Taxation is crucial to the functioning of the modern state‎.‎ Tax revenues pay for public services ‎- roads‎,‎ the courts‎,‎ defence‎,‎ welfare assistance to the poor and elderly‎,‎ and in many countries much of health care and education too‎.‎ More than one third of national income in the industrialized ‎(‎OECD‎)‎ countries is on average taken in taxation‎.‎ Taxes affect individuals in many ways‎.‎ Taxes paid on income and spending directly reduce taxpayer disposable income‎,‎ taxpayers face the hassle of tax returns and making payments‎,‎ and they may be anxious about the possibility of investigation and enforcement action‎.‎ People also adapt their activities in various ways to reduce the impact of taxation ‎- putting money into tax‎-free savings accounts‎,‎ or making shopping trips to other countries where taxes are lower‎.‎ Taxation is therefore central to politics and public debate‎.‎ Politicians that make reckless campaign promises about taxation then have to live with the uncomfortable consequences if elected‎.‎ Businesses lobby for tax breaks that they claim will create jobs and prosperity‎.‎ In this Very Short Introduction Stephen Smith shows how taxes have real effects on citizens and the economy that tax policy‎-makers have to balance‎.‎ Although tax policy will always be a highly political issue‎,‎ he argues that public decisions about taxation would be improved by a better understanding of the role of taxation‎,‎ and of the nature and effects of different taxes‎.‎ ABOUT THE SERIES‎:‎ The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area‎.‎ These pocket‎-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly‎.‎ Our expert authors combine facts‎,‎ analysis‎,‎ perspective‎,‎ new ideas‎,‎ and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable‎.‎

• Book Name‎:‎ Taxation
• Auother‎:‎ Stephen Smith
• Publisher‎:‎ Oxford University Press
• ISBN‎:‎ 9780199683697
• Book Type‎:‎ Taxation