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'''Income redistribution''' is the act or government policy of transferring [[wealth]] from richer individuals to poorer individuals.  It takes two forms: ''voluntary redistribution'' (otherwise known as [[charity]]), and ''compulsory redistribution''.

'''Income redistribution''' is the act or government policy of transferring [[wealth]] from one group of citizens to another.   

Some [[conservative]]s (such as [[Ayn Rand]]) oppose most forms of redistribution, believing that a person should only receive in income what they are able to earn through the markets.  They believe that [[charity]] does harm to the giver (by depriving him of what he earned), to the receiver (by not encouraging him to ''earn'' his sustenance), and to society as a whole (by taking resources away from those who have shown themselves able to create employment for others, and giving it to [[prodigal]]s.

Many conservatives view compulsory redistribution as an unjust expropriation of property rights.

[[Liberal]]s generally support income redistribution based on their belief that individual charitable giving cannot be relied upon and tend to advocate some degree of compulsary redistribution of resources as necessary.  

 

[[Liberal]]s generally support both forms of income redistribution.  Their position is premised on an [[egalitarian]] view of [[economic justice]], that it is unjust for individuals to have grossly different access to economic resources.  Because market systems can at times create these inequalities, and because of their belief that individual charitable giving cannot be relied upon to counter these inequalities, liberals tend to advocate some degree of compulsary redistribution of resources as necessary.  

Examples of government programs performing compulsory income redistribution include [[welfare]] and [[progressive taxation]].

Examples of government programs performing compulsory income redistribution include [[welfare]] and [[progressive taxation]].

[[Category:Economics]]

[[Category:Economics]]