ScienceJuly 31, 2026

regressivity

ree-gres-IV-ih-tee

Definition

The quality of a tax or policy that takes a larger percentage of income from low-income earners than from high-income earners.

Etymology

Derived from the Latin 'regressus,' meaning 'to go back,' combined with the suffix '-ive' and '-ity' to describe a tendency toward a backward or diminishing distribution of financial burden.

In the news

The article uses regressivity to describe how trade tariffs disproportionately burden lower-income households compared to wealthier ones, effectively acting as an unfair consumption tax.

Household-Level Cost Burdens of Section 338 Trade Actions Against Canada and China: An Empirical Economic Analysis of Consumers

Read the full article ↗

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