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Questions or comments? Please contact the editor, Denise Shanks
This exercise continues the Tax Policy debate in the text, and will explore the question of “who gets what, when & how” in our tax system. It will examine inequality in state taxes, worker/CEO pay discrepancies, and the general trend towards income and wealth inequality in the US.
1. From your reading of the chapter, distinguish between progressive and regressive taxes. Give an example of each type.
2. Read this article: http://search.csmonitor.com/2003/0915/p09s02-coop.html?mostViewed . Why does Bob Riley argue that the tax structure in Alabama is unchristian?
3. Go to http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/executive2.html and click on “Facts and Figures: Executive Pay and Worker Pay Worldwide.” Compare the executive to worker pay ratios in Japan, Britain, Mexico and the US.
4. Based on the textbook, has inequality in the US increased or decreased in the last few years?
5. How does this debate reflect the point that politics is “Who gets what, when and how?”
6. List one tax that has a social purpose behind it? Explain the reasoning for the way that tax is set up.
7. Should our tax policy reflect our social values? Does it reflect yours? Explain.
