In the tax policy debate, differentiation of value-added taxes is often justified by distributional concerns. Our quantitative analysis for Germany indicates that such concerns are misplaced. We find that the abolition of VAT differentiation has only negligible redistributive effects. Instead,...

The public finance literature demonstrates the equivalence between consumption and labor income (wage) taxes. We construct an environment in which individuals make real labor-leisure choices and spend their earned income on real goods. We use this experimental framework to test whether a labor...

Kann die gegenwärtig diskutierte Einführung einer Vermögensteuer zu größerer Steuergerechtigkeit führen, oder belastet sie den Standort Deutschland? Wolfgang Scherf, Universität Gießen, hält die Vermögensteuer für ungerecht, ineffizient und überflüssig. Für Christian Waldhoff,...

In this paper we present survey evidence suggesting that there exists a sizeable fiscal illusion amongst the general public in Sweden. Respondents in a nation-wide and representative survey systematically underestimate the share of an ordinary worker's income that is transferred to the public...

In this paper we present survey evidence suggesting that there exists a sizeable fiscal illusion amongst the general public in Sweden. Respondents in a nation-wide and representative survey systematically underestimate the share of an ordinary worker’s income that is transferred to the public...

Land transfer taxes are a substantial portion of the cost of moving house in many developed countries. Since stamp duties are endogenous with respect to the house price, we create an instrumental variable that is the stamp duty on a property, given that postcode's starting house price and the...

The present study provides estimates of the Effective Marginal Tax Rates (EMTRs) for a sample of 17 OECD countries and 11 manufacturing sectors in a single framework encompassing capital, labour and energy taxes. Our cross-country/cross-sector approach allows us comparing the incentives provided...

Die zunehmende Erosion der veranlagten Einkommensteuer wirft die Frage auf, inwieweit die Möglichkeit der Verechnung positiver mit negativen Einkünften dafür verantwortlich ist. Auf der Basis eines Mikrosimulationsmodells analysiert der Beitrag die Wirkungen dieser im deutschen...

To help first- or second-year graduate students in economics apply their theoretical training, this paper shows how to solve a simple and intuitive computable general equilibrium (CGE) model using a calculator. Because this simplified Harberger model uses Cobb Douglas functional forms for...

In this paper, we construct a flat rate/broad base personal income tax system and we compare the distribution of the current personal income tax (including social contributions) in the Netherlands to the distribution of the simulated flate rate tax. Using extended data (personal income panel...