Redistribution of income and wealth
Redistribution of income and wealth is the transfer of income and wealth (including physical property) from some individuals to others through a social mechanism such as taxation, welfare, public services, land reform, monetary policies, confiscation, divorce or tort law. The term typically refers to redistribution on an economy-wide basis rather than between selected individuals. Interpretations of the phrase vary, depending on personal perspectives, political ideologies and the selective use of statistics. It is frequently used in politics, to refer to perceived redistribution from those who have more to those who have less. Occasionally, however, the term is used to describe laws or policies that cause redistribution in the opposite direction, from the poor to the rich.The phrase is often coupled with the term class warfare, with high-income earners and the wealthy portrayed as perpetrators of unfairness and discrimination.Redistribution tax policy should not be confused with predistribution policies.