Public services like health and education are one of the strongest weapons in the fight against inequality.

They benefit everyone in society, but the poorest most of all. They mitigate the impact of skewed income distribution, and redistribute revenue by putting ‘virtual income’ into the pockets of the poorest women and men. Across OECD countries public services already provide the poorest people with the equivalent of 76 percent of their post-tax income.

Governments must urgently reform tax systems and increase public spending on free public services, such as health and education, to tackle inequality and prevent us being tipped irrevocably into a world that works for the few and not the many.

Written by Emma Seery, Head of Inequality Policy & Campaigns, Oxfam GB