摘要：Our paper suggests, on one hand, a theoretical debate on the justification for state intervention to correct inequalities between members of society (especially on income and wealth) and on the instruments at its disposal to achieve this and their effectiveness in objective. Secondly, our approach aims at a comparative analysis of key indicators to measure the degree of inequality, in a representative number of EU countries and beyond, in the last four decades. Thirdly, but not last, we made a trip on the evolutionary changes and their impact in fiscal plan, to identify the degree in which the taxes, in comparison with other available public tools, succeed to achieve the goal of a more just distribution of income and wealth in society. We find that including for a more just income distribution, in EU, the old member States are grouped in accordance with existing social models, while new member States have migrated in the last decades among groups, in consequence of their transition to market economy. Moreover, our results represent a basis for further and detailed research, at country level, in order to identify particular instruments and their efficiency in correcting economical and social inequalities.
