Re: Accumulation - addition

From: Paul Zarembka (zarembka@BUFFALO.EDU)
Date: Mon May 10 2004 - 23:49:32 EDT


Jurriaan wrote:

> The topic of taxation, and its potential as a source of capital
> accumulation, has rarely been explored systematically in the Marxian
> literature ...

Marx wrote Engels in 1870 that THE most important work published since
Engels' own *Condition of the Working Class in England* was Flerovsky's
*Condition of the Working [Peasant] Class in Russia", 1869.

Flerovsky's book focuses precisely about the role of taxation: "The main
reason which compels the [peasant -- Flerovsky uses worker for peasant and
proletariat for wage laborer] to resort to the capitalist is to pay his
taxes".

It's rather interesting that this book which Marx found the best in a
quarter century has had such little attention. (I believe this to be the
first book Marx himself read in the Russian language which he was learning
at the time.)

So, yes, taxation has been inadequate studied.  Note that taxation
expresses the compulsive power of the state.

Paul


This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Wed May 12 2004 - 00:00:01 EDT