Many countries levy local business taxes. In Germany, the ‘‘Gewerbesteuer‘‘ is the main source of local governments’ tax revenue. If there is local taxation of businesses, liberal professionals and farmers should not be treated differently from business enterprises, as it is the case...

The discussion of the support for renewable energy must consider the distributional impact of cost allocation. The public is sensitive to social imbalances caused by rising power prices that might jeopardize the acceptance of energy transformation. By the end of 2012 about 19 percent of German...

These articles debate the pros and cons of the full income-splitting tax procedure. Ernst Niemeier defends this taxation scheme, because in his opinion it is not aimed at furthering families or children but making sure that a couple does not have to pay more taxes than two singles. He argues...

The European Central Bank (ECB) recently announced its willingness to do whatever is needed to save the euro. This has raised the question whether such a role of the ECB must lead to higher rates of infl ation. Under current recessive macroeconomic conditions in the eurozone, the ECB’s...

The European Central Bank (ECB) recently announced its willingness to do whatever is needed to save the euro. This has raised the question whether such a role of the ECB must lead to higher rates of inflation. Under current recessive macroeconomic conditions in the eurozone, the ECB’s...

A first systematic, model-based analysis of the environmental fiscal reform in Germany is undertaken with an econometric model and an empirical general equilibrium model. It indicates moderate but slightly positive effects on employment, energy consumption and CO_2 emissions. The influence on...