Why Capital Income Taxes Survive in Open Economies: The Role of Multinational Firms

This paper discusses the role of multinational firms and double taxation treaties for corporate income taxation in open economies. We show that it is optimal for a small open economy to levy positive corporate income taxes if multinational firms are taxed according to the full taxation after deduction system or the foreign tax credit system. Positive corporate taxes also occur in the asymmetric case where some countries apply the exemption system and others apply the tax credit system. If all countries apply the exemption system, the optimal corporate income tax is zero. We also show that, under tax competition, corporate income taxes are not necessarily too low from the perspective of the economy as a whole. While the undertaxation result is confirmed for the case of the exemption system, tax rates may also be inefficiently high if the deduction or the credit systems are applied.     

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.     

Die Kommunalen Schadenausgleiche als Unternehmen i. S. d. § 99 Abs. 1 GWB

The German communities cover their need for a general liability insurance mainly by using Municipal Loss Compensation (Kommunale Schadenausgleiche — KSA). Being an association without legal capacity as it is understood in § 54 Abs. 1 BGB (nicht rechtsfähiger Verein), the KSA can have rights and duties just like a partnership under the German Civil Code (Gesellschaft bürgerlichen Rechts). As a third-party supplier the KSA is a company in terms of § 99 Abs. 1 GWB (Law Against Restraints on Competition). Thus, the communities are to observe European Public Procurement Law when founding a KSA or when joining one. The ?in-house“-jurisprudence of the European Court of Justice is not applicable and therefore does not constitute an exemption of the European Public Procurement Law.     

美国失业保险税对我国的启示

美国的失业保险是联邦和州政府的合作项目,它通过失业保险税来融资。其失业保险税立法及执行保障层次高,税制设计科学合理。建议我国在借鉴美国失业保险税制的基础上,尽快颁布《社会保险法》,建立中央和地方两种失业保险税,在具体规定上给予地方一定的自主权,采用失业保险税率的经验评估方法,以进一步改革和完善我国的失业保险缴贲制度。     

完善我国企业并购分立免税规则的探讨

企业资产与产权重组是当前企业改革的重点,也是构建现代企业制度的重要途径。对符合权益持续性的企业并购、分立给予免税待遇是世界各国通行的税收惯例。但是过于笼统的免税规则往往导致滥用税收优惠,从而引发无谓的经济效率损失。建议在借鉴发达国家免税规则的基础上,进一步完善我国对企业合并、收购、分立的免税规则,并规定反滥用措施的具体做法。     

A hybrid consumption-based direct tax proposed for Bolivia

In 1994 the authors designed a consumption-based direct tax for the government of Bolivia. The proposal combined yield exemption treatment (exemption of interest income and no deduction for interest expense) of individuals with consumed income tax treatment (taxation or deduction of the net proceeds of borrowing and lending, as well as interest income and expense) of business. This article explains why taxation based on cash flow has administrative and economic advantages over a conventional income tax and why the hybrid system proposed is preferable to either pure form of consumption-based tax.     

甘肃省农村低保标准实证分析及对策研究

甘肃省是典型的西北欠发达省份,基于ELES模型,从马斯洛需要层次理论出发,采用2010-2014年甘肃省农村居民收入和消费的截面数据,测算甘肃省农村低保标准,并引入恩格尔系数算法检验测算结果;发现甘肃省农村低保实施取得了长足进步,但是仅能满足食品需求的现行农村低保标准仍处于较低水平,且存在范围广、水平低的不合理现象,现行单一的农村低保标准无法满足需要的异质性等问题;提出了转变理念、创新方式、走积极的低保道路,建立低保标准与保障水平间的平衡关系,构建多层次低保标准体系,强化农村低保基层工作建设等对策。     

国外非营利组织税收制度介绍

对非营利组织实施减免税是各国政府普遍采取的公共政策,尽管各国的税法细则有所差异,但在税收优惠资格的认定、享受优惠的税种、捐赠减免、税收管理体制等方面有若干基本理念与准则,本文对这些普遍规则加以总结并介绍了各国对非营利组织税收优惠的规定,提出了对我国相关政策改进的建议。     

