Effects of flat tax reforms in Western Europe

Recent success of the flat income tax in Eastern Europe raises questions about whether there is scope for such a policy reform in Western Europe as well. We address this by estimating the potential distributional impact of various flat taxes for selected Western European countries. Our simulations show that in specific circumstances a revenue neutral flat tax reform can increase income equality and improve work incentives; however, in most cases there is an equity-efficiency trade-off. We show that the specific flat tax design and the welfare state regime play a key role.     

Analysis of state general sales tax policy: A complementary approach to the effects of causes and the causes of effects

Previous research and theory on state general sales tax policy provide the major factors and components of the sales tax base that affect revenue reliance and tax burden. However, previous research on general sales tax policy has concentrated on individual factors and components of the sales tax base without considering the interdependent and interrelated causes of revenue reliance and tax burden. In addition, regression-based analyses are limited in analyzing the causal conjunctures that affect revenue reliance and tax burden. Thus, this research focused on a complementary approach to the effects of causes and the causes of effects, thereby empirically examining the combined causes of revenue reliance and tax burden through a (fs) QCA analysis of U.S. state data spanning from 2007 to 2010. This study reveals that the combined causes of revenue reliance and tax burden vary as ideal types compared with the effects of real types observed in the panel data analysis. This study contributes to the current literature by examining interrelated and interdependent causal relationships with regard to revenue reliance and tax burden in a complementary manner. State governments must consider the combined effects of causal conjunctures that affect revenue reliance and tax burden.     

Tax structure and state economic growth during the Great Recession

Concern about the effect of taxes on economic growth and development in the United States is longstanding. While most studies are concerned with the growth impacts of tax burden, marginal rates, or the impact of a particular tax, there are few works that examine the impact of tax structure in the way it is defined in this work. Here, tax structure is defined as the shares of revenue collected by various taxes. Using a pool of data on the 50 states between 2004 and 2010, this paper explores the relationship between state and local tax structure and growth of real per-capita GDP through the Great Recession centered in 2008. The results are used to generate estimates of the growth impacts of revenue neutral changes in tax shares.     

论产权结构多元化对税制结构的影响

在产权结构多元化的过程中,随着所有权不断分割、裂变成各式各样的产权以及产权不断被明晰界定,新的产权主体会获得收益,这种收益的产生一方面源自于激励,另一方面源自于对闲置资源的利用,其结果是开辟了新的税源,进而提高所得税收入、影响税制结构。这意味着,在解决税收收入不足以及税收调节问题时,可以不局限于传统的手段,通过在产权结构多元化过程中对不同产权主体的清晰界定与保护,同样可以促进新税基的产生,进而起到优化税制的作用。     

Why China＇s Tax Revenue Is Likely to Maintain Its Rapid Growth： An Explanation within the Framework of Tax Capacity and Tax Effort

在税收能力和税收努力的理论框架下,分析中国税收高速增长的源泉,可以发现,在分税制改革后,中国税收长时间高速增长的原因主要表现在三个方面：分税制的税收分权契约性质具有强烈的税收激励作用;间接税的制度设计放大了纳税人的纳税能力;我国正处于“税收增长红利”集中释放期。未来第一种因素的作用将减弱,第二种因素的作用部分消失,第三种因素的作用依旧存在。从长期看,由于税收增长红利仍将持续很长一段时期,税收仍可能保持较高速度的增长。     

完善依法治税新探

依法治税作为依法治国的组成部分,是社会主义民主政治的产物,其实质是实现税收的制度化和法律化。因此,依法治税的核心思想是税收法治,这是我们理解和认识依法治税的理论基础。目前我国税收分配的现实状况,离依法治税的要求还有一定差距,在税收法律制度、税收执法、法治观念、税收司法保障体系、地方税务以及税务干部队伍建设等方面尚存在一些问题。为完善我国依法治税,应当科学的实施税收征管、建立司法保障体系、强化税务代理、加强税收法律监督、尊重纳税人的权利。以推进和完善我国税收法制的进程。     

An Agenda for Social Security in the Years Ahead

This paper focuses on recent debates on social welfare spending in Australia, and on social security in particular. Its starting point is the current economic climate and the perceived imperative for continued fiscal restraint. Its central argument is that the welfare debate must be placed firmly in the context of the role of the public sector as a whole. In the social welfare context, government interventions through direct expenditures and tax expenditures must be assessed together, along with the impact of the tax structure on revenue raising potential. The paper questions the virtue of increased reliance on selectivity and presents the case for a more universalist approach.     

