Redistributive taxation and the household: the case of individual filings

In this paper I look at the tax treatment of households under individual filings and characterise the efficiency properties of an income tax schedule that redistributes from rich to poor households. Because tax liabilities are determined on individual incomes but the decision to earn those incomes is made at the household level, tax liable members of the same household can side trade leisure for net income with one another, and such side trade enables them to carry out tax arbitrage. I analyse the problem for a two-class economy both with and without perfect assortative mating. The main conclusion is that the prevention of tax arbitrage imposes structure on the graduation of the tax schedule.     

Tax reform and collective family decision-making

Traditional analysis of tax reform treats market behaviour as arising out of individual utility maximisation. In this paper, behaviour is modelled as the Pareto-efficient outcome of a family decision process. Conditions for the existence of a feasible, Pareto-improving tax change are presented and contrasted with those that obtain in the individualistic case. The consequences of treating households as a single individual are also discussed.     

Tax reforms under market distortions in product and labour markets

Using a two-agent model comprised of capitalists and workers, this paper examines the importance of imperfect competition in product and labour markets in determining the welfare effects of tax reform. The reform considered consists of eliminating the capital tax alongside a concurrent rise in the labour tax. In contrast to the perfectly competitive model, models with product or labour market failures each result in welfare losses for the workers in the long-run. In a realistic calibration to the UK economy, combining these imperfections implies that this tax reform will be Pareto improving in the long-run. However, these welfare gains over longer time horizons come at the cost of short-run losses, which, consistent with previous research, result in welfare losses for workers post-reform.     

公共服务满意度、税制公平与纳税遵从——来自中国的证据

公共服务与税收公平是影响纳税遵从的重要因素。基于中国背景,将公共服务满意度、税制公平与纳税遵从纳入公平理论框架分析三者之间的作用机制后发现:公共服务满意度影响纳税人对税制公平的评价,无论是对政府部门的日常行政服务还是其他公共部门的基础公共服务而言,公共服务满意度越高,纳税人对税制公平的评价就越高;同时,税制公平对纳税遵从有正向影响,纳税人对税制公平的评价越高,其纳税遵从度就越高;税制公平评价在公共服务满意度与纳税遵从之间发挥着中介的作用。因此,现阶段提高我国公众纳税遵从度可以从改善公共服务和强化税制公平两个角度入手。     

Tax progressivity, income distribution and tax non-compliance

This article examines the determinants of tax non-compliance when we recognise the existence of an imperfectly competitive “tax advice” industry supplying schemes which help taxpayers reduce their tax liability. We apply a traditional industrial organisation framework to model the behaviour of this industry. This tells us that an important factor determining the equilibrium price and hence, the level of non-compliance, is the convexity of the demand schedule. We show that in this context, this convexity is affected by the distribution of pre-tax income, the progressivity of the tax-schedule and the way in which monitoring and penalties vary with income. It is shown that lower pre-tax income inequality as well as a less progressive tax code may cause more tax minimisation activities. Therefore, the frequently advocated policy of reducing the highest tax rate may fail as a policy directed at improving tax discipline. One way of offsetting the possible harm to tax compliance from a less progressive tax could be an adjustment of the penalty and monitoring functions.     

论税务管理能力与有效税制改革

衡量一项税制或税制改革是否有效,其最综合性的标志是:税制执行后,其理论税负与实际税负是否一致。而这一状况的实现,与一国税制的设计是否与其税务管理能力相匹配是密切相关的。各国税制改革的实践表明,税务管理能力本身就应成为一国有效税制改革的中心。我国当前不尽如人意的税制执行结果,以及税制与税务管理确立背景的诸多变化,都迫切要求我们进一步提高税务管理能力,以增强税制及税制改革的有效性。     

Tax Evasion,Corruption and Tax Loopholes

This paper addresses tax loopholes that allow firms to exploit borderline cases between legal tax avoidance and illegal tax evasion. In general, tax loopholes are detrimental to a revenue‐maximizing government. This may change in the presence of corruption in the tax administration. Tax loopholes may serve as a separating mechanism that helps governments maximize revenues and curb corruption, which may explain why developing countries only gradually close loopholes in their tax codes.     

Unpaid household work and the distribution of extended income: The Norwegian experience

Measurement of unpaid household work is important in order to better understand income distribution as well as to give visibility to women's work and achieve more comprehensive estimates of the level of economic activity. This article surveys estimates of unpaid household work in Norway for use in national accounts and analysis of consumption possibilities. The latter are measured by extended income, defined as income after tax plus the value of unpaid household work. We find that extended income appears to be more evenly distributed than money income.     

我国开征遗产税的必要和可能分析

上世纪90年代初，遗产税开始走进我们的视野，对是否应该开征和应该如何征收此税的争论一直存在。依据国外遗产税理论研究的有关成果，分析反对开征的意见和我国目前实际情况，可得出结论：在我国开征遗产税不仅必要，而且可能。     

当前世界减税趋势与中国税收政策取向

进入新世纪 ,随着经济全球化的加快发展 ,各国纷纷推出了减税计划和方案 ,形成了新一轮世界性的减税趋势和浪潮。我国自 1 998年以来 ,税收收入连年大幅增长 ,这对增强国家宏观调控能力 ,促进经济形势的好转发挥了重要作用。但是 ,税收长期超常增长 ,加重了企业和居民的负担 ,对刺激投资和消费、扩大内需、提高企业国际竞争力不利。在当前国内外形势下 ,从有利于经济持续发展来看 ,中国应采取完善税制、适度减税政策。     

