...Louisiana Tax Reform: Eliminating Corporate and Franchise Taxes The relationship between tax policies and economic growth is a topic that has been frequently debated. For decades, economists have developed studies exploring this relationship and analyzing its effects. These studies concluded that a negative relationship exists between taxes and economic growth. Taxes have a negative impact on economic growth because of how they influence the activities individuals and firms choose to engage in. Businesses and individuals often base their decisions on the overall tax burden, which creates a disincentive to engage in activities taxed at a higher rate. The Tax Foundation evaluates each state’s business tax climate every year in order to indicate which states’ tax systems are the most attractive to business and economic growth. According to the Tax Foundation’s 2013 State Business Tax Climate Index, Louisiana’s tax system is currently ranked 32nd, far below the rankings of progressive southern states such as Florida and Texas. In addition, Louisiana’s tax structure is poorly perceived because of its complexity. Therefore, in order to create a competitive advantage, the Louisiana tax system must be reformed. Several of the states that rank highest in the 2013 State Business Tax Climate Index do not levy a tax on corporations. Furthermore, the average annual growth rates for those states without a corporate income tax exceeded the growth rate of all other states...
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...THE ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF THE PORT OF BALTIMORE Prepared for the: MARYLAND PORT ADMINISTRATION Revised January 28, 2008 Prepared by: MARTIN ASSOCIATES 941 WHEATLAND AVE., SUITE 203 LANCASTER, PA 17603 Maryland Port Administration Inter-Office Memorandum TO: DATE: File March 19, 2008 SUBJECT: MPA’s comments concerning the Martin and Associates Study of Economic Impacts to Port of Baltimore in 2006 The MPA commends the excellent work by Martin and Associates in completing a comprehensive report of the economic impacts of the Port of Baltimore in late 2007, and revised on January 28, 2008. There are two methodology changes (or new features) in the current report - induced and indirect related jobs and a new single measure of the total economic activity. Although other ports are using this enhanced methodology, the MPA chooses not to include them when speaking of the Port’s impacts for the following reasons: • In previous comprehensive studies, only the number of direct related jobs was measured. In the January 2008 study, the related impacts measure the jobs, personal income, and associated state and local taxes that occur at each stage of production of exports or consumption/use of imported cargo. This includes induced and indirect related jobs that are supported by the direct related jobs. The new change in methodology in the current study concerning total related jobs provides a very comprehensive and extremely broad view of the economic impact of the cargo moving via...
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...Economic growth is the increasing capacity of an economy to satisfy the wants of its people. This is done by increasing the gross domestic product (GDP), which is what economic growth is measured by. However, economic growth is only good if it can be sustained. If growth is too quick, it is bad as it increases inflationary pressure. However, if the economy is growing too slowly or even contracting, then it is also bad as the unemployment rate will go up. This is why the government prefers to keep economic growth steady at around 4% p.a. Price stability is the avoidance of inflation and deflation. Inflation is the persistent and appreciable rise in the general level of prices and is measured by the consumer price index (CPI). Deflation is a general decline in prices. The RBA’s target range for inflation is 2-3% p.a. The objective of the government is to maintain low inflation. This is because high inflation can impact negatively on economic efficiency and the economic well-being of some people in the society. Full employment is when everyone who wants to work as a job. This is virtually impossible so the goal of government is to maintain a low level of unemployment. The unemployment rate is measured as a percentage of the workforce. A low unemployment rate is favourable as it means the economy is working efficiently and maximising its ability to produce while reducing the level of income inequality. The aim of external balance is to balance the external transactions between...
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...When discussing revenue growth since the enactment of the tax cuts, Administration officials typically focus only on revenue growth since 2004. This provides a convenient starting point for their arguments, as it sets a very low bar. In 2001, 2002, and 2003, revenues fell in nominal terms without adjusting for inflation for three straight years, the first time this has occurred since before World War II. Measured as a share of the economy, revenues in 2004 were at their lowest level since 1959. Given this historically low starting point, it is not surprising that revenues have recovered since then. Supporters of the tax cuts selectively cite revenue growth over just the past three years to argue that the tax cuts fueled increases in revenues. The 2001 and 2003 tax cuts were not a good idea because it added about $1.7 trillion to deficits between 2001 and 2008 and because they were financed by borrowing which increases the national debt. In an effort to bolster economic performance, President George W. Bush signed the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 on February 13, 2008. More than two thirds of the $152 billion bill consisted of economic stimulus payments that were sent beginning in May 2008 to approximately 130 million households. As part of the ten-year tax cut bill passed by Congress in the spring of 2001, the Treasury mailed tax rebate checks of up to $300 for single individuals and up to $600 for households from late July and through late September 2001.Of those households...