The economic effects of carbon tax on China’s provinces

The responsibility for carbon emissions tends to be different under different emission accounting principles. By applying the latest 2012 Chinese multi-regional input–output table, this study evaluated the impacts of carbon tax on tax burdens and sectoral competitiveness in Chinese provinces when considering either production-based or consumption-based emissions. Our results indicated that, in the scenario of cutting production tax for carbon tax, the developed provinces, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Zhejiang, and Jiangsu, who are much bigger payers of production tax, are net beneficiaries of carbon tax. In contrast, recycling the tax revenues to low-income households makes the less-developed provinces in the central and western China become net revenue receivers. Furthermore, for competitiveness effects, the emission intensive sectors, such as Electricity and hot water production and supply, Petroleum and gas, and Metal products, are impacted vitally under both accounting principles in all provinces. Nevertheless, compared with the production-based principle, a consumption-based carbon tax could reduce the unfavorable competitiveness effects of most affected sectors in the less-developed provinces, while slightly increasing those effects in the developed provinces. Our results provide new information on the regional impacts of carbon tax based two different accounting principles with different tax revenue recycling scenarios.     

后农业税费时代乡镇政府的项目包装行为:以东北特拉河镇为例

本文以东北某农业乡镇--特拉河镇为例,分析了农村税费改革之后乡镇财政结构的变化,以及在这种结构之下乡镇政府的项目包装行为。税费改革之前,乡镇财政主要是一种“向下要”财政结构,乡镇政府主要是通过向农民征收税费的形式来实现本级政府的财政收入。税费改革之后,“项目财政”成为乡镇政府增加本级财政收入的主要来源,而这种财政收入的获得是乡镇政府通过申请“项目资金”来实现的。通过对特拉河镇大鹅养殖项目的考察,我们发现,在乡镇政府项目申请过程中,镇政府将大鹅养殖产业链条上的每个流程都包装成为项目,以此向上级政府申请资金,并且通过虚报数量、宣传、政绩化等手段来提高项目申请的成功率。笔者认为,“向上要”财政结构决定了乡镇政府的项目包装行为。     

税收质量的界定、制度比较与借鉴

税收质量是指税收效率、税收公平及两者均衡的状态,主要体现在税收结构、税收分权体制以及税收征收管理机制三个方面上。不同经济发展水平国家的税收质量存在着较大差异性。税收质量要注重长远利益与现实利益的兼顾,在利益导向和控制导向基础上平衡各级政府的税权划分,不断强化以税收服务和监督保障为核心的税收征收管理运行机制。从短期看,我国税收质量仍旧要以税收效率作为主要目标,兼顾税收公平作用的发挥;随着生产力水平的不断提高,要逐步强化税收公平,以税收公平促进税收效率。     

农村税费改革实施的制度障碍和政策选择

农村税费改革降低了农民负担 ,规范了基层政府的行政行为 ,促进了农村社会的制度化建设。但改革在实践中遇到的困难也反映出现行农村制度安排与改革要求存在冲突。本质上 ,税费改革并不是三农问题的治本之策 ,我们必须超越减负看税改。税费改革为我们彻底解决农村问题找到了突破口 ,应该抓住税改良机 ,以完善税费改革为中心 ,进一步深化农村现行各种制度的改革 ,通过对农村社会的制度建设推动税费改革的顺利进行 ,从而建立规范的农村税费制度 ,确立以农民利益为核心的国家、集体、农民三方的新型分配关系。     

