Maximising available resources: Equality and human rights proofing Irish fiscal policy

The paper examines various rationales for applying equality and human rights proofing mechanisms to fiscal policy. The principle of using available resources to the maximum to progressively realise human rights, and not to erode the revenue capacity of developing nations to do likewise, is at the he...

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Main Author: Murphy Mary P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Sciendo 2017-08-01
Series:Administration
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1515/admin-2017-0024
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author Murphy Mary P.
author_facet Murphy Mary P.
author_sort Murphy Mary P.
collection DOAJ
description The paper examines various rationales for applying equality and human rights proofing mechanisms to fiscal policy. The principle of using available resources to the maximum to progressively realise human rights, and not to erode the revenue capacity of developing nations to do likewise, is at the heart of emerging human rights norms. To date, Irish budgetary processes and major policy statements such as the Commission on Taxation or the draft outline National Plan on Business and Human Rights Strategy have not engaged with the principles of maximising available resources or extraterritoriality. Proofing fiscal policy is also relevant from the perspective of fiscal welfare where taxation instruments, traditionally used as a revenue-gathering mechanism, are increasingly used as distributional mechanisms to achieve policy outcomes in pensions, health, housing and employment, with important equality and distributive dimensions, particularly from gender, age and socioeconomic perspectives. A number of practical institutional mechanisms and evaluative questions can guide equality and human rights proofing of fiscal policy, but commitments to maximise resources to realise rights also need to be promoted through a public discourse which sees taxation as potential investment in society rather than a burden or cost on the economy.
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spelling doaj.art-643cc78abe3f4922b14f3ba3f9c15ab52022-12-21T22:39:07ZengSciendoAdministration2449-94712017-08-01653598010.1515/admin-2017-0024admin-2017-0024Maximising available resources: Equality and human rights proofing Irish fiscal policyMurphy Mary P.0Department of Sociology, Maynooth UniversityThe paper examines various rationales for applying equality and human rights proofing mechanisms to fiscal policy. The principle of using available resources to the maximum to progressively realise human rights, and not to erode the revenue capacity of developing nations to do likewise, is at the heart of emerging human rights norms. To date, Irish budgetary processes and major policy statements such as the Commission on Taxation or the draft outline National Plan on Business and Human Rights Strategy have not engaged with the principles of maximising available resources or extraterritoriality. Proofing fiscal policy is also relevant from the perspective of fiscal welfare where taxation instruments, traditionally used as a revenue-gathering mechanism, are increasingly used as distributional mechanisms to achieve policy outcomes in pensions, health, housing and employment, with important equality and distributive dimensions, particularly from gender, age and socioeconomic perspectives. A number of practical institutional mechanisms and evaluative questions can guide equality and human rights proofing of fiscal policy, but commitments to maximise resources to realise rights also need to be promoted through a public discourse which sees taxation as potential investment in society rather than a burden or cost on the economy.https://doi.org/10.1515/admin-2017-0024taxationirelandhuman rightsequalitymaximum available resources
spellingShingle Murphy Mary P.
Maximising available resources: Equality and human rights proofing Irish fiscal policy
Administration
taxation
ireland
human rights
equality
maximum available resources
title Maximising available resources: Equality and human rights proofing Irish fiscal policy
title_full Maximising available resources: Equality and human rights proofing Irish fiscal policy
title_fullStr Maximising available resources: Equality and human rights proofing Irish fiscal policy
title_full_unstemmed Maximising available resources: Equality and human rights proofing Irish fiscal policy
title_short Maximising available resources: Equality and human rights proofing Irish fiscal policy
title_sort maximising available resources equality and human rights proofing irish fiscal policy
topic taxation
ireland
human rights
equality
maximum available resources
url https://doi.org/10.1515/admin-2017-0024
work_keys_str_mv AT murphymaryp maximisingavailableresourcesequalityandhumanrightsproofingirishfiscalpolicy