Main types of tax in the UK Income tax – This a tax on people’s income. The basic rate of income tax is 20%, paid on income over the income tax threshold of £10,400. National insurance contributions. Another type of income tax is national insurance contributions, which are based on a similar principle of taking …
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A few years ago, I looked at the arguments for and against a tax on ‘fatty foods‘. Generally, I supported the idea of a tax on unhealthy foods because it is a way to price the full social cost of the good. It is an example of a Pigovian tax. A tax which internalises the …
Readers Question: In response to the post on ‘printing money, imports and inflation’, why can’t the British government just print lots of money and import goods from abroad to relieve the pressure on its budget? In theory, they could do that. But, if you print money and spend it on imports, you would see a …
An important principle in economics is the idea of taxing goods with negative externalities (goods which impose external costs on the rest of society) Usually, in a free market, we ignore the external costs of our consumption. We only face the private costs. But, this leads to overconsumption of these goods and a deadweight welfare …
The idea that a tax should not distort economic behaviour. For example, income tax may influence the number of hours a worker is willing to work. This is an example of a tax that influences people’s behaviour. On the other hand, a poll tax (a lump sum on each adult per year) is non-distortionary because …
Readers Question: Is large government spending bad for economic growth? to what extent does empirical evidence support this assertion? How Government Spending Might Lead to Lower Economic Growth Higher spending leads to higher taxes. Higher income taxes may discourage people from working. High corporation tax might discourage firms from setting up in that country. (e.g. …
We tend to assume education is a merit good. – A beneficial good that has external benefits for society. However, another approach to education considers how education acts as a signal of ability. Signalling in education suggests productivity is independent of education, but education acts as a credential for greater ability. In other words, if …