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...Background of the Study Tax is an instrument to regulate economic growth and development across every economy. As a result, governments across the world impose one form of tax or the other. The main purpose of imposing tax has been for the government concerned to use the proceeds of the taxation to run the government and to provide essential services. Before a country considers efficient and effective way of administering tax system; it must possess a clear picture of the scope of its tax system as well as considering the tax rate and tax base over time. The quantity and quality of revenue required by tax administrators are to a large extent determined by the type of tax system which is introduced. A nation’s tax goals are not achieved by designing a tax system which is fair, any fair system which is not administered as planned becomes inequitable. Thus, a good tax system is capable of financing the necessary level of public spending in the most efficient and equitable way possible. It should also (1) raise enough revenue to finance essential expenditures without recourses to excessive public sector borrowing, (2) raise the revenue in ways that are equitable; that minimized its disincentive effects on economic activities, (3) do so in ways that do not deviate substantially from international norms. (Tanzi and Zee,2000). It is being noted that the aims and objectives of taxation differ from one country to the other. However, an essential common feature of tax has been the dynamic...
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...PRESENT AND FUTURE1 By Arthur B. Laffer The story of how the Laffer Curve got its name isn’t one of the Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling. It began with a 1978 article published by Jude Wanniski in The Public Interest entitled, “Taxes, Revenues, and the ‘Laffer Curve.’” As recounted by Wanniski (associate editor of the Wall Street Journal at the time), in December of 1974 he had been invited to have dinner with me (then professor at the University of Chicago), Don Rumsfeld (chief of staff to President Gerald Ford) and Dick Cheney (Rumsfeld’s deputy and my former classmate at Yale) at the Two Continents Restaurant at the Washington Hotel in Washington, D.C. (just across the street from the Treasury). While discussing President Ford’s “WIN” (Whip Inflation Now) proposal for tax increases, I supposedly grabbed my napkin and a pen and sketched a curve on the napkin illustrating the trade off between tax rates and tax revenues. Wanniski named the trade off “The Laffer Curve.” I personally don’t remember the details of that evening we all spent together, but Wanniski’s version could well be true. I used the so-called Laffer Curve all the time in my classes and to anyone else who would listen to illustrate the trade off between tax rates and tax revenues. My only question on Wanniski’s version of the story concerns the fact that the restaurant used cloth napkins and my mother had raised me not to desecrate nice things. Ah well, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. The Historical...
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... The Impact of Fiscal Policy on Macroeconomic Policy Objectives Inflation External Current Account Growth Fiscal Adjustment to Ensure Sustainability Links to Other Policy InstrumentsHow Should the Fiscal Stance Be Assessed? Fiscal Impact of Alternative Methods of Deficit Financing Other Measures Used to Assess the Fiscal Stance The Sensitivity of a Fiscal Assessment to the Time Frame of Analysis Definition of Government Accounts for Macroeconomic Analysis Coverage of Government Operations Timing of the Impact of Fiscal Transactions Defining the "Overall Fiscal Balance"How Much Fiscal Adjustment Is Required? A Framework for Fiscal Adjustment Determining the Amount of Fiscal Adjustment Reducing the Fiscal Deficit Quality of AdjustmentHow Should Fiscal Adjustment Be Effected? Measures to Improve the Tax System and Increase Revenue Characteristics of a Desirable Tax System Design of Major Taxes Rationalization of Expenditure Policies Expenditure Reduction in the Short Run Structural Public Expenditure ReformReferencesBoxes1. Adverse Consequences of Excessive Fiscal Expansion for Growth2. The Exchange Rate Effects of Fiscal Policy3. Quasi-Fiscal Activities of Public Financial Institutions4. When Should a Country Run a Fiscal Surplus?5. Technical Assistance for Growth6. Social Safety Nets7. Reforming Tax Administration8...
