Can Taxing Fairly Save a Country? — An Alternative to the “Lean State” of Neoliberalism

Due to the success of a recent piece I wrote here, titled “Can Consistent Underfunding Doom a Country?” I thought I would revisit taxes again and present a cogent defense of progressive taxation against neoliberal economics.

In discussing the role of the state in taxing its citizens, some are tempted to immediately discuss political ideologies that justify less or more involvement in people’s finances. As a result, they tend to obscure the matter.

Critics of these ideologies will strawman each other’s concerns; they will say that taxing citizens above their desired preference is “communism” or that we can’t allow “unhinged free markets” to dominate society because it will lead to some semblance of a dystopia.

I will put these red herrings to the side. We need taxation for society to function properly, fund our infrastructure, provide a safety net for those less fortunate, provide a fair education to our young, and so much more.

Without them, inequality will continue to rise. The top 10% of earners globally hold around 76% of all household wealth, while the bottom 50% control less than 2%. That is the direct result of neoliberal economics.

Do you want to live in a world where inequality continues to spiral out of control like we have seen since at least the 1980s?

Well, I don’t.