The Size of Government, Capital Accumulation, and the Tax Base

1983 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 321-345 ◽  
Author(s):  
David C. L. Nellor
Keyword(s):  
Tax Policy ◽  
Income Tax ◽  
Capital Accumulation ◽  
Tax Reform ◽  
Consumption Tax ◽  
Size Of Government ◽  
Tax Base ◽  
Tax System ◽  
Policy Concern

A central tax policy concern is the role of particular tax bases in either stimulating or discouraging capital accumulation. While the consumption tax has been proposed as superior to the income tax in terms of its treatment of saving, the literature has shown that whether a consumption or income-based tax system is associated with greater capital accumulation is theoretically indeterminate. This article incorporates the role of public accumulation and changing government activities into its analysis of capital accumulation, which enables this ambiguity to be resolved. An examination of U.S. data for the 1929–1978 period suggests that had inflation adjustment of the income tax been adopted it would, contrary to the implication of several tax reform proposals, have resulted in greater accumulation than the implementation of a consumption tax.

scholarly journals The Structure of the Tax System Versus the Level of Taxation: An Evaluation of the 1986 Act

1992 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Gregory Ballentine
Keyword(s):  
Tax Policy ◽  
Income Tax ◽  
Tax Reform ◽  
High Income ◽  
Tax Structure ◽  
Corporate Tax ◽  
Policy Goal ◽  
Tax System ◽  
System Versus ◽  
The Future

In this paper, I assess the 1986 Tax Reform Act relative to the tax system that might have evolved over the several years following 1986 had that particular tax reform not been enacted. Had tax reform not been enacted, I believe that the pattern of steady tax increases, particularly corporate tax increases and tax increases on high-income individuals such as occurred in the 1982 and 1984 tax acts would have continued. I also believe that the 1986 Tax Reform Act introduced an income tax system that will be quite stable; broad changes, in particular changes that raise a large amount of income tax revenues, are unlikely for many years. So I am comparing the tax structure of the 1986 Tax Reform Act to a system that, in part, has an inferior structure, but that provides more revenues. Since I believe that the most important tax policy goal in 1986 and later should have been to raise revenues, not to revise the structure of the tax system, I believe that the 1986 Tax Reform Act was harmful. Tax reform not only did not raise revenues, it has made it more difficult to raise revenues in the future, without providing significant offsetting benefits.

scholarly journals Further Evidence Supporting The Replacement Of The Federal Tax System With A Consumption Tax Base

2011 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 12
Author(s):  
Julia K. Brazelton
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Income Tax ◽  
The United States ◽  
Tax Structure ◽  
Consumption Tax ◽  
Tax Base ◽  
Tax System ◽  
Analysis Techniques ◽  
The Impact

This study examines the primary considerations accompanying implementation of a consumption-based federal tax system. Additionally, theoretical and empirical (including graphs, derivates, and regression analysis) techniques are used to evaluate a consumption tax structure in the United States. The evidence presented supports such a system; however, the publics misperceptions concerning the impact and mechanics and the legislative bodys unwillingness to entertain a consumption tax proposal will probably further delay serious consideration for replacement of the income tax with a consumption tax.

The Kennedy–Johnson Tax Cut of 1964, the Defeat of Keynes, and Comprehensive Tax Reform in the United States

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-61
Author(s):  
Seiichiro Mozumi
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Tax Policy ◽  
Income Tax ◽  
Tax Reform ◽  
The United States ◽  
Legislative Process ◽  
Tax System ◽  
House Committee ◽  
Federal Income Tax ◽  
Treasury Department

Abstract:In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson, the successor of John F. Kennedy, signed into law the largest tax cut in U.S. history until 1981, the so-called Kennedy–Johnson tax cut. Many scholars have evaluated it as representative Keynesian tax policy; this article focuses on the effort of the Treasury Department, tax experts such as Stanley S. Surrey and Wilbur D. Mills, the chairman of House Committee on Ways and Means, to reform the federal income tax system comprehensively—making it simpler, fairer, and more equitable—and their defeat by the 1964 tax cut. Through the policymaking and legislative process, the Kennedy administration’s Council Economic Advisers defeated the Treasury and Surrey by domesticating Keynes’s ideas on tax policy. Until the 1964 passage of the tax cut, Mills, with his inconsistent action, abandoned the accomplishment of their ideal tax reform.

scholarly journals An Evaluation of China's Tax System: Insights for Future Reform

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 37
Author(s):  
Yuhua Qiao
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Income Tax ◽  
Tax Reform ◽  
Chinese Government ◽  
Consumption Tax ◽  
Tax System ◽  
Individual Income ◽  
Income Gap ◽  
Revenue Sources ◽  
Individual Income Tax

Discussion of how to develop a modern tax system is important for the Chinese government with China’s urbanization and economic development and with the enlarged income gap among its population. This paper explores the strengths and weaknesses of China’s tax system by applying the criteria that scholars use in judging revenue sources. The existing Chinese tax system is regressive, complex, and lacks revenue adequacy. To correct its weaknesses, several tax reform recommendations are made. This includes broadening individual income tax among top income individuals and expanding the circle gradually, expanding consumption tax, and eliminating unnecessary preferential tax treatments in all taxes.

scholarly journals Political economy and tax reform in parliament: Spain's attempt to implement income tax in 1868-1869

2011 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 245-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javier San-Julián-Arrupe
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Significant Role ◽  
Income Tax ◽  
Tax Reform ◽  
Western World ◽  
Tax System ◽  
Parliamentary Debates ◽  
Personal Incomes

AbstractThe influence of economic ideas in parliamentary debates has attracted increasing attention in the analysis of the institutionalisation of political economy in the liberal age in the Western world. Within this framework, this paper explores a particular case: the relevance of economic ideas and the role of economists in the debates that took place in the Spanish Parliament in 1869 following the bill issued by the Minister of Finance Figuerola to establish a tax on personal incomes. Economic ideas and parliamentarian economists played a significant role in the design of the income tax as a key tool to modernise Spain's tax system, and in the subsequent parliamentary discussions.

scholarly journals Is This Tax Reform, or Just Confusion?