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...policy generally refers to the use of taxation and government expenditure to regulate the aggregate level of economic activity in a country. Fiscal policy in Bangladesh basically comprises activities, which the country carries out to obtain and use resources to provide services while ensuring optimum efficiency of the economic units. The policy influences the behavior of economic forces through public finance. Major objectives of the fiscal policy of Bangladesh are to ensure macroeconomic stability of the country, promote economic growth, and develop a mechanism for equitable distribution of income. The main tools to achieve these objectives are variation in public revenue, variation in public expenditure, and management of public debt. These are reflected in the budgetary operations of the government, prepared and implemented on year-on-year basis. While the Government’s fiscal strategy emphasizes the need for maintaining overall Macroeconomic stability and fiscal sustainability, the government is investing substantially in building physical infrastructure especially in the communication and Power sector as well as in developing human resources for achieving growth and augmenting the development process – necessary conditions for reducing poverty. The present government has planned to raise the level of investment to 30-32 percent of GDP in order to achieve a GDP Growth rate of 8 percent by 2013 as envisaged in “Vision 2021”. This investment may come from the government...
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...The Truth About Taxes and Economic Growth MORE TAX CUTS? The Truth About Taxes and Economic Growth Interview with Joel Slemrod Judging by the political scene in Washington, one would think that low taxes were the main source of economic growth in the United States and around the world. Even most Democrats dare not demand that President Bush’s tax cuts be rescinded. But this leading tax expert, a political centrist, argues that there is no compelling evidence that high taxes impede economic growth. Q There is a widespread belief among the public that low taxes generally mean rapid economic growth. The evidence does not seem to support that conviction. A. That is right. There are many different kinds of evidence one might look at. One place to start is to look across countries to see if there is a clear relationship between how much taxes— say, as a fraction of gross domestic product—a country collects and its economic performance. If you look at the relationship JOEL SLEMROD is Paul W. McCracken Collegiate Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy and director of the Office of Tax Policy Research at the University of Michigan. Challenge, vol. 46, no. 1, January/February 2003, pp. 5–14. © 2003 M.E. Sharpe, Inc. All rights reserved. ISSN 0577–5132 / 2003 $9.50 + 0.00. Challenge/January–February 2003 5 Interview with Joel Slemrod between that tax ratio and the level of prosperity, measured by GDP per capita, there is no supportive evidence for...
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...policies against the backdrop of her inequality trends and macroeconomic policy evolution. It is argued that the country’s fiscal policy stance has been adversely impacted by her monetary and financial sector policies under an open capital account, with attendant regressive distributional implications. Juxtaposing the analysis of revenue mobilisation trends and taxation policies with the evidence of increasing asset and land concentration and persisting high inequalities reveals that the increase in income tax revenue did not necessarily come from the upper income profiles or corporate profits. Meanwhile, although government expenditure to GDP ratio has improved after 2003, capital expenditures and social expenditures other than those in education continue to remain low. Further, the current pattern of fiscal decentralisation does not seem to be effective in addressing the existing disparities. JEL Classification H 200; H 500; H 700 Key Words Indonesia, fiscal policy, public finance, inequality, taxation, revenue, government expenditure, financial liberalisation, IMF debt conditionalities, decentralisation Smitha Francis is Principal Economist, Economic Research Foundation, New Delhi. Email for correspondence: smithafrancis@gmail.com THE IDEAs WORKING PAPER SERIES 01/2012 Fiscal Policy Evolution and Distributional Implications: The Indonesian experience Smitha Francis* I. Introduction Indonesia, the world’s largest archipelago-state and the fourth most populous...
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...What is GST? The Goods and service tax is an initiative towards a reform in which this tax will replace all the indirect taxes in the Centre as well as the State, which can be levied in case of a sale being made or a service being provided. It is especially necessary in the current scenario, due to the degrading effects of the present tax system of CENVAT and State Vat system and the other complexities that prevail in the tax system of India. Some of the taxes that will be replaced under the central taxes are Service Tax, Surcharges, Central Excise Duty, Customs Duties and other Excise Duties. Some of the taxes that will be replaced under the state taxes are Luxury Tax, Entertainment Taxes, Tax on gambling and betting, Lottery Taxes, surcharges etc., as long as they are related to entry tax and the supply of goods and services. Due to reasons, which are social, environment related as well as those related to import dependence, certain products like high-speed diesel, alcohol (human consumption) is not included. Also, the direct taxes will be exempted from the GST, including capital gains, corporate and income tax. To better understand GST, consider the following: There exists a manufacturer, retailer and dealer (wholesaler). Goods and Service Tax is 10%. Now assume that the manufacturer buys the raw materials worth Rs 100 for Rs 140. Therefore, the total GST he will pay is Rs 4 by getting a tax credit of Rs 10 on the raw materials he had purchased. Now, the...
