This paper examines the political and economic underpinnings of gasoline tax policy. The theoretical model extends the earlier work of Hettich and Winer (1988) to flush out the effect of a change in the pre-tax price of a taxable activity on the politically optimal tax rate. Using a large...

In this paper the excise tax policy of U.S. state governments is analyzed with special attention to how this policy is influenced by the level of excise taxation in neighboring states, "border-tax effects," and the relative size of the market located across state boundaries. Using a panel data...

Corruption, which remains a serious problem in many countries, has prompted considerable research in recent years. This paper adds to the extant literature with insights on factors influencing corrupt activity. Using cross-country data for about 100 nations, the roles of national history,...

Using a well-known index of corruption, this paper examines the determinants of corruption for a large sample of countries. Specifically, the present study brings empirical evidence to bear on the question of whether economic freedom or political freedom serves as a deterrent to corrupt...

Studies the effectiveness of IRS national and field office labor and capital resource allocation. Finds that the IRS can improve collection with no additional resources -- if it reallocates its resources (via reductions in national office staff and increases uses of technological advances).

Voter perceptions of the burden from the two major indirect taxes (sales tax and nonresidential property tax) and from income generated from wealth held by the public sector are examined. Using two alternative median voter models, data on the finances of local school districts in Louisiana are...