新企业所得税制对我国引进外资的影响及效应研究

本文通过对外商投资规模、产业结构、区域结构等方面的数据分析,研究2008年实施的新企业所得税制,相对减少外商投资企业税收优惠背景下,新企业所得税制实施对引进外资的影响及其效应。其结论是新企业所得税法实施后,虽然外商投资于中国境内的企业数量、绝对规模并未减少,且有一定增长趋势,但引资规模的增长幅度下降;投资于第一产业的企业数量和金额在三大产业中所占比重一直极低,投资于第二产业比例逐渐降低,投资于第三产业比例相对提高,对引导外商进入高新技术行业和基础设施建设激励不够明显。进而提出适度延长中西部地区企业所得税税收优惠期并加大优惠力度,对高新技术企业等实施一定期限的所得税免税优惠,适度延长基础设施建设的减免税期限或改变优惠方式等完善企业所得税制度的建议。     

Balancing the regulation and taxation of banking

This study gives an overview of bank taxation as an alternative to prudential regulations or non-revenue taxation. We review existing bank taxation with a view to eliminating distortions in the tax system, which have incentivized banks to engage in risky activities in the past. We furthermore analyze taxation of financial instruments trading and taxation of banking products and services and their ability to finance resolution mechanisms for banks and to ensure their stability. In this respect, we put forward the following arguments: (1) that a financial transaction tax is economically inefficient and potentially costly for the economy and may not protect taxpayers; (2) that a bank levy used to finance deposit guarantee and bank resolution mechanisms is potentially useful for financial stability, but that it poses the threat of double taxation, together with the proposed Basel-III Liquidity Coverage Ratio; and (3) that we support the elimination of exemption from value added tax (VAT) for financial services in order to provide banks with a level playing field, while retaining exemption for basic payments services. This is expected to improve efficiency by reducing the wasteful use of financial services.     

土地增值税立法:目的引入与税制修正

相较于暂行条例,《土地增值税法(征求意见稿)》未设置立法目的条款,未明确税种主要属性,只在立法说明中简单阐释立法意义和税制功能,此种立法技术很难经得起正当性拷问,既无法为集体土地增值税制明确构成要件和发展趋向提供指引,还在程序和实体两个维度抑制土地增值税调控功能的充分发挥.立法目的绝非可有可无的对象,而是税收立法的起点和税制正当性的来源,是在理论上、实务中提醒和督促祛除课税弊端的最佳利器.土地增值税是地方调控税,财政目的位居其次,若欲进一步夯实其立法正当性基础,应重新设置目的条款,即"为推动房地产市场健康发展,合理调节土地增值收益,健全地方税体系,制定本法".做实土地增值税立法目的,有利于调控税制并使集体土地增值税制相关问题尽快得到解决,推进税收实质法治建设.     

Profit shifting in the EU: evidence from Germany

The paper considers profit shifting behavior using data on German inbound and outbound FDI. It finds an empirical correlation between the home country tax rate of a parent and the net of tax profitability of its German affiliate that is consistent with profit shifting behavior. For profitable affiliates that are directly owned by a foreign investor the evidence suggests that a 10-percentage point increase in the parent’s home country tax rate leads to roughly half a percentage point increase in the profitability of the German subsidiary. On the outbound side of German FDI, the data provides some evidence that tax rate changes in the host country lead to a stronger change in after-tax profitability for affiliates that are wholly owned, which may reflect the larger flexibility of these firms in carrying out tax minimizing behavior without interference of minority owners. The hospitality and support by the Deutsche Bundesbank Research Center is gratefully acknowledged. I thank Oliver Busch, Michael P. Devereux, Ruud de Mooij, Chris Heady, Beatrix Stejskal-Passler, an anonymous referee, and participants of the IFS/ETPF conference 2006 for excellent comments and suggestions. All remaining errors are mine.     

《税收征管法》适用范围的缺陷及其改进——以进境物品进口税纳税主体认定为例

《税收征管法》是我国最重要的税收程序法,应当规范所有税种的征管行为,平等保护所有纳税人的合法权益。以"征税机关模式"确定《税收征管法》的适用范围导致税法规范体系叠床架屋、左支右绌,给我国税法体系的融贯性、稳定性和权威性带来严重挑战。以进境物品进口税纳税主体的认定为例,《进出口关税条例》第五十八条的规定不仅在合宪性与合法性维度对我国税收实体法产生冲击,而且在权利救济维度侵害了进境物品所有人和收件人之合法权利,其根本原因在于《税收征管法》不当排除了海关征收或代征税收的适用,导致扣缴义务制度被迫"缺席"。有鉴于此,建议《税收征管法》适用范围应当摒弃"征税机关模式"而采取"主权模式",从而彻底完成我国税法内外统一的历史使命。     

中国保险业税收的制度、效应及完善机制探析

保险是现代经济的核心组成部分和经济发展的促进因素之一.当前,中国保险业的税收负担偏重,而各种税收影响保险需求方的功能较弱.实证分析表明,保险公司的实际税率对其盈利水平具有显著负效应,税收可以通过影响保险消费者的收入、保险价格进而影响保险需求.基于减轻保险业税收负担、刺激保险供求的基本原则,把结构性减税和整体性减税结合起...     

