The rise and decline of industrial foundations as controlling owners of Swedish listed firms: the role of tax incentives

ABSTRACT

Beginning in the interwar period, industrial foundations became a vehicle for corporate control of large listed firms in Sweden. In the 1990s they were replaced by wealthy individuals who either directly own controlling blocks or who own them through holding companies. We study potential explanations for this change and propose two tax-related candidates: shifts in the relative effective taxation across owner types and the dismantling of inheritance taxation that prevented the generational transfer of the ownership of large controlling blocks. We exploit newly computed marginal effective capital income tax rates across capital owners, accounting for all relevant factors, including rules governing tax exemptions. We show that the 1990–91 tax reform, abolition of the wealth tax for controlling owners in 1997, 2003 tax exemption of dividends and capital gains on listed stock for holding companies with a voting or equity share of at least 10 percent, and abolition of the inheritance and gift taxes in 2004 reversed the rules of the game. Recently, control has largely been wielded through direct ownership, and the role of foundations is rapidly declining. These findings point to the importance of tax incentives for the use of foundations as the control vehicle of listed firms.     

Capital income taxation of Swedish households, 1862–2010

This study describes the evolution of capital income taxation, including corporate, dividend, interest, capital gains and wealth taxation, in Sweden between 1862 and 2010. To illustrate the evolution, we present annual time-series data on the marginal effective tax rates on capital income (METR) for a marginal investment financed with new share issues, retained earnings or debt. These data are unique in their consistency, thoroughness and time span. We identify four tax regimes separated by shifts in economic policy. The first regime stretches from 1862 until the Second World War. The METR is low, stable and does not exceed 5% until the First World War, when the METR begins to drift upwards and varies depending on the source of finance. The outbreak of the Second World War establishes the second regime, when the magnitude and variation of the METR sharply increase. The METR peaks during the third regime in the 1970s and 1980s and often exceeds 100%. The 1990–1991 tax reform represents the beginning of the fourth regime, which is characterised by lower and smaller variations in the METR. The METR varies between 15% and 40% at the end of this period.     

Does inheritance taxation reform promote to build inexpensive rental housing?

The inheritance taxation reform of 2015 in Japan substantially increased the amount of tax levied on large inheritances. This potentially served as a good incentive for people to build inexpensive low-rise apartments for tax savings, which increased the number of low-cost apartments. Therefore, this study investigates the effect of inheritance taxation reform on housing rents. Using the difference-in-differences method, we reveal that the inheritance taxation reform decreased the housing rents of wooden or light steel-framed apartments by 1.3%. Moreover, our results indicate that while the rental of slightly older housings belonging to the treatment group decreased, the rental of new housing belonging to the treatment group did not change.     

Taxes, efficiency, and redistribution: Discriminatory taxation of villages in Ottoman Palestine, Southern Syria, and Transjordan in the sixteenth century

Governments can tax productive activities with either uniform or discriminatory rates among taxpayers. Although discriminatory rates can cause productive inefficiency and require high cost of administration, they can be preferred because of their advantage in distributional flexibility. This paper studies the discriminatory taxation of production in the Fertile Crescent. Using information from the Ottoman tax registers, it examines the basis, distortionary effects, and distributional consequences of discriminatory rates quantitatively. The results challenge widely held beliefs about the basis for discriminatory rates in this region and the Ottoman government’s motivation in adapting systems of taxation in newly conquered lands.     

Tax rate,government revenue and economic performance: A perspective of Laffer curve

The Laffer curve illustrates a theoretical relationship between rates of taxation and the resulting levels of government revenue. This paper explores the relationship between tax rate (direct tax on labor income), government revenue and economic performance in a perspective of the Laffer curve by applying Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model. The results show that the top of China's Laffer curve is about 40%. The government should consider changes in the entire taxation system and not just changes in direct taxes while increasing direct tax rate. If China wants to maximize tax revenues, the direct tax rate should be 35%. We conduct a variety of sensitivity analyses and conclude that the government tax peak is always 5–10% earlier than the apex of the Laffer curve. So, if a country has reached the top of the Laffer curve, this paper strongly recommends that tax cuts will have positive implications for the economy and government revenue.     

