Page:Indian Journal of Economics Volume 2.djvu/258

This page needs to be proofread.
246
H. STANLEY JEVONS


long .action, as ?hey did not Oovernmen? eonld hire ?he economic peaRion men? servants wonld my presen? purpose; standing, they me. rely represent ? paper trans- affect the real price &t which of the taxes be lengthy and A full discussion of paid by Govern- nnprofitable for but if the full salaries paid tl?em be included in any capacity; and this will usnally be the most convenient plan. It is necessary next ?o consider the taxable capacRy o[ different classes of the pophint. ion separately. For this pnrpose it is convenient to coin a new technical phrase--minim. u,? social expen.diture which means that portion of the social income which is expended on necessaries, absolnte and conventional, and 'is, there- fore, that minimnm expendRnre on which society can exist. will be observed that the minimnm social expenditure pins the taxable capacity of any commu- nRy are whole is average eqnal to composed incomes. the snm of the its social income. of ?nany classes The social income net incomes of all Society as a having different of the class is the persons in mum For that class; and the social income of the whole popul&- tion is the stun o? the social incomes of all the classes into which it may be divided taken separately. Each class of the commnnity has its own mini- social expenditnre and each class, and also its own taxable capacity. in comparing each class with others, we no?icc that minimnm social expendi- ture increases as social income inclen. sea, lint nsua!ly not so fast, so float taxable capacity increases faster than minimnm social expendRm'e. The same relation is seen when we compare the whole popula- tions of different cormtries. Minimnm social expendi- ture is probably highest per head of population in of the taxes paid numerical estimate by them of the ?nnst ?axable are incldded in the social income, obvionsly the whole