...Atlas Shrug? The Economic Consequences of Taxing the Rich. Edited by Joel B. Slemrod.∗ Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2000. Pp. 524. $57.95. In Greek mythology, Atlas was a giant who carried the world on his shoulders. In Ayn Rand’s 1957 novel Atlas Shrugged, Atlas represents the “ prime movers” —the talented few who bear the weight of the world’s economy.1 In the novel, the prime movers go on strike against the oppressive burden of excessive regulation and taxation, leaving the world in disarray and demonstrating how indispensable they are to the rest of us (the “ second handers” ). Rand wrote in a world in which the top marginal federal income tax rate in the United States was 91% (beginning at taxable income of $400,000).2 This is an unimaginably high rate by today’s standards, when the dominant view in Washington is that a marginal rate of 39.6% (the top † Irwin I. Cohn Professor of Law, University of Michigan. I would like to thank Yossi Edrey, Allen Graubard, David Hasen, Judy Herman, Don Herzog, Jim Hines, Bob Kuttner, Doron Lamm, Jeff Lehman, Kyle Logue, Dan Shaviro, Joel Slemrod, Dennis Ventry, and Larry Zelenak for their extremely helpful suggestions. All errors are mine. * Paul W. McCracken Collegiate Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy, University of Michigan. 1. AYN RAND, ATLAS SHRUGGED (1957). 2. Joel B. Slemrod, The Economics of Taxing the Rich, in DOES ATLAS SHRUG? THE ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES OF TAXING THE RICH 3, 3 (Joel B. Slemrod ed., 2000) [hereinafter...
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...TAX COMPETENCIES, COMPLIANCE COSTS AND INCOME TAX COMPLIANCE AMONG SMEs IN UGANDA BY ANNET NAKIWALA 2007/HD10/11264U A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT S FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE OF MAKERERE UNIVERSITY September, 2010 TAXCOMPETENCIES, COMPLIANCE COSTS & INCOME TAX COMPLIANCE DECLARATION I, Annet Nakiwala, declare that this dissertation is my own work and that it has never been presented for a degree award at any other university. Signature: ………………………………………… Date: ……………………………………………… ii TAXCOMPETENCIES, COMPLIANCE COSTS & INCOME TAX COMPLIANCE APPROVAL This is to certify that this dissertation has been submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of a Masters of Science degree in Accounting and Finance of Makerere University with my approval as University Supervisor. Joseph Ntayi (PhD) Supervisor Signature: ………………… Date: ……………………… Arthur Sserwanga Supervisor Signature: ………………… Date: …………………….. iii TAXCOMPETENCIES, COMPLIANCE COSTS & INCOME TAX COMPLIANCE DEDICATION I dedicate this entire effort to my late Mother Gorreth Nabagereka. We miss you dearly. iv TAXCOMPETENCIES, COMPLIANCE COSTS & INCOME TAX COMPLIANCE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Completion of this research has been a result of both direct and indirect support of many people to whom I owe acknowledgement. I owe profound gratitude to my supervisors Dr. Joseph Ntayi and...
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...Why Fairness Matters Progressive Versus Flat Taxes Robert J. Shapiro April 1996 Pro gres s iv e FOUNDATION Why Fairness Matters: Progressive versus Flat Taxes Progressive Foundation The Progressive Foundation works to develop and promote a new progressive political philosophy and governing agenda for America based on individual liberty, equal opportunity, civic responsibility, and nonbureaucratic governance. The substantive work of the Foundation revolves around some of the most difficult challenges facing America in the 1990s: assuring upward mobility for working Americans in the new world economy; resolving the great American dilemma of race; restoring a civil society and strengthening the social ties that foster a sense of community; finding America’s proper role in the post-Cold War world; and rethinking the size, shape, and mission of government in an Information Age. The Foundation explores public controversies over cultural questions—race, ethnicity, gender, religion, morality, and civic education—that are often ignored in conventional political discourse. The Foundation’s Project on Tax Reform and Economic Growth works to develop a tax reform program that is consistent with a progressive distribution of the tax burden, and can help promote stronger job and business formation, greater productivity, and higher family incomes. This report is the first of two new reports outlining the essential features of such a tax reform program. The preface contains more...
