Fascist fiscal policy shifted tax burden onto consumption, not wealth

Evidence

Far from a conscription of riches, De Stefani had actually managed to constrict wages. Moreover, to further (and silently) extract resources from the poorer members of society, the Fascist government steadily increased consumption taxes throughout the decade. Th e ratio between direct and indirect tax revenue dropped from 0.94 in 1922 to 0.72 in 1925, and to 0.61 by 1929— an even more pronounced trend than in the British case. More specifi cally, duties on basic commodities grew between 1922 and 1925 by approximately 5 percent per year in real terms (Toniolo 1980, 48). Meanwhile the government managed to abolish “vexatious taxation on luxury goods” (Einaudi 1927, 490). — Clara E. Mattei, The Capital Order, 1226

Categorization

• XREF: Direct comparative data showing Italy’s regressive tax shift exceeded Britain’s, strengthening the reader’s cross-country austerity-as-class-weapon thesis. — connects to: Fascist austerity dismantled welfare, cut taxes on capital, and banned unions — Clara E. Mattei, Escape from Capitalism, 193; Fascist tax policy added roughly two million new taxpayers within two years — Clara E. Mattei, The Capital Order: How Economists…, 1708; Fascist economic austerity was abandoned when it threatened market principles — Clara E. Mattei, The Capital Order: How Economists…, 1066 (+1 more)
• SEED: The move from direct to indirect taxation ratios as a measurable proxy for austerity’s class character is a strong data point for a public-facing essay.

Broader Connections

• Fascist tax policy added roughly two million new taxpayers within two years #exemplifies (0.85) — Clara E. Mattei, The Capital Order, 1708
• Fascist tax reform slashed inheritance tax revenue by over three-quarters #corroborates (0.80) — Clara E. Mattei, The Capital Order, 1708
• Fascist austerity dismantled welfare, cut taxes on capital, and banned unions #expands (0.78) — Clara E. Mattei, Escape from Capitalism, 193
• Fascist economic austerity was abandoned when it threatened market principles #complicates (0.72) — Clara E. Mattei, The Capital Order, 1066