Equity, Social Justice and Economic Policies (Case of Study: The Taxes Systems)

Abstract

All economic doctrines, ultimately aspire to one thing: reducing inequalities that exist in the population. By doing so, they would enhance the welfare of the most disadvantaged.However, the search for what is referred to as "social justice" or natural equity is often blurred, tedious and sometimes leads to paradoxes and raises many questions: what is the degree of inequality acceptable in a society? From what threshold should we act? And how to do it ? Philosophers, sociologists and economists have always tried to answer these questions. They relied on concepts that are in the same time close as different i,e equity, equality and justice .The paradox is that this attempt to answer the questions has over time resulted in a truncated conception of the problem. The solutions undertaken to reduce social injustices, sometimes, deepen them or create injustices in other respects.The purpose of this paper is to provide a philosophical and sociological reading of some of the key concepts concepts underlying (in theory) policies aimed at establishing social justice, namely horizontal and vertical equity. It will attempt to identify the elements of similarity and dissimilarity and to demonstrate through some practical examples, the paradoxes and dangers that arise from the mixture of concepts. It will also overview the social economic and political consequences of measures taken in the name of a pseudo social justice. It will be concluded by a quite telling case of the taxation system practiced in some countries, especially in Algeria.

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Author Information
Zoheir Tafer, University of Bechar, Algeria
Mohamed Abbar, University of Bechar, Algeria
Fadhila Meziane, University of Bechar, Algeria

• Category: ECSS2018

Posted by James Alexander Gordon

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