private sector," as the author explains. Steinmo offers three explanations as to give insight into the "wide divergences" between the public policies of different nations and cultures. ....