Allocating the Burden of Taxation Justly

Justice in taxation depends on implementing the principle of proportionately equal burden on all, where one has no choice but to use the devices of cardinally measurable utility and interpersonal comparisons. Despite levies by multiple levels of government and subdivision into different taxes, the overall principle applies of equal burden. This stands despite connecting up with two related enquiries– equity in allocating public goods and services, and fair distribution of income and wealth after taxation and return of public goods. The elements introduced into the argument are not new, but they are fitted into an overview of just allocation of direct and indirect taxation. While the principles of equity stand in distributing the burden of taxation and benefits of public goods, their translation into practice depends on democratic debate and decision in the free society,so that it is a never‐ending exercise evolving along with the economy and society in question.