宏观税负、公共支出结构与个人主观幸福感 ——兼论“政府转型”

本文利用CGSS2006数据库,对政府转型下的宏观税负、民生财政支出和地区收入差距等与个人主观幸福感的关系进行实证检验后发现：（1）宏观税负对居民主观幸福感有显著负影响;（2）总体而言,政府公共支出增进了居民的主观幸福感;（3）从公共支出结构看,地方政府基建投资对于城镇居民的主观幸福感有显著负效应,政府用于科教文卫和社会保障的支出对居民的主观幸福感有显著正效应;（4）科教文卫支出与社会保障支出对市民与外来人员幸福感的影响存在显著差异。     

资源税改革：以煤炭为例的资源经济学分析

以煤炭为例,利用修正的E1 Serafy使用者成本法估计煤炭资源耗减成本可以证明,中国煤炭资源的开发利用存在使用者成本,并随着煤炭产量的大幅增加而迅速提高,需要通过征收从价资源税来反映煤炭资源的真实成本。计算结果还表明,1992--2009年间,中国基于使用者成本的从价煤炭资源税理论税率在2％-14％之间波动。进一步通过动态可计算一般均衡（CGE）模型分析从价煤炭资源税对宏观经济的影响,可以发现,对煤炭资源征收5％-12％的从价资源税,宏观经济成本将在可承受范围之内,而且能够反映煤炭作为稀缺性资源的耗减成本。因此,中国的资源税改革具有可持续发展的意义。     

Income redistribution effects of tax reforms in Sweden

In 1989 a major tax reform was proposed in Sweden. Substantially lower tax rates, a broader tax base, and bigger allowances to families with children are its main components. With the help of a microsimulation model the impact of the reform on income distribution is studied here. The usefulness and the limitations of this type of policy model are also discussed. Somewhat surprisingly, our simulation results show no noticeably adverse effect on income distribution as described by the Lorenz curve: the inequality-increasing effect of the changes in tax rates is offset by the changes in the other components of the reform.     

Behavioral responses and the distributional effects of the Russian ‘flat’ tax

This paper simulates the distributional impact of the Russian personal income tax (PIT) following the flat tax reform of 2001 using data from the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey. I decompose the change in the distribution of net income into a direct (tax) effect and an indirect effect. The indirect effect is further decomposed into evasion and productivity effects using existing estimates of these respective elasticities. As expected, the direct tax effect increased net income inequality. Changes in the pre-tax distribution (indirect effect), on the other hand, had a large negative impact on inequality thus leading to an overall decline in net income inequality. I also find that the tax-induced evasion response increased reported net income inequality while reducing consumption inequality. To the extent that consumption approximates actual income, these results demonstrate that the flat tax reform had a much smaller effect on actual income inequality than on reported income inequality. More importantly, relative to non-tax factor, the reform had little overall effect on income inequality. This suggests that objection to flatter tax schedules on the grounds of income inequality is mostly misguided, especially in transitional countries with high levels of evasion.     

