We show how normative standpoints determine optimal taxation of wealth. Since wealth is not equal to capital, we find very different welfare implications of land rent-, bequest- and capital taxation. It is mainly land rents that should be taxed. We develop an overlapping generations model with...

Why do some countries enjoy high economic growth rates while some suffer in "low-growth traps"? Why are tax policies in different countries so different? Some suggest that it is exactly these differences in government policies which contribute to the difference in economic growth rates. This...

This paper investigates the relationship between economic growth in Poland and selected elements of fiscal policy and private spending on education. We use the Mankiw-Romer-Weil model, augmented with learning-by-doing and spillover-effects and with concepts from the literature on optimal fiscal...

This paper examines the impact of the combined U.S. state and federal mortgage interest deduction (MID) on homeownership attainment, using data from 1984 to 2007 and exploiting variation in the subsidy arising from changes in the MID within and across states over time. We test whether...

Western countries' income tax systems exempt the return from investing in owner-occupied housing. Returns from other investments are instead taxed, thus distorting households’ portfolio choices, although it is argued that housing property taxation might act as a counterbalance. Based on data...

In Germany, commuting expenses have been deductible from the income tax base for a long time. Germany’s grand coalition has now restricted this deduction. The article analyses whether or not this was justified from an economic point of view. It is shown that, in the long run, the tax treatment...

Within the framework given by the theory of optimal income taxation this paper investigates the progressivity of the Swedish income tax. On the assumption that taxes distort labour leisure choice some tax reforms are designed that improve social welfare while keeping tax revenues unchanged. The...