This paper examines the role of tax policy reforms in enhancing fiscal shock smoothing in a panel of 13 OECD economies during the period 1980-2017. The results suggest that tax reforms, in particular those that broaden the tax base, significantly enhance the ability of fiscal policy to mitigate...

This chapter provides an accessible overview of our previous work on the impact of the abolition of the Rule Against Perpetuities (RAP) on trust fund situs. The implementation of the Generation Skipping Transfer (GST) Tax by the Tax Reform Act of 1986 sparked a movement to repeal the RAP. Since...

This paper evaluates elements of a comprehensive reform of the Italian tax system. Reform options are guided by the principles of reducing complexity, broadening the tax base, and lowering marginal tax rates, especially the tax burden on labor income. The revenue and distributional implications...

On January 1, 2013, the federal estate tax regime in effect from 2001 to 2012 is scheduled to revert to its pre-2001 structure. A 35% rate will soar to a 55% rate. A $5 million exemption will plummet to $1 million. Some deductions and credits enacted in 2001 will disappear while others repealed...

This essay, scheduled to appear in the 2014 symposium issue of the Chapman Law Review, proposes enactment of a deduction to individuals for distributions received on stock in regular, or "C," corporations when the distributions are reinvested prior to the return date for the year of...

The Chinese leadership in November 2013 determined to embark upon a new wave of comprehensive reforms in China. This is clearly reflected by the key decision of the Third Plenum of the 18th Central Committee of Communist Party of China to assign the market a decisive role in allocating...

This paper discusses major fiscal issues faced by the previously centrally planned economies in their transition to market economies. It focuses on three main topics: (a) the extent to which the budget deficit should be a guide to policy; (b) the reforms that must be carried out in tax...

This paper utilizes the 1992 household budget survey of Bulgaria to show the poor revenue effects of the income tax structure prevailing in 1992 which did not take into account the underlying distribution of income. We also show that Bulgaria can benefit from a much simpler and lower income tax...

Die letzte kleine Reform der deutschen Grundsteuer liegt über dreißig Jahre zurück. Spätestens mit der deutschen Einheit sind die systematischen und administrativen Schwächen dieser Gemeindesteuer derart in den Vordergrund getreten, dass ihre grundlegende Reform überfällig geworden ist....

Die letzte kleine Reform der deutschen Grundsteuer liegt über dreißig Jahre zurück. Spätestens mit der deutschen Einheit sind die systematischen und administrativen Schwächen dieser Gemeindesteuer derart in den Vordergrund getreten, dass ihre grundlegende Reform überfällig geworden ist....