Size,trend, and policy implications of the underground economy

We study the underground economy within a dynamic and stochastic general equilibrium framework. Our model combines limited tax enforcement with an otherwise standard two-sector neoclassical stochastic growth model. The Bayesian estimation of the model based on Italian data provides evidence in favor of an important underground sector in Italy, with a size that has increased steadily over the whole sample period. We show that this pattern is due to a steady increase in taxation. Fiscal policy experiments suggest that a moderate tax cut, along with a stronger effort in the monitoring process, causes a sizeable reduction in the size of the underground economy and provides a positive stimulus for the regular economy. Both of these effects jointly increase total fiscal revenues.     

Regulatory performance of audit tournaments and compliance observability

This paper examines the effectiveness of traditional regulatory schemes and newly emerging social information schemes for achieving compliance. Our experiment focuses on two stochastic audit schemes for enforcing regulatory compliance. In the Random Audit mechanism firms are randomly chosen for inspection. In the Tournament Audit mechanism the probability of inspection increases with the degree of estimated underreporting. To study the effects of social information, the experiment varies the observability of identity, output, and compliance decisions. Optimal output is theoretically independent of the auditing scheme, but equilibrium reporting is higher under the Tournament mechanism than Random auditing. Experimental findings are broadly consistent with the theoretical predictions for reporting, but deviate modestly for output. In particular, we find that average output is lower and reporting is higher in the Tournament treatment compared to the Random Audit treatment. At the individual level, a majority of participants misreported in most periods. Social observability does not affect output or reporting significantly in either of the audit treatments.     

我国进行国际税收竞争的最优战略与策略分析

本文依据国际税收竞争对我国的积极意义以及我国是发展中大国的战略定位,认为我国应该采取"积极、适度竞争,理性、必要协调"的战略;在竞争策略的选择上,通过对我国主要资本来源国对待本国资本海外投资的规定以及竞争对手国吸引外资相关做法的研究,提出我国应选择"低税率、宽税基、少优惠"的竞争方式和手段,并应注重形成有比较竞争力的税收制度,而不应进行频繁的政策调整.     

Which Elasticity? Estimating the Responsiveness of Taxpayer Reporting Decisions

In this paper we present estimates of the responses of individuals to marginal tax rates in their reporting of income, using data from individual tax returns for the year 1995. One estimation method is ordinary least squares regression. A second method uses quantile regression, which provides evidence on behavioral responses at different points (or quantiles) in the distribution of income and so is relevant to the question of whether the responses of, say, the rich differ from those at other points in the income distribution. Our results clearly indicate that marginal tax rates affect the reporting decisions of individuals. However, there are significant differences in the marginal tax rate reporting responses for the various types of reported income, there are major differences across income classes, and there are notable differences in the estimated responses across estimation methods.

农业税改对东营农村经济影响分析

自实施农业税制改革以来,山东省东营市认真贯彻国家各项农业税制改革政策,于2005年全部免除农业税,大力加强财政支农和金融支农力度,有力地促进了社会主义新农村建设。本文从东营市入手深入调查研究了我国农业税制改革对该市农村经济所带来的积极影响与负面作用,并进一步分析了金融、财政在支持“三农”过程中所存在的问题,最后提出了对策、建议。     

行政复议前置、税法确定性与税收治理现代化

行政复议前置的制度功能之一是保障税法确定性,这是税收治理现代化的内在要求。在税务法院全面设立以前,在专业机构完成税收争议的初次处理能够保障税法的统一解释与适用,提升税法的确定性。行政复议前置不仅可以将事实认定功能留给行政机关,让法院(无论是否设立税务法庭)能专事法律问题,而且在税制改革的背景下,能发挥过滤争议数量和争议焦点的作用,提高税收救济制度的效率。这种立场,并不损害纳税人的权利,相反保护了抽象和整体意义上的纳税人权利。     

优化营商环境的财税政策研究——以江苏省为例

近年来,江苏财政部门积极支持营商环境建设,贯彻落实减税降费政策,采取设立风险补偿资金池、引导社会资本投资、设立支持企业发展的奖补资金等举措,在优化营商环境方面取得一定成效,但在政策执行过程中还存在一些不足,如部分行业税负可能上升、无定价权的企业在税制改革中获益相对较少、减税降费"降成本"效应下降等,针对实际工作中存在的问题,还需要进一步增强"降成本"政策的协调性,采取完善增值税抵扣机制等措施。     

区域一体化、地方利益冲突与利益协调

由于区域利益与地方利益之间存在一致性与差异性、群体性与集中性、中观性与微观性的矛盾属性,导致区域合作中的地方利益冲突无法避免,且利益冲突涉及到社会、政治、经济和自然环境等诸多领域,阻碍了区域合作和经济一体化进程。为了协调利益冲突,亟待树立合作共赢理念,完善利益分配协商、利益分享与补偿、利益争端调解、利益共享等机制。