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...The Savers–Spenders Theory of Fiscal Policy By N. GREGORY MANKIW* The literature on the macroeconomic effects of fiscal policy and, in particular, of government debt is founded on two canonical models. The purpose of this paper is to suggest that both models are deficient and to propose a new model to take their place. The first canonical model is the Barro-Ramsey model of infinitely-lived families (Robert Barro, 1974). According to this model, the government’s debt policy redistributes the tax burden among generations, but families, who want to smooth their consumption over time, reverse the effects of this redistribution through their bequests. Government debt is completely neutral—a proposition called Ricardian equivalence. The second canonical model of government debt is the Diamond-Samuelson model of overlapping generations (Peter Diamond, 1965). In this model, people smooth consumption over their own lifetimes, but there is no bequest motive. When the government issues debt, it enriches some generations at the expense of others, crowds out capital, and reduces steadystate living standards. In this paper, I first discuss the facts that lead me to reject these canonical models. I then propose an alternative model and develop briefly its implications for fiscal policy. consumption over time. There is much reason to be skeptical about this assumption. A large empirical literature, starting with Robert Hall’s (1978) seminal random-walk theorem, has addressed...
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...TAXATION PAPERS WORKING PAPER N.33 - 2012 Serena Fatica Thomas Hemmelgarn Gaëtan Nicodème The Debt-Equity Tax Bias: consequences and solutions Taxation and customs union Taxation Papers are written by the staff of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union, or by experts working in association with them. Taxation Papers are intended to increase awareness of the work being done by the staff and to seek comments and suggestions for further analyses. The views expressed in the Taxation Papers are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission. Comments and inquiries should be addressed to: TAXUD TAXATION-PAPERS@ec.europa.eu Cover photo made by Milan Pein Despite all our efforts, we have not yet succeeded in identifying the authors and rights holders for some of the images. If you believe that you may be a rights holder, we invite you to contact the Central Audiovisual Library of the European Commission. This paper is available in English only. Europe Direct is a service to help you find answers to your questions about the European Union Freephone number: 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 A great deal of additional information on the European Union is available on the Internet. It can be accessed through EUROPA at: http://europa.eu. For information on EU tax policy visit the European Commission's website at: http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/taxation/index_en.htm ...
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...dealt with 17 Conclusion 17 Task 4: Capital Gains Tax for Individuals and businesses 17 Introduction 17 4.1 Identify the chargeable asset/s for capital gains tax 18 4.2 Calculation of the amount of capital gains/losses and the amount of taxable gains/losses 18 4.3 Calculation the amount of capital gains/losses and how much amount to pay as a capital gain tax liability 19 Conclusion 19 REFERENCES 20 Task 1: Duties and responsibilities of the tax practitioner in the UK tax environment Executive summery The main objective of the report is to explore the tax environment of UK basically taxation, purpose of taxation, and types of taxation etc. we find that Basically four type of taxes are collected from individuals or corporation to make government fund and taxes are the main...
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...Middle East. One solution that has been put forth for adoption is the progressive income tax. This paper intends to assess the theoretical bases and popular arguments surrounding this very dynamic topic. The first section provides a brief definition of progressive taxation in contrast with other forms of taxation. It also discusses the most dominant for and against arguments both from a theoretical and an empirical point of view. The second section provides a case study of progressive income taxes in a leading industrial and developed country; the US. The third section provides a comparative study from Brazil; an emerging economy that has recently adopted progressive taxation. Based on the theoretical analysis and the two case studies, the paper concludes by providing policy recommendations that should be implemented in order to complement progressive taxation and gain the best and most balanced results in terms of equality, efficiency and revenues. Finally taxation is only part of the economic equation; proper efficient tax system is only one step forward towards creating equal opportunities through proper government support programs. In order to achieve the best results out of progressive taxation, it has to be combined with extensive targeted government social and welfare programs. Also monitoring is needed for the efficient and purposeful expenditure of government revenue. INTRODUCTION A progressive income tax rate is one in which the marginal...
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...uncertainty, it is vital that we focus relentlessly on cracking down on those that break the law and making sure that everyone pays the tax they owe” (HM Revenue & Customs, 2012, p. 4) Every year the UK Government spends billions of pounds to provide a better life for its citizens. Most of the money the Government is spending comes from tax revenue. Tax revenue allows the Government to budget expenditure such as education, health and welfare, housing, protection, re-paying national debts and improving the infrastructure. Without tax revenue, the government would not be able to fund the projects and services that people require. Following the recent recession and the global financial crisis it is important to increase tax revenue for economic growth and keeping the economy moving. The majority of the UK’s individuals and businesses pay their share of tax honestly. However, a minority deliberately seek to evade or avoid paying what they owe while benefiting from the public services (HM Revenue & Customs, 2013). As a result the Government does not receive enough tax as budgeted but spends more than what is collected. This is called budget deficit. It leads to either cuts in the budget of projects or borrowing money from other nations to fill up the deficit. Borrowing is an expensive option and currently the UK government is trying to reduce its national debts and to fill up the deficit with cuts in projects. For example, the UK Chancellor George Osborne recently announced...