WHO'S NOT PAYING THEIR FAIR SHARE: PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS OF THE AUSTRALIAN TAX SYSTEM

Data from the Community Hopes, Fears and Actions Survey are used to examine how pervasive the view is that the more privileged in society are failing to pay their fair share of tax, to understand the beliefs that underpin such perceptions, and the reforms that are needed to open dialogue with the Australian public about the issue. Support is found for five hypotheses. Economic self‐interest provides a partial explanation for perceptions of vertical inequity, but more important are disillusionment with the Australian democracy and perceptions of insufficient procedural justice from the tax office. Values about how Australian society should develop also play a part. Those looking for a more equal, caring and compassionate Australia perceive there to be a high level of vertical inequity. Such perceptions are not shared by those aspiring to an Australia that pursues competitive advantage either economically or politically. Tax authorities are brokers for social order and harmony in democracies. They can not determine the policies that are supposed to deliver these goals, nor the rules by which individuals are expected to contribute to the government coffers. But they carry responsibility for making it all happen — collecting taxes and providing government with revenue. As such, their integrity is pivotal to smooth democratic functioning. Integrity for a tax authority involves having purposeful and sound goals, appropriate and ethical procedures for pursuing such goals, and processes allowing reflection and evolution of their operation in response to the democratic will (Braithwaite 2003). This paper is a contribution to the process of reflection on how the tax system is working for its citizens. Its purpose is to investigate the extent to which the Australian community believes that their tax authority is pursuing one of its goals, collecting revenue, in a sound and purposeful way. Three questions are addressed: (a) Are different social groups in our society paying their fair share of tax? (b) What are the experiences and aspirations lying behind public perceptions that some groups do not pay their fair share? and (c) Do perceptions of fairness shape the direction in which Australians want to see tax reform progress?     

Fiscal Policy and Urban and Rural Residents＇ Marginal Propensity to Consume

基于代表性家庭最优消费决策及其与财政政策的关系,估计中国财政政策对城乡居民边际消费倾向的影响,结果表明,自1998年至今,城乡居民边际消费倾向的下降幅度超过20％。城乡居民边际消费倾向下降,．除源于收入分配、经济发展程度、预期、消费结构等因素的影响外,与财政政策运用也有很大关系。其中,未预期到的财政政策冲击对居民边际消费倾向产生的综合效应显著为负。以未预期到的税收增加为融资工具的策略选择,大大抑制了结构调整的正面效应。因此,扩大居民消费,不仅要通过财政增收,提高居民消费能力,而且要通过调整财政收支策略,稳定居民消费预期,提升居民边际消费倾向。     

出口退税政策效应研究

1994年我国税制改革后,按增值税暂行条例的规定,实行出口货物税率为零的优惠政策,亦即出口退税。实施出口退税政策是国际通行的做法,政策的初衷是鼓励出口,但客观产生了避免国际双重征税,体现国家税收主权独立,体现税收的公平与效率以及税收的国民待遇等政策效应。     

A family income distribution model for regional (Massachusetts) policy analysis

An earned family income distribution model for Massachussets is described. This model could be estimated and used for other national or subnational regions for which the micro data required to generate earned family income distribution at working period rates are available. The model is distinguished by its explicit inclusion of male- and female-headed families without earnings and by its attention to employment structure, labor market conditions, and wage acceleration. There is presented a policy simulation that shows the effects on earned family income distribution of cutting the Massachusetts corporate profits tax and offsetting the lost revenue with a luxury goods sales tax.     

Why China’s Tax Revenue Is Likely to Maintain Its Rapid Growth: An Explanation within the Framework of Tax Capacity and Tax Effort

在税收能力和税收努力的理论框架下, 分析中国税收高速增长的源泉, 可以发 现, 在分税制改革后, 中国税收长时间高速增长的原因主要表现在三个方面: 分税制 的税收分权契约性质具有强烈的税收激励作用; 间接税的制度设计放大了纳税人的纳 税能力; 我国正处于“税收增长红利”集中释放期。未来第一种因素的作用将减弱, 第二种因素的作用部分消失, 第三种因素的作用依旧存在。从长期看, 由于税收增长 红利仍将持续很长一段时期, 税收仍可能保持较高速度的增长。关键词: 税收增长 税收分权 税收能力 税收努力 An analysis of the dynamics of the rapid growth of tax revenue in China within the framework of tax capacity and tax effort reveals three major drivers following the tax sharing reform. First, the nature of the decentralization contract under the tax sharing system provides strong incentives for taxation. Second, the system of indirect taxes boosts taxpayers’ taxable capacity. And third, China is enjoying the intensively present tax growth dividend. In the future, the first factor will diminish; the second factor will partially cease functioning; and the third factor will remain constant. Over the long term, the tax growth dividend will be long lasting and tax revenue will keep growing at a high speed.