个人所得税收入能力与税收流失的实证研究——以山东省为例

本文以山东省为例,把个人所得税收入能力分为现实收入能力和潜在收入能力两个层面。山东省个人所得税现实收入能力较全国平均水平为低,更远远低于国际水平。而从潜在收入能力来看,山东省个人所得税潜在收入能力巨大,但转化能力不足,税收流失率从2000年的37.75%增加到2007年的58.70%。究其根源,信息不对称、征管权与收入归属权不匹配、纳税人遵从率低和税制的低效等是造成这一现象的主要原因。     

中国税收持续高速增长之谜

延续12年之久的中国税收收入持续高速增长,在步入“十一五”以后表现出更加强劲的态势,从而在宏观经济运行以及整个经济社会发展进程中激起了更大的波澜。本文由税收收入同现行税制的关联分析入手,在税收收入增长轨迹同现行税制变动轨迹的联系中,试图捕捉支撑税收收入持续高速增长的“特殊”因素。以此为基础,采用特殊视角,逐一聚焦由税收收入持续高速增长所引致的若干重大问题,给出种种政策判断,提出相关政策建议。     

开征遗产税须消除的疑虑与制度设计

当前围绕我国是否应开征遗产税的问题,存在着截然不同的观点.开征遗产税具有重要的社会经济意义,并且我国目前已具备开征基本条件.构建符合中国国情的遗产税制度应成为下一步税制改革的一项重要内容.     

企业所得税征管:问题与对策

我国企业所得税征管环节存在不少亟待解决的问题,如税源监控不到位,服务意识待提高;汇算清缴制度不规范;纳税评估流于形式等.因此,应对纳税人科学分类,加强日常监控;核实税基;优化服务以降低纳税成本;规范企业所得税征管环节的各项管理;强化纳税评估,提高信息化程度,为企业营造出公平的纳税环境.     

The effects of tax reform on labor supply, tax revenue and welfare when tax avoidance matters

We examine how tax avoidance in the form of trade in well-functioning asset markets affects the study of labor supply. We discuss the implications for tax policy analysis, and we show that a failure to account for avoidance responses may lead to huge errors when analyzing how tax reform affects labor supply, tax revenue and the welfare cost of taxation. Our model may explain a number of otherwise hard to understand dimensions of taxpayer response.     

税制、制度变迁与企业并购的关系研究

随着我国企业并购交易活动的日益活跃和不断发展壮大,我国现行并购税制的完善建设问题也日渐凸出,从理论上对企业并购与并购税制之间的关系进行解析,是探究完善我国企业并购税制的逻辑起点。通常而言,企业并购交易是效率的选择,课于该交易的税收应保持中性,并购税制的变迁及优化完善依赖于税制结构、税种、税率、税基、税收优惠政策及税收征管办法等要素的设计选择。企业并购税制安排应着重从所得税设计、免税并购及免税并购适用条件的设定和完善并购制的时机选择等三个方面考虑。     

个人所得税税制模式:公平与效率的权衡

税制模式是一个涉及所得税公平与效率权衡问题的重要因素,对其的研究引起了学界和纳税人的广泛关注。然而,税制模式的改变不应该是一个建立于情绪化的公平偏好或公众舆论导向的产物,而应该是一个缜密的理论分析和客观的实践总结的结果。本文在分析各种税制模式在公平与效率方面的理论描述及其各国模式选择实践的基础上,得出了一个基本结论:即我国现行的特殊分类税制是符合现实税收环境的恰当税制模式。     

Tax,credit constraints,and the big costs of small inflation

This paper develops a heterogeneous‐agent overlapping generations model that examines how the neutrality of the tax system with respect to inflation depends on the price elasticity of the housing supply. The model, which endogenises house prices and rents, and which incorporates detailed tax regulations and bank‐imposed credit constraints, shows (a) inflation has large effects on the tenure arrangements of young households irrespective of the housing supply elasticity; and (b) inflation can improve the welfare of some low income young households if the supply is sufficiently elastic. The welfare costs of inflation are reduced by taxing real rather than nominal interest.     

日本研发税制改革及其对我国的启示

实践证明,税收激励政策是政府支持技术研发的重要手段,对研发活动具有重大影响。在当前全球金融危机形势下,如何运用好税收激励政策,是政府支持企业进行积极的产业结构调整,使经济尽快走出“低谷”的一个重要方面,也是在促进经济平稳较快发展中发挥科技支撑作用的一个重要环节。本文将通过分析和总结日本研发税制改革过程,提出进一步改进和完善我国现行研发税收政策的思路。     

Tax collection,the informal sector,and productivity

An important determinant of informality in a country is its tax enforcement capacity, which some authors argue further distorts the decisions of firms and creates inefficiency. In this paper, I assess the quantitative effect of incomplete tax enforcement on aggregate output and productivity using a dynamic general equilibrium framework. I calibrate the model using data for Mexico, where the informal sector is large. I then investigate the effects of improving enforcement. I find that under complete enforcement, Mexico's labor productivity and output would be 19% higher under perfect competition and 34% higher under monopolistic competition. The source of this gain is the removal of the distortions induced by incomplete enforcement of taxes. These distortions affect the economy in three ways: by reducing the capital–labor ratios of informal establishments; by allowing low-productive entrepreneurs to enter; and by misallocating resources towards low-productive establishments. As a result, TFP and capital accumulation are reduced, and hence output. I decompose the gains following the guidelines of five leading papers in the literature of resource misallocation across plants. I isolate the effects of pure factor misallocation, distorted occupational choices, capital accumulation, and complementarities. I also study marginal improvements in enforcement and find that there is an inverted-U relationship between the size of the informal sector and output. This reflects the fact that improving enforcement entails a tradeoff: more taxes vs. fewer distortions.