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...CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background to the Study Since the 1960s to date, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) have been given due recognitions especially in the developed nations for playing very important roles towards fostering accelerated economic growth, development and stability within several economies (Yitzhaki, 2006). They make-up the largest proportion of businesses all over the world and play tremendous roles in employment generation, provision of goods and services, creating a better standard of living, as well as immensely contributing to the gross domestic products (GDPs) of many countries (OECD, 2000).Over the last few decades, the contributions of the SMEs sector, the development of the largest economies in the world have beamed the searchlight on the uniqueness of the SMEs; and this have succeeded in overruling previously held views that SMEs were only ―miniature versions‖ of larger companies (Al-Shaikh 1998; Gaskill et al. 1993). And although Small and Medium Enterprises have been at the center of the policy debate for quite some time in both developed and developing countries, little analytical work has been undertaken in this area.The dearth information that exists among researchers on Small and Medium Enterprises however provides a sense of how important this sector is for sustainable development in emerging economies (Medina, 2001). For instance, recent studies conducted by United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) concur that SMEs...
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...Non-linear Effects of Fiscal Deficits on Growth in Developing Countries Christopher S. Adam and David L. Bevan(*) Department of Economics, University of Oxford August 2001 Revised December 2001 Abstract This paper examines the relation between fiscal deficits and growth for a panel of 45 developing countries. It finds evidence of a threshold effect at a level of the deficit around 1.5% of GDP. While there appears to be a growth payoff to reducing deficits to this level, this effect disappears or reverses itself for further fiscal contraction. There is also evidence of interaction effects between deficits and debt stocks, with high debt stocks exacerbating the adverse consequences of high deficits. Keywords: Fiscal deficits, growth, threshold effects, developing countries. JEL Codes: H3 , H6 , O4 The original version of this paper was prepared for the Cornell/ISPE Conference Public Finance and Development held at Cornell University, September 7-9, 2001. We thank our discussant, Mick Keen, conference participants, and also Jon Temple for helpful comments on the paper. Corresponding author: David Bevan (david.bevan@economics.ox.ac.uk) Department of Economics, Manor Road, Oxford OX1 3UL Tel: +44 (0) 1865 271075 Non-linear Effects of Fiscal Deficits on Growth in Developing Countries 1. Introduction A great deal of attention has been devoted in both theoretical and empirical literatures to the possible impact of various fiscal magnitudes on growth. In general, the theoretical literature...
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...February 16, 2000 ALCOHOL Philip J. Cook and Michael J. Moore Duke University and NBER Prepared for the Handbook of Health Economics, Joseph P. Newhouse and Anthony Culyer, editors. Thanks to Michael Grossman, Will Manning, and Harri Sintonen for their very helpful comments. All errors remain the authors’. Abstract Excess drinking is associated with lost productivity, accidents, disability, early death, crime, neglect of family responsibilities, and personality deterioration. These and related concerns have justified special restrictions on alcoholic-beverage commerce and consumption. The nature and extent of government involvement in this arena vary widely over time and place, and are often controversial. Economists have contributed to the evaluation of alcohol policy through empirical work on the effects of alcohol-control measures on consumption and its consequences. Economics has also provided an accounting framework for defining and comparing costs and benefits of interventions, including excise taxes. Outside of the policy arena, economists have analyzed alcohol consumption in the context of stretching the standard model of consumer choice to include intertemporal effects and social influence. Nonetheless, perhaps the most important contribution by economists has been the repeated demonstration that there is nothing unusual about alcohol in at least one essential respect: consumers drink less ethanol (and have fewer alcohol-related problems) when alcohol-beverage...
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...literature. Taxation is one of the most volatile subjects in governance both in the developing and developed nations. Tax refers to a “compulsory levy by a public authority for which nothing is received directly in return” (James and Nobes, 1992). According to Nightingale (2001), “a tax is compulsory contribution, imposed by government, and while taxpayers may receive nothing identifiable in return for their contribution, they nevertheless have the benefit of living in a relatively educated, healthy and safe society”. She further explains that taxation is part of the price to be paid for an organized society and identified six reasons for taxation: provision of public goods, redistribution of income and wealth, promotion of social and economic welfare, economic stability and harmonization and regulation. In other words, a tax is an imposed levy by the government against the income, profits, property, wealth and consumption of individuals and corporate organizations to enable government obtain the required revenue to provide basic amenities, security and well-being of the citizens. First detailed information about taxation can be found in Ancient Egypt (Webber and Wildavsky, 1986). The Pharaohs appointed tax collectors (called scribes) and paid them high salaries to reduce the incentives to enrich themselves. Furthermore, scribes working in the field were controlled by a group of special scribes from head office. Today, corruption of the tax agency is still a problem, especially in...
