IMF: Raise Taxes on the Rich, Lower Taxes for Everyone Else

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Historically, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) argued for lower taxes for everyone, particularly those that need it the least: the wealthy. Due to increases in multiple forms of inequality since the last global recession the IMF has changed its tune. The institution now calls for countries around the world to implement a wealth tax while lessening the financial burden on workers through tax breaks. They argue that by doing so we can fend off a global depression.

For individuals, the IMF encouraged slashing payroll taxes as well as cash transfers to help those hardest hit with job losses or other circumstances.

The IMF’s recommendation for a wealth tax marks a stark turnaround for an institution that long pushed tax cuts as a central element of its policy menu for developing nations. It serves as a lender of last resort to countries in dire financial straits.

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IMF: Tax the Rich to Improve the Economy

The International Monetary Fund has just completed a study that compiled data across time and space to conclude that taxation isn’t harmful for economies. Indeed, taxing the rich is actually very beneficial for any national economy because it stops inequality – which is an awful thing for both people and economic progress.

Labelled as the first study to incorporate recently compiled figures comparing pre- and post-tax data from a large number of countries, the authors say there is convincing evidence that lower net inequality is good economics, boosting growth and leading to longer-lasting periods of expansion.

In the most controversial finding, the study concludes that redistributing wealth, largely through taxation, does not significantly impact growth unless the intervention is extreme.

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