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Articles on Middle classes

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Because the threshold for the Medicare levy exemption is based on family income, the reform will reinforce the move towards higher effective tax rates on low income second earners in a family. Joe Castro/AAP

Shifting the tax burden to middle-income earners will undermine jobs and growth

With its recent budget changes, the government is proposing a rise in marginal tax rates across a wide band of middle incomes and a marginal tax rate cut for the top.
African nations can look to Nigeria and Tanzania for recent examples of smart policies that boost the middle class. Flag map via www.shutterstock.com

Africa’s destiny depends on building a vibrant middle class

Some countries in Africa have made great strides bolstering the middle class by supporting small businesses, but more needs to be done. 
Happy parenting won’t necessarily get you into Oxbridge. Parenting via Goodluz/Shutterstock

Parenting is not the key to tackling inequality

Britain is quickly turning into a nation characterised by an obscene and unsustainable wealth gap, according to a new report on social mobility. Yet behind the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission’s…
Punching a hole through privilege. Ben Birchall/PA Archive

English grammar schools try to shake off middle class bias

England’s 164 state grammar schools form a distinctive but controversial part of the nation’s education system. These schools are distinctive in terms of their high levels of performance – one consequence…
At what price? Moving house is just one strategy parents use to get kids into good schools. PA

A third of wealthy parents have moved house for a school place

One in three professional parents with children under 16 has moved their family to a new area solely because of the quality of its schools – and nearly a fifth have moved to be in a specific school’s catchment…
Designer shopping in China can lead to an experience like no other. Flickr/Gadgetdan

Middle classes and the Party: changing faces of power in China

China’s phenomenal economic growth during the last three decades has significantly altered its pattern of social stratification. One of the most equal countries in the world has become one of the most…

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