The slow-down in productivity and income over the past decade has weakened the European Union’s output legitimacy, which is grounded in delivering prosperity to its citizens. At the same time, decreasing growth reduces the capacity of governments to maintain existing levels of welfare...

In Deutschland gibt es ein umfassendes Sozialsystem, das jedem Bürger einen Mindestlebensstandard sichert. Die Sozialleistungen umfassen 30 Prozent des Bruttoinlandsproduktes. Ein angemessenes Niveau der Sozialleistungen lässt sich aber nur sicherstellen, wenn sowohl das Marktsystem, in dem...

The introduction of a flat tax is supposed to have several advantages. Administration and compliance costs are reduced, as well as incentives for tax evasion. Furthermore, positive employment and growth effects are expected. Despite these advantages, a flat rate tax is not very popular in most...

The success of the flat rate tax in Eastern Europe suggests that this concept could also be a model for the welfare states of Western Europe. The present paper uses a simulation model to analyse the effects of revenue neutral flat rate tax reforms on equity and efficiency for the case of...