- 🚨Elites often warn: taxing the rich hurts everyone. 🤔But do citizens buy that story? With @bcastanho.bsky.social & Hanna Lierse, we find: They don’t! Most people believe progressive taxes can deliver both — more equality and more growth. @jpublicpolicy.bsky.social #openaccess cup.org/3JVuvHm
- We ran a large-scale survey during Germany’s 2021 national election. 🇩🇪🗳️ Respondents compared different tax-reform packages varying income, inheritance, and corporate taxes.
- The big reveal: Most believe taxing the rich not only promotes equality — it also fosters growth. 📈 This "dual benefit" belief is strongest for income and inheritance taxes. People are more skeptical about corporate tax hikes.
- Strikingly, beliefs in the dual benefit of progressive taxation cross ideological and economic divides. Conservatives — and those affected by progressive taxes — do not share warnings about the economic danger of taxing the rich.
- Why this matters: It challenges the assumption that public opinion mirrors elite fears of an equality-vs-growth trade-off. Instead, many citizens buy into a dual benefit logic: progressive taxation => equality + growth.
- Implications: Elites might not only be wrong about the economics of progressive taxes—but also about their public appeal. Instead of sharing fears, the public might support progressive taxes because they believe it benefits the economy. So yes, "tax your cake and grow it too!"Nov 11, 2025 11:46
- Thanks for reading this far. If you are interested in the full article, you can find it here, open access: cup.org/3JVuvHm
