The proposal involves the establishment of ?welfare accounts? for every person in a country. There are to be four accounts: a retirement account (covering pensions), an unemployment account (covering unemployment support), a human capital account (covering education and training), and a health...

Die vorliegende Studie untersucht die Zusammenhänge zwischen Erdölpreisen, Kraftstoffpreisen, verbrauchten Mengen und dem Energiesteueraufkommen. Wesentliche Ergebnisse sind, dass die verbrauchten Kraftstoffmengen mit der gesamtwirtschaftlichen Produktion und den Erdölpreisen schwanken. Vor...

It is argued that the German system of supporting low wage income earners by government transfers gives incentives for employers and employees to contract low wages and then to exploit the government. The paper analyses if such incentives do exist. It turns out that this is the case under...

Based on a description of the German system of taxes and transfers, the incentives to work are analyzed for several groups of the labor force. The effects of the “Hartz IV” reform (effective from 2005 onwards) on the incentives receive particular attention. It turns out that the marginal...

The income tax rate structure introduced in 2007 was changed in 2009. The income tax rates will be lowered in 2010, too. The effects on the wage income tax revenues and on the incentives to work are analyzed. It turns out that “bracket creep” will remain a problem in Germany

The gross wage income distributions for different groups of taxpayers in 2004 are used to derive wage income distributions for 2007–2013. By applying the rules of income taxation, wage income tax revenues are deduced. Given the tax rate structure introduced in 2007, the average tax rates and...

Tax expenditures are granted for a variety of purposes in Germany. The paper presents data on the extent and the structure of the tax expenditures in the period 2005 to 2012. Tax expenditures will be reduced somewhat in the period 2005–2012. They should be cut further in order to increase...

Tax expenditures are granted for a variety of purposes in Germany. The paper presents data on the extent and the structure of the tax expenditures in the period 2003 to 2010. Tax expenditures were reduced somewhat in the period 2003–2006. However, they increased again thereafter

Tax expenditures are granted for a variety of purposes in Germany. They will be reduced by measures decided upon in December 2003. The paper addresses the problems arising when tax expenditures are to be defined and measured. The extent and the structure of the tax expenditures in the period...