Tax incentives and foreign direct investment in China

The preferential tax policies for foreign direct investment (FDI) in China were terminated by a tax reform in 2008. This article uses the provincial-level panel data for 1998?2008 before the reform in order to study whether the tax incentive had been a significant determinant of foreign investment decisions. We find that market size and geographic location had significant impacts on the FDI inflow into China but the tax incentive policies were not a sufficient determinant of FDI inflow into China over the periods studied, which provides a rationale for the termination of the tax incentives in FDI at 2008 reform in China.     

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.     

Tax Ratios in Macroeconomics: Do Taxes Really Matter?

In various empirical studies so-called tax ratios (tax revenues expressed as a ratio of some aggregate tax base) are employed as approximations for tax burdens. The most difficult problem in calculating tax ratios is the way in which personal income tax revenues are attributed to labour and capital. We argue that the methodology of Mendoza et al. (1994) is seriously flawed in this respect. Using information from national sources, we calculate more accurate tax ratios for eight OECD countries that differ substantially from those of Mendoza et al. (1997). Still, the results of the empirical analysis of Mendoza et al. (1997) do not change significantly if we use our tax ratios instead of those of Mendoza et al.. However, the results change once country specific effects are taken up in the model. Capital taxes are, e.g., shown to reduce economic growth. We find that the results of Daveri and Tabellini (2000) are neither sensitive to the use of the tax ratios nor to the specification of the model: high labour taxes have increased unemployment in Europe.     

个人所得税对公司加权平均资金成本的影响

本文利用Dempsey的包含个人所得税的股票价值模型建立了包含个人所得税的公司平均资金成本模型,研究个人所得税对公司资本结构和资金成本的影响.本文还根据中国的实际,研究中国现行的所得税制度对公司资金成本和资本结构的影响.     

个税免征额、税率与拉弗曲线

本文基于个人所得税改革对经济主体行为产生激励的理论,尝试将个税免征额引入拉弗曲线(Laffer curve),分析了收入变化时收入税率曲线位置的移动与拉弗曲线的形态变化,以及个税免征额与最优税率之间的运动规律,发现随着个税免征额的提高,最优税率有下降的趋势,对我国当前个税免征额的提高与税率级次级距调整现象做出了较严密的数理分析。而在分析个税免征额的选择及其与税率之间的关系时,为我们找到在当前地区收入水平不均与居民收入分布多样的状况下的最优个税免征额以及实践差别化税制的理论依据,回答了原来仅考虑税率变化的拉弗曲线所不能回答的问题。     

完善我国个人所得税制的构想

个人所得税是我国税收的主体税种,在对社会成员收入分配的调节中具有其他税种无法替代的作用,是贯彻国家宏观政策、体现社会公平的重要工具。我国的个人所得税制从建国初到现在,虽几经合并与改革,但从经济和社会发展及国际税收发展趋势等视角来看,仍然存在着诸如课税模式老化;税率设计不合理、边际税率过高;计征方法和费用扣除标准不合理;征管效率低下等问题。改革和完善我国现行个人所得税制,建立科学合理的个人所得税征收管理制度,是我国目前收入差距逐渐扩大,经济结构需要转型的新形势下亟待研究的重要课题。本文通过对我国现行个人所得税制种种弊端的分析,提出了应建立适合我国国情的分类与综合相结合的个人所得税模式;逐步扩大个人所得税税基范围;调高个人所得税免征额;实行＂少档次、低税率＂的累进税率模式;增加家庭联合申报方式;加强税收征管,减少税源流失等改革构想。     

Public investment,taxation, and long-run output in economies with multi-level governments

This paper examines the dynamic effects of taxation and investment on the steady state output level of an economy. A simple neoclassical growth model with different tiers of government is developed. The initial focus is on governments that aim to maximise their citizens' welfare and economic performance by providing consumption goods for private consumption and public capital for private production. It is shown that a long-run per capita output maximising tax rate can be derived and that there also exists an optimal degree of fiscal decentralisation. The analysis then extends to the case where governments attempt instead to maximise their own tax revenue to fund expenditures which do not contribute to the utility of their citizens. Three different cases of taxation arrangement are considered: tax competition, tax sharing, and tax coordination. The modeling shows that intensifying tax competition will lead to an increase in the aggregate tax rate as compared to the cases of sharing and coordination amongst governments. These tax rates are both higher than the long-run per capita output maximising rate that was implied under the welfare maximising government scenario.     