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 73-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joel Slemrod
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Tax Reform ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Political ◽  
Political Will ◽  
Tax Base ◽  
Tax System ◽  
The Law ◽  
Jobs Act ◽  
Tax Cuts

Based on the experience of recent decades, the United States apparently musters the political will to change its tax system comprehensively about every 30 years, so it seems especially important to get it right when the chance arises. Based on the strong public statements of economists opposing and supporting the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, a causal observer might wonder whether this law was tax reform or mere confusion. In this paper, I address that question and, more importantly, offer an assessment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The law is clearly not “tax reform” as economists usually use that term: that is, it does not seek to broaden the tax base and reduce marginal rates in a roughly revenue-neutral manner. However, the law is not just a muddle. It seeks to address some widely acknowledged issues with corporate taxation, and takes some steps toward broadening the tax base, in part by reducing the incentive to itemize deductions.

scholarly journals Evaluation the impact of the personal income tax reform in the Czech Republic in 2021 on effective tax rate and tax progressivity

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 134-145
Author(s):  
M. Krajňák ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Income Tax ◽  
Tax Reform ◽  
Personal Income ◽  
Personal Income Tax ◽  
Effective Tax Rate ◽  
Tax Base ◽  
Tax Rate ◽  
Tax Progressivity ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Income Tax Reform

Legislation governing personal income taxation is often subject to changes. A significant personal income tax reform was carried out in the Czech Republic in 2021. The reform implements a progressive tax rate, changes the way the tax base is determined, and increases the tax relief for the taxpayer. The aim of the article is to evaluate the impact of the personal income tax reform on the effective tax rate and tax progressivity. To that end, methods of regression analysis have been used. The source of information for analysis was the data published by the Czech Statistical Office. It was found that in 2021, in comparison with 2020, the tax burden represented in this study by the effective tax rate, in all cases became lower, approximately by 5%. The main reason for this decline is the adjustment of the method of construction of the tax base, which, for the first time in the history of the Income Tax Act, is gross wages. Until the end of 2020, the tax base was a super-gross wage, or the gross wage increased by social security contribution borne by the employer at his costs. The second factor that reduces the tax burden is a CZK 3,000 increase in the deduction per taxpayer per year. This fact increases the degree of tax progressivity, as confirmed by the results of the progressivity analysis and the regression analysis. The changes that have taken place in the personal income tax this year have a positive impact on the taxpayer, but from the point of view of the state, this reform has reduced the state budget revenues.

scholarly journals Professional Opinions And Attitudes On Tax Policy In Bosnia And Herzegovina With A Special Focus On The Federation Of Bosnia And Herzegovina

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 29-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lejla Lazović-Pita ◽  
Ana Štambuk
Keyword(s):  
Bosnia And Herzegovina ◽  
Tax Policy ◽  
Income Tax ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Tax Reforms ◽  
Tax Base ◽  
Excise Duty ◽  
Efficiency Principle ◽  
Definition Of

Abstract This research is based on tax policy opinion survey data collected in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) among tax experts. A special focus of the survey was to investigate the consequences of the different institutional environments that exist between the two entities of the country. After having reviewed all previous tax reforms in B&H, the most interesting results suggest that respondents agree on the introduction of a progressive personal income tax (PIT) and excise duty on luxury products, the maintenance of personal and family allowances and the maintenance of the current value added tax (VAT) and corporate income tax (CIT) rates. However, differences exist in the respondents’ perceptions about the introduction of reduced VAT rates, the regressivity of the VAT, and giving priority to the equity principle over the efficiency principle in taxation. Probability modelling highlighted these differences and indicated inconsistencies in the definition of the PIT tax base, namely the comprehensiveness of the PIT base under the S-H-S definition of income.

Tax Expenditures and the Tax Reform Act of 1969 in the United States

2022 ◽  
pp. 1-26
Author(s):  
Seiichiro Mozumi
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Income Tax ◽  
Public Perception ◽  
Tax Reform ◽  
The United States ◽  
Tax Revenue ◽  
Tax System ◽  
Federal Income Tax ◽  
Federal Taxation ◽  
The Government

Abstract In the United States, tax favoritism—an approach that has weakened the extractive capacity of the federal government by providing tax loopholes and preferences for taxpayers—has remained since the 1930s. It has consumed the amount of tax revenue the government can spend and therefore weakened the possibility of the redistribution of fiscal resources. It has also made the federal tax system complicated and inequitable, resulting in undermining taxpayer consent. Therefore, since the 1930s, a tax reform to create a simple, fair, and equitable federal income tax system with the capacity to raise revenue has been long overdue. Many scholars have evaluated the Tax Reform Act of 1969 (TRA69), which Richard M. Nixon signed into law on December 30, 1969, as one of the most successful steps toward accomplishing this goal. This article demonstrates that TRA69 left tax favoritism in the United States. Furthermore, it points out that TRA69 turned taxpayers against the idea of federal taxation, a shift in public perception that greatly impacted tax reform in the years to follow.

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