Political Science History & Theory
The Terrific Engine
Income Taxation and the Modernization of the Canadian Political Imaginary
- Publisher
- UBC Press
- Initial publish date
- May 2018
- Category
- History & Theory, Post-Confederation (1867-)
-
eBook
- ISBN
- 9780774836807
- Publish Date
- May 2018
- List Price
- $125.00
-
Hardback
- ISBN
- 9780774836777
- Publish Date
- May 2018
- List Price
- $89.95
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9780774836784
- Publish Date
- Jan 2019
- List Price
- $32.95
Classroom Resources
Where to buy it
Description
What do we mean by left wing or right wing? People started using the language of a political spectrum when early twentieth-century political parties began to distinguish their platforms by offering different approaches to income distribution. The Terrific Engine examines how income taxation modernized political language over the period from the 1911 election through the Second World War. David Tough controversially argues that income taxation was established by popular demand, first to replace existing taxes and then to address income inequality through equalizing social programs. And, in establishing a clear basis for party differences, income taxation made elections significantly more democratic.
About the author
David Tough teaches in the School for the Study of Canada at Trent University and is the author of The Terrific Engine: Income Taxation and the Modernization of the Canadian Political Imaginary.