In principle, taxing income from labour and capital equally might appear to be fairer, simpler, and more efficient. In practice, it would almost certainly be none of these things. Wes Streeting has proposed a “wealth tax that works” as part of his Labour leadership pitch, by equalising capital gains tax (CGT) with income tax. Or in … Continue reading Why it would be wrong to equalise capital gains tax and income tax
Category: Behavioural Economics
Nudge economics – can paternalism ever be libertarian?
At first sight there’s an obvious inconsistency between libertarianism and paternalism. The latter usually involves government actions which limit someone’s choices, even if the intention is to promote their own good. How can it be right (asks the libertarian) to restrict an individual’s freedom and autonomy just because the government thinks it knows better? Indeed, … Continue reading Nudge economics – can paternalism ever be libertarian?
Plain-speaking Economics 