The Labour Party and Taxation: Party Identity and Political Purpose in Twentieth-Century Britain

This is a political history of Labour's use of the tax system from 1906 to 1979; an epilogue brings the story up to the present, surveying New Labour's tax policies and dilemmas. Richard Whiting's lucid and readable study examines how Labour used taxation to further its political aims: to fund welfare, manage the economy, promote fairness and achieve greater equality. This study sheds new light on Labour's history, and is a valuable contribution to understanding both the tax structure and the politics of twentieth-century Britain more generally.