房地产税征收问题探索

房地产税收制度的改革是一个渐进的过程,同时也是公共管理者调整现有公共政策的过程。从房地产课税的理论依据入手,对我国房地产税制现状及存在的问题,结合目前的财政分权体制、房地产产权、地方政治环境等深层次原因来做出系统的研究,分析认为不应该以打击投机,遏制房价上涨而开征房产税,否则,结果将适得其反,产生更多问题。房地产税收改革是各项制度相互配合、相互协调的结果,只有各项制度配合,才能真正发挥合力,最终取得房地产税收改革的成功。     

EQUALITY AND PERSONAL INCOME TAX – THE CLASSICAL ECONOMISTS AND THE KATZ COMMISSION

In reforming South Africa's personal income tax system, the Katz Commission relied heavily on equality and the constitution. It did not, however, explain its understanding of the meaning of equality in general or equality of taxation in particular, being content merely to mechanically remove what it perceived to be discriminatory words in the legislation. The meaning of equality of taxation on the other hand, was thoroughly debated by the classical economists. This article explains the classical economists' meaning of equality of taxation and demonstrates that the classical system of equality and that achieved by implementing the Katz Commission's recommendations are vastly different. In particular lower income groups, single income households and families are considerably worse off.     

ECONOMIC GROWTH AND THE STRUCTURE OF TAXES IN SOUTH AFRICA: 1960–2002*

One tenet of taxation is its distorting effect on economic behaviour. Despite the economic inefficiencies resulting from taxation, it is widely believed that taxes impact minimally on the economy's growth rate. Evidence in developing countries generally supports this view. In this paper, we present evidence that tax distortions in South Africa may be much more severe. Using tax and economic data from 1960 to 2002 and a two‐stage modelling technique to control for unobservable business cycle variables, we examine the relationship between total taxation, the mix of taxation and economic growth. We find that decreased tax burdens are strongly associated with increased economic growth potential; in addition, contrary to most theoretical research, decreased indirect taxation relative to direct taxation is strongly correlated with increased economic growth potential.     

Taxation in the Tanzanian gold sector: Overview of impacts and possible solutions

This paper analyses the factors that reduce the gold sector's contribution to the Tanzanian government's revenue. Tanzania is among Africa's largest gold exporters. Yet ordinary Tanzanians have seen little benefit from this. This is partly because the government has enacted tax laws that are, as we shall see, overly favourable to multinational mining companies, and partly because of the same companies' business practices. Critics argue that the government fails to capture a substantial amount of state revenue as a result of low royalty rates, unpaid corporate taxes and tax evasion by major gold mine operators. This paper argues that the Tanzanian government should try to increase its share of revenues by taxation based on revenues, increasing its auditing skills and its involvement in mining, as well as by increasing the transparency of contracts and limiting the discretionary power of policy-makers in negotiating contracts.     

资本市场税收调控问题探析

本文主要结合现行税制中关于资本市场的税收政策,分析现行资本市场税收政策存在的不足,提出利用税收政策规范资本市场发展的对策建议。     

美国个人所得税税率结构演变对我国个税改革的启示

本文介绍美国个人所得税税率结构的演变,与我国个税税率结构进行比较分析,指出我国个人所得税税制存在问题,并借鉴美国经验提出完善我国现行税制的建议。     

Optimal Taxation in a Federal System of Governments

This paper demonstrates that the optimal structure of taxation in a federal system of governments is one in which only lower level governments are allowed to tax, and the higher level of government receives its revenues as contributions from the lower level governments. The central inefficiency created when multiple levels are allowed to tax is a revenue externality between governments that is analogous to a common pool problem. A federal system with multiple levels of taxing authority results in combined tax rates higher than would be optimal, a higher excess burden of taxation, and an inefficiency bias in government spending.     

粤港澳大湾区建设中的税制差异研究

粤港澳大湾区要实现经济一体化,必然要克服香港、澳门和广东三地之间的税制差异带来的冲突问题。香港和澳门在"一国两制"的基础下被赋予税收立法权,税制协调的基础是保障香港和澳门的税收独立。粤港澳三地之间的税制差异主要表现在税率、税种、税收特点、税收管辖、税收征管等方面,正是这些差异使得在大湾区建设中产生重复征税、逃税避税、税收利益分配不均衡以及征管机构行政管辖权冲突等问题,从而阻碍粤港澳三地的经济发展。     

个体工商户生产经营所得纳税筹划的路径探究

随着我国税收法律法规的健全和人民收入水平的不断提高,人们开始越来越关注个人所得税。本文探讨了个体工商户的个人所得税纳税筹划。从个体工商户筹资、收入、成本费用三个环节介绍了纳税筹划的方法,以达到税收成本最低的目的,从而提高个人实际的经济收益。     

How Sensitive is FDI to Differences in Corporate Income Taxation within the EU?

