Moving Beyond Traditional Cash Measures of Economic Well-Being: Including Indirect Benefits and Indirect Taxes

Ann Harding, Neil Warren, Rachel Lloyd

Research output: Working paperDiscussion paper

Abstract

Most studies of economic well-being now use equivalent disposable income as their measure of resources, ignoring the benefits of publicly provided goods and services and the impact of all sources of taxation apart from income tax and social security contributions. This study of the UK and Australia includes health, education and housing indirect benefits and a range of indirect taxes, and suggests that in both countries indirect benefits are not as progressive in their incidence as direct benefits, but are nonetheless unambiguously pro-poor. The study also indicates that the usual exclusion of indirect taxes from income analyses results in an unduly optimistic view of the extent of income redistribution achieved by welfare states
Original languageEnglish
Place of PublicationCanberra
PublisherUniversity of Canberra
Pages1-42
Number of pages42
Volume61
Publication statusPublished - 2006

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