The impact of corporate and personal income taxes on the location of firms and on employment: some panel evidence for the Swiss cantons

The impact of corporate income taxes on location decisions of firms is widely debated in the tax competition literature. Tax rate differences across jurisdictions may lead to distortions of firms’ investment decisions. Empirical evidence on tax-induced relocation and subsequent economic development in the US and Europe is still inconclusive. Much the same applies to Switzerland. While there is some evidence on personal income tax competition between Swiss cantons, evidence on the impact of intercantonal corporate income tax differences on the location of business within Switzerland is missing. In this paper, we present econometric evidence on the influence of corporate and personal income taxes on the regional distribution of firms in 1981 and 1991 and on cantonal employment using a panel data set of the 26 Swiss cantons from 1985 to 1997. The results show that corporate and personal income taxes deter firms to locate in a canton and subsequently reduce cantonal employment.     

The economic policy uncertainty and firm investment in Australia

ABSTRACT

This paper examines the impact of economic policy uncertainty (EPU) on the Australian firm investment activity. We find a significant positive relationship between the EPU and the firm investment over 2002 to 2017 period. Our main results remain unchanged after several endogeneity tests. Further analysis reveals that this relationship becomes pronounced for firms if their headquarters located in small states, firms with more tangible assets, higher operating cash flows and cash holdings, higher profits and leverage, but firms with fewer dividend payouts. Our paper sheds lights on the unique attribute of the impact of the EPU on the Australian firm investment activity and offers important policy and managerial implications.     

Post-crisis business investment in the euro area and the role of monetary policy

ABSTRACT

Business investment in the euro area strongly declined during the Global Financial Crisis and the Sovereign Debt Crisis. It has not yet rebounded to its pre-crisis trend despite the very expansionary monetary policy measures of the ECB. We analyse the sluggish recovery in business investment in the euro area and the role of monetary policy in three steps. We investigate the main factors that have impeded business investment since the Global Financial Crisis. We empirically analyse how business investment has developed compared to typical patterns during other financial crises. Based on these results, we then discuss how effective monetary policy has been in stimulating business investment since the Global Financial Crisis. We conclude that business investment in the euro area has developed broadly in line with typical post-crisis patterns. Monetary policy significantly contributed to stabilize business investment at the beginning of the crises. In the aftermath of the crises, however, there seems to be little scope for monetary policy to further stimulate investment.     

论企业投资活动中的税收理财

本文围绕企业投资活动中的税收理财，介绍了新古典投资理论、税收对投资的作用机制及投资活动的具体税收分析．     

横向税收竞争的环境效应研究

在我国,提供公共产品的事权多在地方。在财力有限的情况下,为了较好地履行职责,地方政府不得不通过参与激烈的税收竞争来增强本地的经济和财政实力。文章通过分析地方税收竞争的诱因,提出地方政府之间存在激烈的横向税收竞争也会影响环境污染的理论推断,并依经济发展水平的不同,将全国分为东、中、西部三个地区,尝试探讨了不同地区环境污染的相似性及差异性。运用面板数据分析地方政府之间横向税收竞争对辖区环境质量的影响情况,结果发现,在横向税收竞争的作用下,不同地区在工业三废排放方面既存在一定的相似性又有所差异。建议采取必要的对应措施解决地方政府之间横向税收竞争所造成的不良环境后果。     

Trading Taxes vs. Paying Taxes to Value and Finance Public Environmental Goods

The potential sensitivity of environmentalresource valuation to payment vehicles is ofinterest to researchers and decision-makersinvolved in estimating and applying thesenumbers. A conceptual model is developed whichprovides insight into how the different paymentvehicles of a special tax and a taxreallocation affects the willingness to pay(WTP) for environmental goods. Hypothesistesting using contingent valuation datasuggests WTP with a tax reallocation is higherthan WTP with a special tax for ground waterquality protection in Georgia and Maine, USA.Technical measurement and welfare analysisimplications and limitations of valuing andfinancing public environmental goods using taxrealloactions are discussed.     

