The Big Kahuna takes as its base assumption that we don’t, as a society, accept that huge differences in income are acceptable and that we, therefore, choose to redistribute wealth. While they are generally regarded as separate, the tax and welfare systems are fundamentally both methods of doing just that – redistributing income from those who have plenty to those who don’t.

In a nutshell, The Big Kahuna seeks to show that if the job of redistributing wealth and income is worth doing, it’s worth doing properly, so that the resulting system is fair to all, rich and poor alike.

In this Whiteboard Wednesday, Geoff brings together all the points from the previous weeks to explain the Idea of the Big Kahuna.

About the Author

Gareth Morgan

Facebook Twitter

Gareth Morgan is a New Zealand economist and commentator on public policy who in previous lives has been in business as an economic consultant, funds manager, and professional company director. He is also a motorcycle adventurer and philanthropist. Gareth and his wife Joanne have a charitable foundation, the Morgan Foundation, which has three main stands of philanthropic endeavour – public interest research, conservation and social investment.