Socio-demographics,political attitudes and informal sector employment: A cross-country analysis

In this paper, we empirically investigate the relationship between informal sector employment and micro-level socio-demographic characteristics, political acts and attitudes, and individual norms. Using self-reported individual micro-level data from the World Values Survey for seven developing countries (China, Ecuador, Egypt, Mexico, Peru, South Africa and Yemen), our cross-country regressions and principal component analysis reveal that socio-demographic characteristics of individuals are strong predictors of their informal sector employment. Our estimations further document that individual preferences for an economically strong, interventionist and egalitarian state and confidence in state and political institutions are positively and significantly correlated with informal sector employment, whereas variables associated with confidence in free market institutions and support for competition are negatively and significantly correlated with informal sector employment. We also show that individuals who participate either actively or inactively in peaceful and lawful political processes are significantly less likely to work in the informal sector. Finally, we document that individual norms, such as religiosity and tax morale, are negatively correlated with informal sector employment. Throughout our analysis, instead of having to rely on ad-hoc informality categorizations of third parties, we base our measurement of informal sector employment directly on the self-evaluation of individuals, who have the best information on the degree of their informality.     

Overconfidence and tax avoidance: The role of CEO and CFO interaction

We investigate how overconfident CEOs and CFOs may interact to influence firms’ tax avoidance. We adopt an equity measure to capture overconfident CEOs and CFOs and utilize multiple measures to identify companies’ tax-avoidance activities. We document that CFOs, as CEOs’ business partners, play an important role in facilitating and executing overconfident CEOs’ decisions in regard to tax avoidance. Specifically, we find that companies are more likely to engage in tax-avoidance activities when they have both overconfident CEOs and overconfident CFOs, compared with companies that have other combinations of CEO/CFO overconfidence (e.g., an overconfident CEO with a non-overconfident CFO), which is consistent with the False Consensus Effect Theory. Our study helps investors, regulators, and policymakers understand companies’ decision-making processes with regard to tax avoidance.     

Impact of modern communication infrastructure on productivity,production structure and factor demands of US industries: Impact revisited

This study investigates the contribution of modern communication infrastructure characterized by high speed broadband access network on the productivity growth, production structure and factor demands for US industries and for the aggregate economy. To evaluate such contribution, we modify the traditional cost function by incorporating communication infrastructure as input in production process in conjunction with other public infrastructures. The network externality and spillover effect of broadband access technology are captured by introducing broadband penetration rate as a shift factor in industry level production function. Empirical results show that the increased use of modern communications infrastructure increases the productivity of all industries with wide variations across industries. Estimated impacts on input demands show that increase in use of communications infrastructure service saves labor and materials and increase the demand for private capital. Finally, aggregate social rate of return on such investment has been estimated for policy implications.     

董事利益保护刍议

董事会中心主义的确立，董事义务与责任体系的完备，使得对董事利益的保护成为公司经营管理效率提高的必要前提。如何建立符合中国实际的董事利益保护机制是摆在法学研究者面前一个紧迫而重要的课题。     

浅谈我国个人所得税存在的问题及对策

从1994年税制改革以来，个人所得税对于促进对外经济技术交流与合作，缓解社会分配不公的矛盾，增加财政收入等都发挥了积极作用。但是随着形式的发展，也暴露出不少问题和矛盾。     

农村税费改革相关问题的深入思考

针对进一步扩大农村税费改革试点的要求，章从农村税费改革成功与否的衡量标准入手，对农村税费改革中难点问题的根本症结进行了深入分析．指出问题的根本源自不同利益主体间利益的重新分配，并在此基础上提出了解决问题的基本思路。     

中国税收流失规模估测

无论地下经济还是公开经济都存在税收流失问题.本文采用一定的方法分别对我国1982-2002年间地下经济和公开经济的税收流失规模进行了估测.从税收流失的规模角度看,我国税收的汲取能力比较弱,蕴涵着很大的税收风险.减少税收流失应作为税制改革的重要目标.     

涉外企业税务审计中的几个问题

《涉外税务审计规程》对涉外税务审计工作的顺利开展发挥了重要作用,但也存在一些问题。为此,根据新时期的新要求,要充分运用电算化审计技术,适当调整和补充底稿范本,合理选择审计程序,不断推进涉外企业税务审计工作的科学化、规范化和程序化。     

个人所得税扣除政策绩效的评价与测度

本文基于技术经济学项目评价指标的广泛适用性,对个人所得税扣除政策的成本与收益进行了评价与测度.这种探索有助于深化个人所得税制的研究.     

公允价值的引入对投资性房地产核算的税务影响

新会计准则对企业的税务影响主要是相对影响,着重表现在对企业所得税费用的影响,但也有绝对影响,即对应纳所得税额的影响。本文结合实例分析新会计准则在投资性房地产等业务处理上适度引入"公允价值"作为会计核算计量模式后的税务影响。