Differences between corporate taxation of EU member states drive a wedge between after-tax and pre-tax productivity. This implies that productivity could be increased by reallocating capital from low-tax to high-tax member states. Moreover, the integration of the EU capital market may trigger tax competition among member states. The responsiveness of investors to taxation is crucial for the importance of both the misallocation of capital and the extent of tax competition. In this paper we measure this responsiveness by examining the relation between FDI positions and effective corporate income tax rates. Our estimates show that investors from one EU member state increase their FDI position in another EU member state by approximately four percent if the latter decreases its effective corporate income tax rate by one percentage point relative to the European mean.     

中国企业海外并购的税收风险与控制

随着中国经济的持续发展,中国企业在海外并购中扮演着越来越重要的地位。但是,海外并购存在着许多的风险。其中,税收风险是其中一个不容小觑的方面。对海外并购的税收成本进行剖析,企业主要面临着所得税缴纳的税收成本。而在海外并购中,所得税的缴纳主要存在跨国重组以及国际双重征税的两个重要问题。分别是跨境重组和国际双重征税问题。针对这两个问题,企业在税法风险控制方面要注意利用重组优惠和避免双重征税。在维护我国税收利益的同时,降低税收成本。     

Tax Elasticities and the Impact of Discretionary Tax Measures on Government Revenue in Papua New Guinea, 1975–92

This paper evaluates tax elasticities and the impact of discretionary tax measures on government revenue in Papua New Guinea (PNG) using a dynamic macroeconometric model of taxation which captures the interaction between GDP, individual tax systems and individual tax revenues and bases. Our findings show that economic growth and discretionary tax changes have both been effective in mobilizing additional tax revenue. However, the responsiveness of the individual tax system reflected base-to-GDP elasticity except personal income tax whose elasticity reflected increased tax rates.     

Fiscal innovation in nondemocratic regimes: Elites and the adoption of the prussian income taxes of the 1890s

The income tax is a central pillar of the modern fiscal state because of its revenue-raising capacity and administrative sophistication. Existing accounts point to interstate war and class conflict as key drivers of modern fiscal breakthroughs. In this article, we evaluate a third explanation for the origins of fiscal capacity that highlights the importance of intraelite competition for political and economic power in times of rapid industrialization. Modern forms of taxation generated a conflict between industry and agriculture over the distribution of the tax burden across sectors. The presence of electoral institutions that connected tax payments to voting rights created opportunities to overcome this sectoral divide and facilitated the formation of a political consensus for fiscal innovation. The political coalition supporting income tax adoption included higher-income industrial and agricultural elites who anticipated fiscal and electoral gains associated with the adoption of the new tax. Drawing on parliamentary debates in Prussia and additional district-level data, we document both the origins and electoral and economic consequences of the new income tax. We show that the adoption of a highly sophisticated income tax in 1891 shifted the tax burden from land to industry and diluted the political influence of the middle class. The findings clarify the coalitional dynamics leading to fiscal tax adoption in nondemocratic contexts.     

Beneficial Inequality in the Provision of Municipal Services: Why Rich Neighborhoods Should Get Plowed First

This paper provides an explanation for the common observation that higher income neighborhoods typically receive better public services compared with lower income neighborhoods. Intuitively, one might expect that lower income groups, which usually form the voting majority of cities, would object to an unfair allocation of this nature. Wealthy individuals, however, have the option of moving to the suburbs. As we learn from the tax competition literature, mobile factors are generally able to command a premium. Since institutional constraints prevent regressive taxation and public goods are by definition consumed in equal quantity by all agents, only public services remain as an instrument for municipalities to use to keep wealthy agents in their tax base. We show that both rich and poor agents benefit from this differential access to public services and explore how factors like the ratio of rich to poor and the differences between their incomes affect the equilibrium allocation.     

休闲餐饮业的现状分析及营销对策

电子商务在全球范围内迅速发展 ,对现有经济运行及管理模式产生了极大的冲击。传统的税收制度对此无法适应 ,由此引发了征管稽查难度加大、网上交易国际税收问题加剧、政府税款大量流失等一系列重大税收问题。本文根据我国电子商务发展现状 ,探讨电子商务对传统税收的冲击和我