我国个人所得税：如何调节收入分配

传统观点认为个人所得税是公平与效率权衡的产物。但是,这种结论并没有考虑逃税因素。如果将逃税因素纳入分析框架,个人所得税调节收入分配的机制在不同条件下将存在差异,公平与效率可能同时实现。本文从公众收入中存在的隐性收入出发,分析了这种收入对个人所得税调节收入分配的影响,并总结出个人所得税存在高结构累进性与低结构累进性两种再分配机制。对于我国而言,低结构累进性的个人所得税才能发挥调节收入分配的作用。     

ASSESSING THE PERFORMANCE OF AN INCOME TAX

The paper proposes an indicator of the performance of a tax and benefit system in generating a high level of social welfare. Under standard assumptions on the form of the admissible social welfare functions, the indicator is shown to be increasing in the progressivity of the system. Using UK household data for 1985, the paper asks (i) What can the performance of a tax system with constant residual progression be? (ii) Relative to a proportional system, what is the performance of existing or proposed tax and benefit systems? (iii) How can we estimate the average residual progression of unevenly progressive tax and benefit systems?     

INCOME REDISTRIBUTION THROUGH THE TAX SYSTEM: A SIMULATION ANALYSIS OF TAX REFORM

In this paper, we consider reforming the tax system to a comprehensive income tax model in order to amend the differential treatment of income sources. Our simulation analysis shows that the tax reform improves the effectiveness of the tax system on the redistribution of all sources of income including earned income, financial wealth income, and imputed rent. The analysis of incidence of the tax reform suggests that the tax burden for young renters decreases the most and that for young loan-free land owners increases the most through this tax reform.     

AN APPROXIMATION FOR THE OPTIMAL LINEAR INCOME TAX RATE

This paper derives a convenient method of calculating an approximation to the optimal tax rate in a linear income tax structure. Individuals are assumed to have Cobb-Douglas preferences and the wage rate distribution is lognormal. First, the optimal tax rate is shown, for a general form of social welfare function, to be the smallest root of a quadratic equation involving a welfare-weighted average wage rate. Second, an approximation to this average is derived for an isoelastic social welfare function. This average depends on the degree of inequality aversion of the welfare function and the coefficient on consumption in individuals' utility functions. Calculations show that the method performs well in comparison with standard simulation methods of computing the optimal tax rate.     

我国企业所得税征管效率测度分析

高效的税收征管是良好税制的重要内容和保障,也是税制改革成功的基本条件。本文在对2000年以来我国企业所得税征管效率测度的基础上,进一步分析了近年来我国企业所得税及征管制度改革的征管效应。研究发现,近年我国企业所得税征管效率呈波浪式上升态势,效率水平还有较大提升空间;在当前情况下,国税局企业所得税征收比重的提高将会降低企业所得税征管效率,企业所得税占税收收入比重越高、在税收部门征管中越重要,就更有助于企业所得税征管效率的提升;2002年、2006年和2009年企业所得税、国地税征管责任分工调整改革,对税收征管效率的影响不显著,2008年内外资企业所得税统一改革,显著提升了企业所得税征管效率。     

关于个税起征点的研究

本文提供了一种方法,即通过数值模拟,考察了个人所得税起征点和劳动就业率、社会公平以及社会福利水平的相互关系。本文以搜寻和匹配模型为基础,根据我国目前个人所得税制度中对分级税率和税级距的设定,通过数值模拟的方法计算了合理的个人所得税起征点。计算结果显示:(1)中国的个人所得税起征点仍有一定的提升空间,但空间并不大。(2)提高起征点可以增加就业,若将起征点由2000元提高到2800元,就业率可以提高两个百分点。但起征点从2800元再继续提高,对就业的促进作用就微乎其微了。(3)提高个人所得税起征点在一定程度上损害了社会公平。因此,要兼顾社会公平,个人所得税起征点不宜过高。我国的个人所得税改革不应该强调起征点,以家庭作为课税单位才是个人所得税改革的重点和方向。     

THE INCOME REDISTRIBUTION EFFECT OF CHINA'S PERSONAL INCOME TAX: WHAT THE MICRO‐DATA SAY

This article uses continuous micro‐level data to investigate the income redistribution effect of the personal income tax (PIT) in China beginning in 1997. We find that the average tax rate plays a larger role in determining the income redistribution effect of PIT than tax progressivity does. Although tax progressivity decreased as a result of rising personal incomes and a constant PIT policy prior to 2005, the income redistribution effect of the PIT improved as a result of the higher average tax rate. The tax reform beginning in 2006 increased tax progressivity while decreasing the average tax rate, thereby weakening the income redistribution effect of the PIT. Further analysis indicates that the middle‐income group was the only net loser before 2005, but it benefited from the PIT policy reform. A cross‐country comparison shows that China has a lower PIT burden and higher progressivity than developed countries; in fact, China's levels of progressivity and tax burden are similar to those of Latin American countries. (JEL H24, D31, H31)     

THE FISCAL DIVIDEND MYTH OF AN INCOME/GST TAX SWITCH*

Reaping a windfall fiscal dividend from the taxation of the ‘underground’ economy's expenditures on ‘legitimate’ commodities is often seen as a significant advantage for a goods and services tax (GST) over an income tax. This claim ignores the changes in prices in the underground economy which would arise from the introduction of a GST. Employing a general equilibrium model which allows for tax evasion, we show that any ‘dividend’ arising from a change in the income tax/GST mix is equivalent to a rise in the income tax rate without a GST.