(OPE-L) taxation and public finance in Marxian literature

["Gerald A. Levy" <Gerald_A_Levy@xxxxxxx>]

Hi Jurriaan and Paul Z.

 Jurriaan wrote:

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

Paul Z agreed:

> So, yes, taxation has been inadequate studied.

It's true that there isn't a whole lot of literature out there from a
Marxian perspective on taxation and public finance.  I recall that
this was something that Willi Semmler struggled with in the early
1980's since he was expected at the time to teach the PhD-level
courses at the New School in public finance -- never one of the
most popular areas of concentration for Marxian students at the
NSSR.  Maybe next time I  see him I'll ask to see some of his old
syllabi which, no doubt, included much of what existed in the
literature at the time re public finance from a Marxian perspective.
Willi did go on to publish an article in this field:

"On the Classical Theory of Taxation -- An Analysis of Tax Incidence in
a Linear Production Model". in *Metroeconomica*, Vol. 35,
February, 1983, pp. 129-146

Shortly afterwards, Michael Kratke published a short paper on "Value
Theory and Public Finance" in Hanninen, Sakari and Paldan, Leena eds.
(1984) _Rethinking Marxism_, New York and Bagnolet, France:
International General/IMMRC: pp. 95-99

There is an older book in French,  published in 1976, on public finance
from a Marxian perspective:

Patrice Grevet _Besoins Populaires et Financement Public_. Paris:
Editions sociales (543 pages!)

Grevet was active at the time in the Economic Section of the Central
Committee of the PCF.

Are there any more recent works on this subject that we should take note
of?

In solidarity, Jerry