《税收征管法》修订的重要法律问题

《税收征管法》在十多年的实施过程中逐步暴露出一些问题,这些问题在一定程度上影响了税收征管工作的有效进行,有必要对其进行修订。《行政强制法》实施后,对税收执法提出新的挑战,也需要对《税收征管法》的有关内容做出相应的修改。     

企业年金缩小企业与机关事业单位职工养老金差距的政策仿真研究——工资异质性的视角

引入工资差异对企业职工企业年金缴费意愿的影响,采用仿真方法测量企业年金对企业与机关事业单位职工养老金差距的影响。首先,根据我国养老制度安排,构建了企业年金基金、基本养老金、退休金预测模型和养老金差距测量指标;其次,选取工资水平从社平工资的0．5倍～5．0倍的14类代表性职工,模拟了基准情境和提高企业年金税收优惠的四种情境——提高雇主缴费的企业所得税免税上限、降低雇主缴费计入个人账户部分的个人所得税税率、降低领取阶段的个人所得税税率、免征个人缴费的个人所得税,并进行了敏感性分析。仿真结果表明,企业年金及其税收优惠政策能够有效缩小企业与机关事业单位职工养老金差距,提高雇主缴费的企业所得税免税上限的作用最显著。企业年金投资收益率提高、企业年金管理费率降低、余寿减少、社平工资增长率提高和工作年限增加都会放大这种作用,反之亦然。工资越高企业职工从企业年金中获益越大,可能扩大企业职工内部养老金差距。     

《民法典》时代自然人涉税信息保护的理念重塑与制度完善——以《税收征管法》修订为视角

《民法典》实施前的纳税人涉税信息保护规定以《税收征管法》第八条及配套规定为主,它虽然为自然人涉税信息提供了隐私权保护,但过于强调保障税务机关对涉税信息的利用,对纳税人涉税信息权益保护不足,而且我国隐私权保护范围的狭窄性,以及其消极被动的防御性特征使得其难以全面保护大数据时代的纳税人信息权益。秉承信息保护与利用之平衡理念的《民法典》个人信息保护制度,极大地提升了个人信息保护水平。为同步提升自然人涉税信息保护水平,应当重塑《税收征管法》的涉税信息制度理念,以涉税信息保护与利用之平衡保障税收征纳关系之平衡;确立隐私权与个人信息保护并存的自然人涉税信息权益保护制度;完善保障自然人涉税信息权益的权利义务体系。     

On capital injections and dividends with tax in a diffusion approximation

We consider a diffusion approximation to a risk process with dividends and capital injections. Tax has to be paid on dividends, but capital injections lead to an exemption from tax. That is, tax is only paid for the aggregate excess of dividends over the capital injections. The value of a strategy is the expected value of the discounted dividend payments after tax minus the discounted capital injections. We solve the problem and show that the optimal dividend strategy is a barrier strategy.     

比例原则与我国税收代位权制度的构建

《税收征管法》吸收了债权保全制度的精髓,引进了税收代位权制度,但只作了简单的规定。本文认为,比例原则兼具了原则和规则的功能,不仅可以从理论上充实并完善税收代位权的架构,而且为税收代位权制度的具体实施提供了标准和路径。     

Thinking and Learning in the Tax Evasion Game

Equilibrium behaviour is one of the fundamental concepts of economics: that each player's strategy is a best response to their beliefs about other players' strategies (and that these beliefs are realised). It is therefore striking that one of the most utilised economic models of tax compliance (Allingham and Sandmo, 1972) lacks this property as random audit selection is not a best response for the tax administration. The game theory literature of tax compliance has solved the equilibrium under assumptions of perfect information, full rationality and representative agents (Reinganum and Wilde, 1986; Erard and Feinstein, 1994). The recent application of behavioural economics to tax compliance (Hashimzade et al., 2014) allows richer assumptions such as heterogeneity and asymmetric information to be included in agent‐based models. This paper investigates the tax administration's best‐response audit strategy with heterogeneous taxpayers, imperfect information and evolutionary survival of taxpayers. It finds that, under these conditions, the tax administration's best‐response audit strategy is an adaptive learning approach and not a well‐defined audit function. This fits with actual practice of ‘predictive analytics’ by OECD tax administrations. Behavioural game theory also predicts that when actors are information rich, adaptive learning will dominate abstract thinking.