Optimal Income Taxation and the Ability Distribution: Implications for Migration Equilibria

As recently argued by Diamond (1998), one of the key factors explaining the progressivity of an optimal non-linear income tax is the distribution of productivity among workers. Migration is one source of changes in the productivity distribution. How changes in the populations ability distribution affect optimal income tax schedules has received little attention. Changing the distribution generally affects both the objective function and the government budget constraint. We first consider the comparative statics of the fraction of highly-skilled workers with maximin and maximax welfare functions (so that only the second effect is present) and a quasi-linear utility function. We also present some results for a utilitarian social welfare function.We then study the interaction between mobility and redistributive taxation. We consider mobility by either the skilled or unskilled population under majority voting where governments take the population as fixed. If individuals choose to relocate independently, having identical ability distributions is always a stable equilibrium when the unskilled are the mobile group. However, this is not always the case when the skilled are mobile. If groups of individuals can choose where to locate, having identical ability distributions across regions is only an equilibrium when the mobile type has an overall majority.     

Taxation and Migration in a Federal System

This paper discusses how taxation may affect migration, economic efficiency and income distribution. The institutional framework is a federal system, in which local authorities are responsible for the supply of public services and the financing of these services, and where the central authorities are in charge of income redistribution. The main conclusion is that a moderate policy of income redistribution is associated with greater centralization of the work force and greater economic inefficiency than is the case with both radical and more limited policies of redistribution.     

对金融税制缺陷与税制改革的思考

随着经济金融全球一体化，中国银行税制存在的问题，尤其是与国际上通行的税制不接轨的矛盾日益突出，影响了中国银行业的发展。基于此，银行税制改革应以公平和规范为基本目标，以促进金融业和国民经济的发展、保证国家财政收入、符合国际惯例为基本原则，从税收制度和税收政策方面入手，重点改革完善营业税、企业所得税等税种。     

Taxation,imperfect competition,and discontinuities

Most work on taxation assumes that market adjustments to taxation will be small and continuous and so analyzes the effects of taxation using standard marginal methods. However, the world often changes in large and discontinuous ways. This paper looks at the effects of taxation when discontinuities in market adjustments are allowed because market structure is determined endogenously by the discrete entry and exit decisions of firms. The results indicate that the potential for discontinuities generates tax effects that are considerably different from those that emerge when adjustments are small and continuous. With discontinuities, taxes can have large and discrete effects, for example, by increasing prices far in excess of the tax itself or by changing utility in a highly nonmarginal way. Of more significance, with discontinuities taxes can actually increase welfare even when they lessen competition and raise prices. Taxes can also have markedly different effects on the income and welfare of different groups. Consumers are always made worse off by a tax, but a tax may be supported by the firms in an industry if the tax limits entry and thereby increases firm profits.     

Taxation of Interest Income

Why is interest income taxed so much more heavily than other forms of capital income? This differential tax treatment has generated substantial tax arbitrage, resulting in lower tax revenue, efficiency costs, and apparently net gains to rich borrowers and net losses to poor lenders, together suggesting that this tax treatment makes no sense on welfare grounds. In examining this argument more formally, this paper reveals two omitted considerations that can help explain the existing tax treatment. First, the forecasted increase in the market interest rate results in a redistribution from rich borrowers to poor lenders. Yet this redistribution comes at no marginal efficiency cost, starting from a situation with no distortions to portfolio choice, so at the margin dominates further redistribution through the income tax. In addition, information about an individual's portfolio choice reveals information about her earnings ability, even controlling for observed labor income, if those who are more able tend to be less risk averse. By making use of this extra information about earnings ability, the tax system can be better tailored to redistribute from able to less able, for any given efficiency cost.     

宪政税收——一个从宪法视角分析税收的框架

宪政税收是宪法上对税收核心规则或最高原则的创设与运用之政法过程的制度性规范,这一过程要求税收的每一个核心要素都受制于宪政税收。理论上,一个符合中国现实的宪政税收模型是人民代表的一致同意。因为国家和人民的基本关系其实是税收关系,所以必须在宪法上界定国家与人民的权力与权利、责任与义务并使其基本关系宪法化。实践上,应以宪政税收为基本出发点,修改宪法的涉税条款,不必出台税收基本法,并以宪法理念或精神指导税收法律体系或制度的构建。     

Taxation, Public Policy, and Dynamics of Unemployment

This paper provides an overview of the key issues relating to taxation, public policy and the dynamics of unemployment.It takes issue with the widely held view that generous social insurance schemes and the associated highpayroll taxes have been the major cause of the high unemployment rates which have persisted in Europe over thepast 15 years. It puts forward a framework for a theory of adjustment, based on the portfolio theory of the riskaverse firm and the efficiency wage theory of labor markets. This is used to explain why in the onset of a downturn,the hiring rate may lag the layoff rate, thus giving rise to rising unemployment rates. It is also shown to provideguidance as to policies which enhance the ability of firms to bear risks and which reduce costs of hiring and firing.The paper argues that while policies which increase severance or layoff costs may be well intended they mayactually serve to exacerbate the magnitude of employment fluctuations. Similarly, unemployment compensation,which is designed to ease the burden on those who are unemployed, may lead to higher levels of equilibriumunemployment. These programs can be restructured in ways which simultaneously ease the short-run burden ofthose thrown into unemployment, while reducing the adverse impact of these programs on the unemployment rate.     

