• What the Treasury thinks about inequality

    by  • February 7, 2013 • Articles, Comment, Features • 9 Comments

    The Treasury has just released a paper outlining its thoughts on inequality (as part of its wider work on Living Standards). Now, it’s great to see the Treasury acknowledging that it matters how income is distributed – not just how much of it we generate. Unfortunately, it hasn’t quite faced up to the full reality of the problem, which leaves its account very weak, and in places incoherent.

    The Treasury says its starting point is “the ability to participate in society”, which is a fabulous place to begin. The whole point about inequality is not just that people need to be lifted above an absolute level; inequality means they are left out of things that other people have, unable to join in with the rest of society, in way that is determined by how much other people have.

    Unfortunately, the Treasury doesn’t seem to realise what that really means, because its proposals are then focussed almost entirely around improving social mobility. Now, social mobility is important: people need opportunities to earn more, or to live better than their parents did. But it isn’t enough by itself.

    Even if people can move freely up and down the ladder, there is obviously still a ‘down’ – and being in that ‘down’ spot is miserable. To put it differently: even with mobility, there will always be people who are very poor and don’t earn enough to participate in society – even if they are doing useful work. Tamara Baddeley, a woman whose story will be told in the Inequality book, cares for the elderly, is paid $14.81 an hour – and can’t afford to go to the movies. To talk about ‘opportunity’ and mobility’ is meaningless here.

    What is needed is direct action to tackle inequality now: action to raise her salary, so that she can participate fully. The Treasury’s view, which seems to be that it doesn’t matter if people are desperately and unfairly poor, as long as it’s not for long, is woefully inadequate – not least because, by its own measure, people need more income – right here, right now, whatever they are doing – if they are going to be able to participate in society (like being able to go to the movies).

    In addition, the Treasury seems to have missed the obvious point that if you want to increase social mobility and offer equal opportunities to all, you need greater equality of incomes. To state the obvious, if some people have far more wealth than others, their children will get a much better start in life. In addition, some whole communities become cut off from opportunity because, when poverty is concentrated, there are few jobs going, their communities aren’t adequately invested in, and they become characterised by hopelessness and despair.

    The international evidence is that, across countries, more equal societies have better mobility (far more people make it out of poverty in Denmark than they do in the US), and that, across time, as inequality increases, mobility decreases. The US shows this: as gaps have widened, people’s ability to escape poverty has fallen.  Again, the Treasury’s paper fails to take into account this basic point.

    Another problem with the paper is that it gives an extremely biased account of why inequality has risen in New Zealand, discussing technological change and different household patterns, but not mentioning little things like lower taxes on the very wealthy and reduced benefits for the poorest. Nor does it mention the decline in union membership, which some overseas research suggests is responsible for up to one-third of rising inequality. The failure to even mention this factor is just staggering.

    Still, it’s good to see the Treasury engaging with the issue. As with The Economist’s (similarly partial) special feature on inequality last year, the fact that the issue can’t be ignored now is a huge positive in itself.

    Max Rashbrooke

    About

    Max is an author, academic and journalist working in Wellington, New Zealand, where he writes about politics, finance and social issues. Sign up to Max's mailing list.

    9 Responses to What the Treasury thinks about inequality

    1. February 8, 2013 at 2:00 am
      232

      I agree with your assessment that Treasury has been selective about the causes of inequality. They are open to the discussion now though, so there are opportunities for us to inform their thinking. Your book will help!

      • Max Rashbrooke
        Max Rashbrooke
        February 8, 2013 at 2:43 am
        234

        Thanks – I think that’s true about Treasury openness, so fingers crossed…

    2. Br Graham-Michoel
      February 8, 2013 at 7:04 am
      235

      As Deborah suggests, there is most certainly room for discussion. However, in any debate what must not be lost sight of is the overwhelming fact that there is an all too fast growing and widening gap between rich and poor in this Nation.
      It is also clear that to juggle figures is a terribly easy game – whether it be Treasury or the Department of Statistics.
      Perhaps the most frightening thing facing this Nation, after poverty, is the fact that this present administration will sell anything, do anything, for a quick buck – and that quick buck falls into the pockets of a favoured few. There is absolutely no morality in that.

    3. Robert Ashe
      February 13, 2013 at 4:58 am
      259

      Nice work, Max. I noticed in that report that Treasury also skew the data on how we rank in the OECD for inequality. You can read more here: http://blog.greens.org.nz/2013/02/01/treasury-fudges-numbers-to-hide-growing-inequality/

    4. Pingback: Inequality: even Treasury cares… « The Standard

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    6. July 14, 2013 at 8:56 pm
      840

      cabin beds and loft beds such as reselling them or giving them away to local charities that will
      provide to the needy. Always check for sharp edges
      or other problems that could create trouble and avoid such beds that you think are potentially harmful
      to your kids present them specific areas they can call
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    7. Elizabeth Aaron
      September 13, 2013 at 7:32 am
      1029

      The Washington Consensus at item 2 says “redirect public spending from subsidies towards broad based provision of key services, education, health and infrastructure” . Item 3 deals with Tax (a) broaden base i.e. GST & the state lottery & (2) moderate marginal rates. These are neo liberal articles of faith to which the Treasury and the Government, whether National or Labour, is wedded and which explains why the Treasury will always be incoherent when talking about the income gap/poverty. Income re-distribution is a complete anathema to the neo-liberal mind.

    8. Pingback: Closing the Gap » Paper to NZ Treasury–Max Rashbrooke

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