Political science is an ever-changing field of study, with key policy issues almost never remaining constant over the years. One issue that has broken the trend and been debated since the idea began is income tax. Nearly a century after many major nations first adopted the concept, this topic remains as much, if not more, a point of contention than it was in the past. Some ideologies believe in higher taxes to ensure a strong welfare system, others prefer low taxes with only essential welfare systems, and still others want to abolish it all as "theft." Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essay In late 2017, President Trump and Republicans in the US Congress passed a sweeping tax cut that sharply divided opinion public. In other parts of the developed world, taxes rose to over 50% and remained at that level for many years. Others chose to attract investment by never adopting an income tax. Many right-wing politicians argue that lower taxes lead to more spending and therefore more growth, while left-wing politicians believe that higher taxes, particularly on the wealthy, can lead to a fairer system that allows more people to succeed and lead better lives with less income and wealth. inequality. This seemingly endless debate continues to impact lives, hence the need for objective research. When considering the end goal of politics or even society in general, many would argue that leading a happy life is the most important goal people should achieve. secure. While others may respond to freedom or rights, lasting happiness is often impossible without the security of these concepts. Therefore, if it is accepted that happiness is the most important concept that a country should aim for, it is also important to examine whether the happiest nations have a similar pattern of taxation and income inequality that results. Thus, the correlation between income tax rates and income inequality with happiness (as defined by the World Happiness Index) will be the subject of this research paper more specifically: “What correlation (if any) ) do income taxes and wealth inequality relate to happiness? » Literature review The importance of the concept of happiness and the importance of income tax rates may suggest that a considerable amount of research has been conducted on the relationship between the two, but this is not in fact actually not true. Much of the research done on the topic considers the relationship as a subfactor or simply a footnote within the broader framework of happiness or tax studies. Studies that directly examine the relationship are fairly new, largely because the happiness measure itself has been quite scattered until the measure that will be used in this study, which is the United Nations-backed report. In reviewing the available literature, I will discuss the information available in studies of the direct relationship between taxation and happiness, studies of related income and happiness inequalities, and challenges to the claim that which happiness should even be a goal of society and whether money/taxation even affects life. measure. The association between income tax rates and happinessbeing the focus of the research paper, this aspect of the literature review is the most careful, but it should also be noted as being relatively weak in terms of relevant literary sources. Dorrenberg and Peichl (2013) provided one of the best isolations of the tax (although specifically progressive) and happiness variables. Their research revealed a measurable link between positive morale and less tax evasion. They also discovered a link between progressive tax countries and less evasion which, once concluded, can be extended to find that progressive tax countries do indeed display higher levels of morale or happiness. Other studies have shown that the correlation between happiness and taxation is far too broad and should be reduced. A study conducted in Brazil found a correlation between GDP per capita and happiness, but also marked differences between ages (Graham, 2011). In Brazil, taxes were reduced and young people tended to be less happy, while older people tended to be happier as a result. It was also noted that this is obviously because older people are likely to earn more than their younger counterparts and therefore pay more subsequently in a progressive tax system. Weisbach (2008) also drew a similar conclusion, noting that a correlation was evident, but that this was strongly influenced by age and marital status, which also affect tax rates in most countries. Perhaps the most in-depth study on the subject is that of Alesina, Tella, and McCulloch (2004). In their study, they also noted a correlation between taxation and happiness, but highlighted distinctive differences between the United States and Europe. Poor people and left-wing politicians in Europe cared much more about progressive taxation and income inequality than their American counterparts. Another setback: the wealthy in the United States were more aware of these factors than their European counterparts. These reversals were strange and remarkable because, although the European poor were more aware of inequality, they experienced a less marked difference than the American poor, who were much less aware of it. They concluded that a likely cause of this difference was perceptions regarding economic mobility, in which Americans felt they could more easily move from poverty to wealth, while Europeans felt a greater sense of stagnation. class. The second area of ​​literature to review is the similar area of ​​wealth inequality that is linked to taxation, in that more progressive taxation has shown a correlation with decreased wealth inequality and more progressive taxes are often used as a remedy to the problem of wealth or income inequality. Sachs and Sanders (2017) are more interested in the numbers themselves than in a correlation with happiness that they more or less assume. However, the figures they provide are quite astonishing. They claim that the richest 1% own half of the world's wealth and that in the United States, the top tenth of the richest people own as much wealth as the bottom 90%. In the study covering a period between 2009 and 2014, new income went disproportionately to the wealthy, with 58% of new income during that period going to the richest 1% of Americans. This correlates with lower levels of life satisfaction, particularly among millennials, at 37%..