Welfare gains from taxation in an open economy: Applied general equilibrium results

This paper uses a general equilibrium trade model with an endogenous labour supply to analyze the effects of changes in domestic taxes. When an open economy has some sectors with scale economies, domestic tax increases may increase social welfare by causing productivity gains which more than compensate for the deadweight welfare loss of taxation.     

Redistributive taxation in democracies: Evidence on people's satisfaction

Theories of political redistribution are tested using data collected in three phases of the International Social Survey Programme. Individuals categorized as having high, middle, or low incomes were asked whether they consider the overall tax burden in their countries too high, too low or about right. Very few citizens indicated that they were satisfied with tax systems; most believed that taxes on low and middle incomes are too high, while taxes on high incomes are too low. Support for tax systems is bimodal within the income classes, with the richest 5% being the most supportive, and the median in a population being second. Ideological values have a strong impact on political support for redistribution across all income classes. The results bear witness to the multidimensional nature of preferences for redistribution, and to the delicate question of the effectiveness of democracy in implementing citizens' preferences.     

从国际比较视角看我国的分税制改革

本文从国际比较的角度对当前我国分税制的一些热点问题进行了探讨,认为:在地方一般预算收入中,本级收入占比重较低并不会影响地方财政支出,关键是要有一个科学合理的中央对地方的转移支付制度;我国是单一制国家,不可能给地方政府税收立法权,但可以让地方在中央立法的框架内有一定的选择权,此外还可以通过发展中央地方共享税的路径完善地方税体系;下一步完善分税制应适当调整中央与地方的分税办法,并进一步加大均衡性转移支付比重。     

How large are tax subsidies to motor-vehicle users in the US?

There has been considerable discussion about the extent to which motor-vehicle use in the US is “subsidized,” making petroleum-based motor vehicle use more attractive than other transportation modes. Estimates of these subsidies vary widely, and in many cases can be criticized on methodological grounds. In this paper we estimate corporate-income-tax, sales-tax, property-tax, and personal-income-tax subsidies related to motor-vehicle use. Whereas previous estimates of sales-tax and corporate-income-tax subsidies have been built piecemeal, tax provision by tax provision, we offer an alternative method, based on the difference between actual tax payments of the motor vehicle industry compared to other industries. We estimate that the total “tax subsidy” to motor-vehicle users in the US may be in the range of $19–64 billion (10⁹) per year, or $0.11–0.37 per gallon ($0.03–0.10 per liter) of motor fuel. However, the amount of the subsidy, and hence the magnitude of its effect, depends greatly on the tax baseline with respect to which the subsidy is estimated. (The property-tax subsidy is particularly uncertain.) We emphasize that without doing a full equilibrium analysis, we cannot say how eliminating these subsidies would affect social welfare.     

Assessing Ricardian Equivalence

This paper reviews the literature on Ricardian equivalence. This hypothesis may be interpreted as a generalization to the short and the long run of the theories that put no weight on the real effects of public policies on aggregate demand. We argue that Ricardian equivalence relies on both the permanent income hypothesis and the fulfillment of the intertemporal government budget constraint. The theoretical literature emphasizes several reasons for departures from this hypothesis. However, the empirical literature is inconclusive. When Ricardian equivalence is tested in a life–cycle framework the hypothesis is usually rejected, while when the empirical analysis is based on optimizing models, it is usually accepted.     

IPO补税影响IPO抑价吗？——基于信息不对称理论视角

本文以1198家中国IPO公司为样本,首次从信息不对称理论视角探索了IPO补税对IPO抑价的影响及其理论解释。研究发现:(1)IPO补税对IPO抑价具有显著正向影响,在控制其他影响因素后,IPO补税公司比非补税公司的IPO抑价要高7.8%,这相当于平均少融资超过2000万元。(2)基于信号理论、“赢家诅咒”理论以及委托代理理论这三类信息不对称理论的检验表明,只有委托代理理论有助于部分解释IPO补税与IPO抑价的正相关关系——IPO补税公司抑价更高可能源于公司管理层对承销商具有更弱的监督动机,而非公司对承销商缺乏有效的报酬激励。进一步研究还发现,IPO补税对IPO抑价的正向影响在承销商声誉较低时以及信息更不透明(如中小板和创业板、税收征管强度较低地区)的环境中表现更为突出。     

中国出口退税制度改革与经济可持续增长

2004年和2005年中国出口退税制度进行了重要改革，此次出口退税政策的改革与调整是我国经济运行的必然要求，也是中国经济可持续发展的需要。此次实施的最新退税政策使其功能从促进出口扩展到维护正常贸易秩序、对资源的保护性开发和利用、对国际环境的控制等，其根本目的是实现经济和贸易可持续增长战略。     

取消农业税对新疆财政的影响及对策研究

从2005年起,新疆在逐步实施农业税改革的基础上正式实施取消全部农业税、牧业税和除烟叶外的农业特产税政策,这项政策的实施对减轻农民负担,提高农业竞争力等具有重要意义。但由于农业税在新疆财政中的比重较大,取消农业税将使基层政权财力不足问题更加突出。本文客观地分析了新疆财政状况,认为解决新疆财政面临的困难应寻求更多的中央转移支付,完善转移支付制度,提高新疆财政的自我造血能力。     

农村税费改革后公共服务型乡镇政府构建的思考——以四川省为例

税费改革在取得农民负担明显减轻的同时,也涉及到了乡村利益格局和政治民主权利的调适,乡镇政府及其功能的重新塑造。因此,迫切需要合理定位乡镇政府职能,推动乡镇政府职能转变,构建公共服务型乡镇政府。本文以四川省为例,探索了乡镇政府的职能发挥状况,阐述了构建公共服务型乡镇政府的必要性,提出了要构建公共服务型乡镇政府,就必须理顺乡镇财税管理体制,妥善解决乡镇政府机构臃肿、人员过多等问题,合理划分职能,理顺各级政府间事权关系,强化乡镇政府提供公共服务功能,同时改变乡镇政府的工作模式。     

财政压力与地方政府融资平台的兴起

本文利用2004-2006年取消农业税的自然实验,使用1994—2009年的县级面板数据首次从实证上检验了财政压力导致地方政府融资平台成立这一假说。利用双重差分模型研究发现,取消农业税改革导致的财政冲击越大,县级地方政府在改革后设立融资平台的概率越高。这一发现在不同模型设定下保持稳健,并通过了基于改革前样本和利用其他税种收入变动构造的安慰剂检验。我们还排除了上述发现由扩权强县和财政省直管县等其他财政制度改革驱动的可能性。进一步的分析表明,面临更激烈的区域间竞争、初始财政禀赋较低的县更倾向于设立融资平台。本文丰富了关于财政压力对中国地方政府行为影响的研究,有助于更好地理解中国财政体制与金融制度之间复杂的关联性。