税收学:方位与发展--关于拓展我国税收理论研究领域的思考

当前,西方经济学下的税收学研究还存在微观基础不充分的问题,同时税收学的跨学科研究仍需加强。因此,在继续关注当前研究热点的前提下,税收理论研究还应当向企业税收学、税收法律运行及税收伦理学等研究领域拓展。     

基层税务机关纳税服务存在的问题与优化对策

纳税服务是近年来税务机关工作的重点,本文通过分析基层实际情况,指出纳税服务存在的问题,并提出了如何优化的对策。     

避免信托重复征税的基本原则

重复征税是我国信托税制中存在的最突出的问题。构建信托税制、避免重复征税,必须坚持税制的一般原理与信托制度独特的基本原理相结合,以信托导管原理为理论分析工具,确立以实质课税主义为核心的基本原则。     

Taxation and House-Price Uncertainty: Some Empirical Estimates

Purchasing a home involves a large and localized investment that leaves many families exposed to volatile house prices and at risk of losing their home equity. Price movements are typically not synchronized across cities, suggesting the potential for efficiency gains through risk sharing across households. In this paper, we consider the possibility of risk sharing through capital gains taxation. When full loss offset is permitted, potential gains and losses are reduced at the household level by taxation and distributed nationally, thereby allowing the tax authority to diversify away the local risks associated with owner-occupied housing. We simulate the effect of a capital gains tax with full loss offset on tenure choice and housing demand using micro-level data from the American Housing Survey, spanning ten years, from 1985 to 1995, and measures of time varying risk and return.     

The Taxation of Banking in an Integrating Europe

The banking sector is subject to explicit taxation and to bank regulation and supervision with quasi-fiscal implications. The assignment of national fiscal policy rights and duties regarding international banks in the EU varies with the fiscal instrument and with whether the international bank owns foreign branches or subsidiaries. Decentralized national policy-making in the EU gives rise to fiscal burdens on banks that differ internationally and with the national origin of banks in the same country. This paper discusses the international aspects of the overall fiscal regime facing banks in the EU and it evaluates some avenues for reform.     

论税收撤销权

税务机关如何正确行使撤销权,有关的法律规定过于简单。因而,需要从理论和实践相结合的角度对税收撤销权的成立要件、税收撤销权的行使及效力、税收撤销权的冲突等问题给予明确,以期对税收实践有所裨益。     

我国税源管理的问题与对策

税源管理问题是世界各国都十分重视的税收问题。特别是20世纪80年代以来,随着经济的全球化和跨国公司的发展,税源管理问题越来越受到各国政府的关注。如何通过税源管理,实现经济的协调发展和效率,建立法制的社会,已成为当前我国政府税收管理的核心问题。税源管理的主体是政府,因此,本文将从政府角度研究与税源管理相关的问题,并期待通过对相关问题的研究,提出加强我国税源管理的对策,为政府的税源管理提供有价值的参考。     

税务专业实践教学体系的构建

实践教学作为本科教学中必不可少的环节,对培养大学生的实践动手能力有重要的意义,同时实践教学也是学校连接社会的重要桥梁。从社会需求来看,税务机关和企业都需要既有扎实的税收理论基础又有实际操作能力的税务人才。而目前高校税务实践课程的建设不能满足社会需求,也没有形成体系,笔者就这一问题提出了一些建议。     

企业集团合并纳税：比较及启示

我国的合并纳税制度目前只针对特批企业,这不利于企业集团之间公平竞争。对企业集团合并纳税范围及不同国家合并纳税模式的比较与分析表明:我国应进一步完善所得税法等法律法规,保证税收公平,积极建设我国的"集团纳税制度"。     

税收博弈论

税收博弈是税收征纳双方基于税收这一经济利益而发生的相互作用过程中的一系列决策与决策均衡问题.税收博弈关系可以从不同的利益取向、策略选择和共同的博弈均衡追求三方面加以认识.税收博弈是零和博弈、动态博弈、重复博弈及终极意义上的合作博弈.在具体的税收博弈模型的架构与分析中可以得出,税务机关的工作质量与税收制度的完备程度是左右税收博弈纳什均衡成立与否的决定因素,税收博弈的过程体现了对纳税人权利保护和对税制完善的不断追求.     

地方税制的国际经验与借鉴

本文通过对美、德、日、法四国的地方税制进行比较分析,归纳出四国地方税制的特征,并在此基础上提出了对我国地方税制改革的建议:建立分级地方税制;选择财产税为地方税主体税种;采用集权为主的税权模式。     

Exemption vs. Credit Method in International Double Taxation Treaties

This paper examines the choice of international double taxation relief methods by two small countries that mutually exchange foreign direct investment. At the first stage, each country chooses between the exemption and the credit method (as prescribed by the OECD model treaty) and at the second stage, each country sets nationally optimal non-discriminatory capital tax rates. It is shown that in the subgame perfect equilibrium both countries choose the exemption method. Mutual application of the exemption method is also shown to yield the highest welfare for each country. While the tax export effect generally induces both countries to choose inefficiently high tax rates, this effect is weakest when both countries exempt foreign earned profits from domestic taxation.     

税收法治中的权利与权力界分

本文从我国税收法治进程中"权利"与"权力"混淆不清,相互异化的现象入手,分析了其所产生的特定文化背景、政治经济体制环境及对实现政府税收依法有序征收目标的干扰,提出在税收立法、执法、司法权全过程明确界分"权利"与"权力"的理念与思路.