The tax (dis)advantage of a firm issuing options on its own stock

It is common for firms to issue or purchase options on the firm's own stock. Examples include convertible bonds, warrants, call options as employee compensation, and the sale of put options as part of share repurchase programs. This paper shows that option positions with implicit borrowing—such as put sales and call purchases—are tax-disadvantaged relative to the equivalent synthetic option with explicit borrowing. Conversely, option positions with implicit lending—such as warrants—are tax-advantaged. I also show that firms are better off from a tax perspective issuing bifurcated convertible bonds—bonds plus warrants—rather than an otherwise equivalent standard convertible.     

The Comparison between Ad Valorem and Unit Taxes under Monopolistic Competition

This paper shows that the welfare dominance of ad valorem over unit taxes under imperfect competition, extends to a Dixit-Stiglitz-type monopolistic competition framework with differentiated products, increasing returns to scale, entry/exit and love of variety. This result is obtained, even though ad valorem taxation leads to increased firm exit compared to the equal-yield unit tax. Yet the smaller tax over-shift, occurring under ad valorem taxation, more than compensates this disadvantage.Acknowledgement Comments and suggestions from Anthony Atkinson, Jürgen Bitzer, Rainald Borck, David Collie, Jan G. Jørgensen and two anonymous referees are gratefully acknowledged.     

Uniform and Non-Uniform Second-Best Input Taxes

We investigate second-best, input-based taxes foragricultural nonpoint pollution control when marketprices are endogenous and production isheterogeneous. Theoretically, we derive the optimalforms of taxes which take account of heterogeneity(non-uniform taxes) and a tax which does not (auniform tax). Empirically, we use a multi-factor,market-equilibrium simulation model to determineoptimal tax rates and associated equity effects,particularly differences in landowner gains/lossesacross a heterogeneous region. When market prices areendogenous, second-best tax policies result inpecuniary externalities that affect existingenvironmental externalities. In particular, thepecuniary externalities amplify the effect of producerheterogeneity on determination of sub-regionaldifferences in tax rates and returns to land,particularly for the uniform policy. With endogenousprices, the uniform tax rate is considerably higherthan any of the non-uniform rates and, ironically, thenon-uniform taxes result in less dispersion oflandowner gains across sub-regions than the uniformtax.     

增税与发债:理论比较与现实选择

增税与发债都是为财政支出融资的方式.本文从理论上分析了二者对经济影响的差别.在中国近年积极财政政策的实施过程中,税收收入出现较快增长,但实际税收负担的增长低于统计显示的水平.在分析这一情况时,要看到税收收入增长的深层原因.而发行国债,则能将居民储蓄转化为公共投资,改善基础设施现状,因而是较为理想的融资工具.     

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。     

Can government improve tax compliance by adopting advanced information technology? Evidence from the Golden Tax Project III in China

This paper explores the tax compliance effects of adopting advanced information technology by tax bureau. Although many governments adopt advanced information technology in tax collection, little is known about the effect on tax compliance. Using difference-in-differences method, we exploit a staggered reform in which tax authorities adopt a comprehensive information reporting system in China, the Golden Tax Project III. Employing listed firm level data from 2010 to 2017, using book-tax difference and its remaining component which cannot be explained by earnings management as proxy measures of tax sheltering, we find that the adoption of GTP III decreases tax sheltering levels by a 1.88 percentage point. The effect is stronger for companies with higher tax rate. By exploring channels, our results suggest that the effect works by enhancing third-party reporting and by improving tax enforcement capacity in provinces that lack tax inspectors.     

Some additional evidence on the interplay between corruption,tax policy and firm entry using US states

The effects that corruption and tax policy have on entrepreneurship and firm growth have been often studied in the literature. This current article adds to that literature by evaluating how the interaction effect between corruption and tax policy influences firm entry at the US state level, using a panel data set of all 50 US states between 2001 and 2014. Overall, the findings are consistent with the literature and suggest that while high levels of corruption and relatively burdensome tax policy have a negative effect on firm entry, high levels of corruption tend to dampen the negative effects associated with relatively high tax rates. Potential policy implications are discussed within this article.