Ricardo on income tax: a note

Despite the fact that Ricardo experienced Pitt's income tax policies, and that he regarded taxation as the most important issue to which the principles of political economy should be applied, he rarely referred to actual tax reforms. This paper indicates that Ricardo's system of economics cannot bring about any tax that is completely compatible with his main criteria for taxation (distribution neutrality, price neutrality and minimum taxation) as well as certainty, convenience and the security of property. This result may explain why Ricardo did not say which type of taxation system the British government should establish.