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... 6 1.3 Why is GST implemented 8 1.4 Difference between GST and SST 9 1.5 General operations of GST 10 1.5.1 Goods and Services Tax (Zero-rated supply) Order 2014 11 1.5.2 Goods and Services Tax (Exempt supply) Order 2014 132. Content 14 2.1 Effect of implementation of Goods Services Taxes (GST) in Malaysia 14 2.1.1 GST are regressive tax or progressive tax? 14 2.1.2 Effect of implementation of GST on inflation based on CPI 16 2.1.3 Effect of implementation of GST on the household income 19 2.2. Impact of GST on sub regions of Malaysia 24 2.2.1 How GST improve the standard of living 29 2.3. The implementation of GST in other ASEAN Countries 303. Implication Of Implementing GST On Economy...
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...University of Maryland University College Susan K. Duke Issue: The Dynamic Effects of Personal and Corporate Income Tax Changes in the United States within the Labor Market Rule: * Most corporate income is subject to a 35% statutory tax rate * Taxpayers with an ordinary income tax rate of 15% or less pay the 0% rate on dividends. Taxpayers in the 25%, 28%, 33%, and 35% tax brackets are subject to a 15% tax rate on dividends. * 26 U.S. Code § 861 - Income from sources within the United States * 26 U.S. Code § 3510 - Coordination of collection of domestic service employment taxes with collection of income taxes * 26 U.S. Code § 3401 - Definitions Analysis: This article helps the reader look beyond the impact of tax changes on output or revenues allowing us to gain further insight into how tax changes are transmitted to the economy and into possible differences between the two tax components; personal and corporate income tax. The authors point out that changes in taxes may impact on costs of production and may affect inflation, to the extent that cost changes are passed into prices. There are important differences in how personal and corporate income tax changes affect the labor market. Studies that focus exclusively on total average tax rates or revenues are therefore only of limited use for assessing the ability of tax policy to affect employment at various horizons. When the prime policy objective is to create jobs relatively fast, cuts in...
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...1. Executive Summary This report, targeted at senior Government officials considers the current issue of the EU treaty and the impact the outcome will have on Ireland. A referendum will be held to decide this outcome but it is noted that the political parties will have a strong influence on the public’s decision. As with all the EU countries, Ireland’s economy retracted sharply with the global financial crisis in 2008. They have recovered better than most of the EU but the major economic issue still facing Ireland is the unemployment rate which currently sits at over 14 per cent. Signing this EU treaty will impose tighter fiscal discipline on members by entrenching tougher tax regulations and limiting government spending (Halpin 2012). The overall aim of the treaty is based on the Keynesian theory of using monetary policy to create budget surplus. EU countries will reduce their budget deficits by the strict spending regulations outlined in the treaty. The downside to signing the treaty is the lack of control Ireland will have over the country. The primary avenue for government spending will be limited to tax increases. Ireland has been criticised for having one of the lowest personal and company tax rates in the EU. The benefit of the low corporate tax rate is the large foreign multinational corporations that create employment in Ireland. Increasing taxes could have a negative effect on the economy. If Ireland do not sign the treaty, although they will still be a member...
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...areas, we were assigned to prepare this term paper on national budget analysis of FY13-14. First and foremost, we would like to express our gratitude to Imrana Sharmin, senior lecturer, Dept. of Economics. Her Eagerness to help us in every step of learning encouraged us to drive ourselves accomplished and well understood. Chapter No. | Description | Page | 01 | Introduction * Background of the Study * Purpose, Scope of the Study * Methodology of the Study * Review of existing literature * Limitation of the Study | 02 02 02 03 04 | 02 | Economy and Capital market * Economic Highlights * Key Economic indicators * Incentive for Capital Market | 06 07 07 | 03 | Revenue Analysis * Total Revenue composition * Total Tax Revenue Composition * Revenue Estimates | 10 10 11 | 04 | Government Expenditure * Public Sector * Power and Energy * Education * Health * Interest * Defense Service * Agriculture | 14 15 15 16 17 17 17 | 05 | Budget Deficit | 20 | 06 | Overview of Fiscal Measure * Personal Income Tax * Surcharge * Corporate Tax * Import Duty and Supplementary Duty * Value Added Tax | 23 23 23 24 25 | 07 | Macroeconomic Target | 27 | 08 | Discussion of...
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