Addressing Wealth Disparities: Reimagining Wealth Taxation as a Tool for Building Wealth

34 Pages Posted: 24 Apr 2014 Last revised: 11 May 2016

Date Written: April 22, 2014

Abstract

In the past three decades, research has indicated that the building of assets can have a sustainable impact on well-being. Yet to the extent that the tax system has incorporated this insight, it has been done in a piecemeal, ad hoc fashion, disproportionately benefiting those with wealth and further reinforcing wealth inequality. This paper argues that while reducing wealth concentrations is important, there should be an increased emphasis on how our tax system can build wealth or, put differently, level up. While the problem of wealth disparities may be too large for any one part of the federal policy toolkit to solve, I argue that the tax system can and should play a vital role.

Keywords: wealth inequality, wealth taxation, asset building, estate tax

Suggested Citation

Maynard, Goldburn, Addressing Wealth Disparities: Reimagining Wealth Taxation as a Tool for Building Wealth (April 22, 2014). 92 Denv. U. L. Rev. 145 (2014) , Washington University in St. Louis Legal Studies Research Paper No. 14-04-03, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2427925

Goldburn Maynard (Contact Author)

Kelley School of Business ( email )

Bloomington, IN 47405
United States
8128555451 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://https://kelley.iu.edu/faculty-research/faculty-directory/profile.html?id=GOMAYN

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