Science, Tech, Math › Social Sciences Definition of The Ability to Pay Principle Share Flipboard Email Print Social Sciences Economics U.S. Economy Employment Supply & Demand Psychology Sociology Archaeology Environment Ergonomics Maritime By Mike Moffatt Professor of Business, Economics, and Public Policy Ph.D., Business Administration, Richard Ivey School of Business M.A., Economics, University of Rochester B.A., Economics and Political Science, University of Western Ontario Mike Moffatt, Ph.D., is an economist and professor. He teaches at the Richard Ivey School of Business and serves as a research fellow at the Lawrence National Centre for Policy and Management. our editorial process Mike Moffatt Updated December 03, 2017 Definition: The ability to pay principle is the widely held view that the amount of taxes someone pays should increase as their income increases. Terms related to The Ability to Pay Principle: Progressive Tax About.Com Resources on The Ability to Pay Principle: Should Income Tax Rates Depend on Lifetime Earnings?Are Sales Taxes More Regressive Than Income Taxes?Do Richer People Pay a Higher Proportion of Tax Under a Flat Tax? Writing a Term Paper? Here are a few starting points for research on The Ability to Pay Principle: Books on The Ability to Pay Principle: Federal Taxation - Basic Principles Journal Articles on The Ability to Pay Principle: Ability-to-Pay Taxation as Discriminatory Pricing of Government ServicesA Re-Examination of the Use of Ability to Pay Taxes by Local GovernmentsThe Welfare Cost of Capital Income Taxation