Inheritance taxes have rarely ever contributed more than two per cent to the budget of any modern state. Nevertheless, in the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries some of the most vocal conflicts over taxation took place over inheritance taxes. This holds true for the United States as well as for many European countries.

A traditional view of tax that viewed consumption taxes as a way to avoid taxing savings is flawed. A progressive spending tax stands between an income tax, which double-taxes all savings, and a wage tax, which ignores all savings. 

The current UK government has invested heavily in labour market activation, both as an economic and social strategy.

Global inequality has risen in recent years, even in circumstances where aggregate growth rates have risen.

‘Loyalty benefits’ are transfer payments designed to motivate or reward citizens for serving the state, either tangibly or symbolically. Classic examples are benefits to soldiers and civil servants, and today, special benefits granted to political refugees.