Taxation is a fundamental part of national sovereignty. The two dominant components of tax sovereignty are the ability to generate revenue and have full control over fiscal policy. Therefore, the key components of a state's expression of sovereignty are the right to determine tax rates,...

This paper surveys tax and regulatory policies for road transport in the EU. According to the economic literature, policy reforms are needed that substitute current fuel and vehicle taxes by car and truck user taxes that depend on place and time of use. The survey analyzes how policies have...

This paper argues that Capital Markets Union - the EU's attempt to establish a more marketbased financial system - is a result less of financial policymaking than of macroeconomic governance in a politically fractured polity. The current governance structure of Economic and Monetary Union (EMU)...

There is only limited evidence of how small firms respond to size-based regulations applied in various countries. We study this question by examining the value-added tax (VAT) threshold in Finland. We find sizable bunching of firms in the sales distribution just below the exemption threshold,...

There is only limited evidence of how small firms respond to size-based regulations applied in various countries. We study this question by examining the value-added tax (VAT) threshold in Finland. We find sizable bunching of firms in the sales distribution just below the exemption threshold,...

Various types of size-based regulations for firms are typical in most countries (tax schedules, accounting rules, health and safety standards etc.). However, there is only limited evidence of how owners of small firms respond to such rules, and what are the underlying mechanisms behind the...

Prior to 2001, downstream divisions of trusts were prohibited for Generation-skipping Transfer Tax (GST) purposes. A Qualified Severance of a trust is now allowed. If a trust is properly severed, unnecessary payment of GST tax can be avoided. Final and proposed regulations were issued in August,...

In this paper the main focus lies on the development and the size of the shadow economy and of undeclared work (or shadow economy labor force) in OECD, developing and transition countries. Besides informal employment in the rural and non-rural sector also other measures of informal employment...