Atkinson and Stiglitz show that with weakly separability, differential commodity taxes are unnecessary given an optimal nonlinear income tax. Deaton showed that with an optimal linear progressive income tax, commodity taxes are superfluous under weakly separable and linear Engel curves. Using...

Atkinson and Stiglitz show that with weakly separability, differential commodity taxes are unnecessary given an optimal nonlinear income tax. Deaton showed that with an optimal linear progressive income tax, commodity taxes are superfluous under weakly separable and linear Engel curves. Using...

This paper outlines the origins of tax expenditure analysis in the 1960s, the key debates at that time and over subsequent decades, and the current state of tax expenditure analysis. The paper suggests that the pros and cons of tax expenditure analysis were comprehensively worked through within...