The Myth of Ownership

Description

BLURB: In a capitalist economy, taxes are more than a method of payment for government and public services. They are the most significant instrument by which the political system puts into practice a conception of economic justice. Yet there has been little effort to bring together important recent philosophical work on justice with vigorous debates about tax policy going on in national politics and public circles, in economics and law. *The Myth of Ownership* bridges this gap, offering the first book to explore tax policy from the standpoint of contemporary moral and political philosophy.

Description

Taking as a guiding principle the conventional nature of private property, Murphy and Nagel show how taxes can only be evaluated as part of the overall system of property rights that they help to create. Justice or injustice in taxation, they argue, can only mean justice or injustice in the system of property rights and entitlements that result from a particular regime. Taking up ethical issues about individual liberty, interpersonal obligation, and both collective and personal responsibility, Murphy and Nagel force us to reconsider how our tax policy shapes our system of property rights. [publisher web site].

First Sentence

It has been recognized for a long time that tax policy must take account of political morality, or justice.

Subjects

Other Editions

• The Myth of Ownership: Taxes and JusticeOxford University Press, USA2002-04-11
• The Myth of OwnershipOxford University Press, USA2004-10-21