It also stems from the widespread use by policy-makers of purely economic measures (e.g. corporate profits, GDP) as the ultimate but ill-conceived benchmark of progress (Stiglitz, Sen and Fitoussi, 2009, Costanza et al. Indeed, theoretical economic models underpinning this approach largely ignore the broader macroeconomic, social and environmental context. They do not take into account the role of income distribution in determining the level of domestic demand and economic stability. They also fail to acknowledge the existence of unequal initial endowments as well as environmental and other market failures that perpetuate unsustainable development, and which discriminatory taxation could seek to correct.