The Rise of Inequality and the fall of Tax Equity

Introduction

The ongoing growth of wealth and inequality in developed countries during the late 20th century is the elephant in the room whose presence can be attributed to many factors. This essay focuses on one overlooked factor, which relates to the role of redistributive taxation in mitigating inequality. It argues that tax scholarship has not established a coherent normatively informed policy oriented theory for analyzing whether tax institutions are designed to meet their professed distributive goals.