Economics: Tax Bundle

Each of the HTML tools you have developed brings something distinct to the teaching of taxation and government policy, and together they provide a structured progression from the basics of tax calculation to the complexities of macroeconomic theory. 

UK Tax Overview

Each tax category (Direct, Indirect, Burden Shifting, and Case Studies) has its own section that can be activated through JavaScript-driven buttons. This makes the model easy to navigate without overwhelming the reader with too much information at once. It also mirrors how textbooks or reports are structured, but in a far more interactive way.

It integrates CSS gradients, card grids, and hover effects, which transform a potentially dry subject (taxation) into something visually stimulating. The info-cards, highlight boxes, and case-study panels don’t just display data; they invite exploration. These design elements increase engagement, which is especially important if the audience is students or policymakers who might otherwise skim static text.

Through your JavaScript tab switching and hover animations, users are encouraged to interact with the content. For example, switching between direct and indirect taxation instantly reshapes the context without loading a new page. This interactivity makes the file more dynamic than a PDF or static Word document, and gives learners control over their journey through the material. By combining theory, real-world data, and case studies in a modular design, it creates a learning platform rather than just a document. It bridges abstract economic theory with practical UK tax policy in a way that is visually digestible and academically credible.

Income Tax Calculator

An interactive app that lets students:

choose a tax system (rUK 2025/26, Scotland 2025/26, Labour/Corbyn 2017, Truss/Kwarteng 2022),

set an annual income via slider or quick occupation buttons,

click Calculate to see Gross, Tax, Net, and Effective tax rate, and

Read a step-by-step calculation breakdown showing how each band contributes to the total.

Learners calculate progressive tax and verify sums using the transparent band-by-band breakdown.

They interpret effective vs marginal rates (e.g., why the effective rate rises more smoothly than the marginal rate steps).

Students compare systems (rUK vs Scotland vs historical proposals) and evaluate policy trade-offs (more bands vs fewer; rate changes vs thresholds).

They investigate tapering above £100k and discuss equity vs efficiency implications (e.g., behavioural responses around the taper zone).

The Laffer Curve Visualiser

The Laffer Curve Visualiser is designed to make an abstract economic model concrete and interactive. It allows students to move a slider to adjust the tax rate and immediately see how government revenue responds. By changing elasticity assumptions, learners can see how sensitive the optimal tax rate is to behavioural responses in the labour market. The ability to switch between theoretical curves, real-world data and historical case studies means that students not only grasp the underlying theory but also confront its application and limitations in practice. The benefit of this tool lies in how it merges visual engagement with deeper conceptual thinking. Learners come away with a clear understanding of the difference between revenue effects and incentive effects, and they can critically evaluate whether higher or lower tax rates are likely to increase revenue in real economies.

The Tax Visualizer

The Tax Visualizer with Marginal Rate goes further by focusing on how different tax systems work in practice. It compares progressive, regressive and proportional systems and makes a crucial distinction between effective tax rates, which measure the overall proportion of income taxed, and marginal tax rates, which show how much of the next unit of income is taxed. Students can manipulate base rates, top rates and curve steepness to explore how each system distributes the burden of taxation. This interactivity helps them see how progressive systems place higher burdens on high earners, while regressive systems shift proportionately more onto lower earners. The learning outcome is a more nuanced grasp of fairness, redistribution and incentives, while the benefit is the clarity it brings to an area often misunderstood even by adults.

The simpler Tax Visualizer strips away some of this complexity, showing only the overall tax rate and total tax paid across progressive, regressive and proportional systems. It is an effective starting point for learners who are new to these concepts. By focusing on the shapes of the curves and the direction they slope, students build a foundational understanding of how the structure of taxation changes the experience of taxpayers at different income levels. This clarity prepares them to move on to the more advanced visualiser where marginal and effective rates are compared side by side.