Question

Comment on the description of the Lorenz Curve? Is this okay? Which type of tax system are you in favor of and why? (progressive, proportional (flat), or regressive) Which is the best and why?

Answer 1

1) The Lorenz curve is a graphical representation of income inequality or wealth inequality developed by American economist Max Lorenz in 1905. The graph plots percentiles of the population on the horizontal axis according to income or wealth.

The Lorenz curve is often accompanied by a straight diagonal line with a slope of 1, which represents perfect equality in income or wealth distribution; the Lorenz curve lies beneath it, showing the actual distribution. The area between the straight line and the curved line, expressed as a ratio of the area under the straight line, is the Gini coefficient, a measurement of inequality.

While the Lorenz curve is most often used to represent economic inequality, it can also demonstrate unequal distribution in any system. The farther away the curve is from the baseline, represented by the straight diagonal line, the higher the level of inequality. In economics, the Lorenz curve denotes inequality in the distribution of either wealth or income; these are not synonymous since it is possible to have high earnings but zero or negative net worth, or low earnings but a large net worth.

The Gini coefficient is used to express the extent of inequality in a single figure. It can range from 0 (or 0%) to 1 (or 100%). Complete equality, in which every individual has the exact same income or wealth, corresponds to a coefficient of 0. Plotted as a Lorenz curve, complete equality would be a straight diagonal line with a slope of 1 (the area between this curve and itself is 0, so the Gini coefficient is 0). A coefficient of 1 means that one person earns all of the income or holds all of the wealth. Accounting for negative wealth or income, the figure can theoretically be higher than 1; in that case, the Lorenz curve would dip below the horizontal axis.

2)

Progressive tax

A progressive tax is a tax in which the tax rate increases as the taxable base amount increases. The term “progressive” describes a distribution effect on income or expenditure, referring to the way the rate progresses from low to high, where the average tax rate is less than the marginal tax rate. The term can be applied to individual taxes or to a tax system as a whole; a year, multi-year, or lifetime. Progressive taxes are imposed in an attempt to reduce the tax incidence of people with a lower ability-to-pay, as such taxes shift the incidence increasingly to those with a higher ability-to-pay. The opposite of a progressive tax is a regressive tax, where the relative tax rate or burden increases as an individual’s ability to pay it decreases.

Regressive tax

A regressive tax is a tax imposed in such a manner that the average tax rate decreases as the amount subject to taxation increases. “Regressive” describes a distribution effect on income or expenditure, referring to the way the rate progresses from high to low, where the average tax rate exceeds the marginal tax rate. In terms of individual income and wealth, regressive tax imposes a greater burden (relative to resources) on the poor than on the rich — there is an inverse relationship between the tax rate and the taxpayer’s ability to pay as measured by assets, consumption, or income.

Proportional tax

A proportional tax is a tax imposed so that the tax rate is fixed, with no change as the taxable base amount increases or decreases. The amount of the tax is in proportion to the amount subject to taxation. “Proportional” describes a distribution effect on income or expenditure, referring to the way the rate remains consistent (does not progress from “low to high” or “high to low” as income or consumption changes), where the marginal tax rate is equal to the average tax rate.

Hence progressive tax is a better one , the reasons are highlitied above .