We investigate the relationship between Gini’s mean difference (GMD), the mean absolute deviation, the least absolute deviation and the absolute deviation from a quantile. The latter can all be interpreted as equivalents either to the GMD of a transformed distribution or to a between-group GMD...

Methods of testing econometrically for horizontal inequity (HI) induced by tax systems are examined. Both socially homogeneous and heterogeneous income-receiving populations are analysed. The favoured econometric methods are applied to cross-section data in order to determine the magnitude and...

Some analysts use sequential dominance criteria, and others use equivalence scales in combination with non-sequential dominance tests, to make welfare comparisons of joint distributions of income and needs. In this paper we present a new sequential procedure which copes with situations in which...

A switch from any given income tax schedule to a tax structure in which two groups of taxpayers are treated differently, each still facing the same degree of progression, can induce an increase in welfare despite causing horizontal inequity (HI). The thrust of much recent research, however, is...