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...Foundations and Trends R in Finance Vol. 3, No. 1 (2008) 1–93 c 2009 C. Parsons and S. Titman DOI: 10.1561/0500000018 Empirical Capital Structure: A Review Christopher Parsons1 and Sheridan Titman2 1 2 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA, Chris Parsons@kenan-flagler.unc.edu University of Texas at Austin, USA, Sheridan.Titman@mccombs.utexas.edu Abstract This survey provides a synthesis of the empirical capital structure literature. Our synthesis is divided into three parts. The first part examines the evidence that relates to the cross-sectional determinants of capital structure. This literature identifies and discusses the characteristics of firms that tend to be associated with different debt ratios. In the second part, we review the literature that examines changes in capital structure. The papers in this literature explore factors that move firms away from their target capital structures as well as the extent to which future financing choices move firms back toward their targets. Finally, we complete our review with a set of studies that explore the consequences of leverage, rather than its determinants. These studies are concerned with feedback from financing to real decisions. For example, we explore how a firm’s financing choices influences its incentive to invest in its workers, price its products, form relationships with suppliers, or compete aggressively with competitors. 1 Introduction Corporations fund their operations by raising capital from a...
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...EFF01417:6264_ch01:Pg 0:23907#/eps at 100% *23907* Fri, Nov 9, 2001 11:52 AM part I Introduction User SONPR:Job EFF01417:6264_ch01:Pg 1:21266#/eps at 100% *21266* Fri, Nov 9, 2001 11:52 AM C H A P T E R The Science of Macroeconomics The whole of science is nothing more than the refinement of everyday thinking. — Albert Einstein 1 O N E 1-1 What Macroeconomists Study Why have some countries experienced rapid growth in incomes over the past century while others stay mired in poverty? Why do some countries have high rates of inflation while others maintain stable prices? Why do all countries experience recessions and depressions—recurrent periods of falling incomes and rising unemployment—and how can government policy reduce the frequency and severity of these episodes? Macroeconomics, the study of the economy as a whole, attempts to answer these and many related questions. To appreciate the importance of macroeconomics, you need only read the newspaper or listen to the news. Every day you can see headlines such as INCOME GROWTH SLOWS, FED MOVES TO COMBAT INFLATION, or STOCKS FALL AMID RECESSION FEARS. Although these macroeconomic events may seem abstract, they touch all of our lives. Business executives forecasting the demand for their products must guess how fast consumers’ incomes will grow. Senior citizens living on fixed incomes wonder how fast prices will rise. Recent college graduates looking for jobs hope that the economy will boom and that firms will...
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...EFF01417:6264_ch01:Pg 0:23907#/eps at 100% *23907* Fri, Nov 9, 2001 11:52 AM part I Introduction User SONPR:Job EFF01417:6264_ch01:Pg 1:21266#/eps at 100% *21266* Fri, Nov 9, 2001 11:52 AM C H A P T E R The Science of Macroeconomics The whole of science is nothing more than the refinement of everyday thinking. — Albert Einstein 1 O N E 1-1 What Macroeconomists Study Why have some countries experienced rapid growth in incomes over the past century while others stay mired in poverty? Why do some countries have high rates of inflation while others maintain stable prices? Why do all countries experience recessions and depressions—recurrent periods of falling incomes and rising unemployment—and how can government policy reduce the frequency and severity of these episodes? Macroeconomics, the study of the economy as a whole, attempts to answer these and many related questions. To appreciate the importance of macroeconomics, you need only read the newspaper or listen to the news. Every day you can see headlines such as INCOME GROWTH SLOWS, FED MOVES TO COMBAT INFLATION, or STOCKS FALL AMID RECESSION FEARS. Although these macroeconomic events may seem abstract, they touch all of our lives. Business executives forecasting the demand for their products must guess how fast consumers’ incomes will grow. Senior citizens living on fixed incomes wonder how fast prices will rise. Recent college graduates looking for jobs hope that the economy will boom and that firms will...
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