From: Paul Cockshott (clyder@GN.APC.ORG)
Date: Sat May 15 2004 - 16:16:03 EDT
On Wednesday 12 May 2004 11:55, Ernesto Screpanti wrote: > It might be useful to recall that Marx and Engels, in the Critique of the > Gotha Program, proposed a social policy of public expenditure "for the > common satisfaction of needs, such as schools, health services etc. From > the outset this part [of the total product of society] grows considerably > in comparison with present-day society and grows in proportion as the new > society develps." In the Manifesto Marx and Engels also proposed a fiscal > policy based on "a heavy progressive or graduated income tax". Both > measures are envisaged as part of a process of building of a communist > society. > It is interesting to note that Engels intepreted progressive taxation as > embodying the principle "from each according to his ability". On the other > hand, the public provision of goods at low or zero price allocates > resources on the ground of the principle "to each according to his needs". > In this sense European social democracy has already incorporated many communist principles.
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