This week we debated social privilege and how to get rid of it (or make it worse). So, assuming it were feasible, should we replace income tax with a tax on social privilege of individuals? Social privilege based on gender, race, parental income, IQ, or physical appearance makes society fundamentally unequal: taxing social privilege might be the only way to lessen it. Maiko Fairbrother and Samrrudhi Nithyanandan made a strong case that his was the only solution to the way society is today: the status quo is so unequal that something drastic needs to be done. Taxing income and passing laws hasn’t made our society fair for minorities, only drastic action – such as taxing the social privilege of individuals – can overcome all the disadvantages that stop minorities and women succeeding and being happy. The opposition of Dilara Gencer and Saleha Hashemi depended mostly on a backlash argument: this would make angry white men angrier and they might go on to harm minorities and woman – however, such a harm isn’t big enough to overcome the benefits of the proposition’s argument. So, the proposition team won the debate. Next week we’ll be debating whether we should allow all states to develop nuclear weapons.

 

Mr Ahern & Mr Murphy