This paper examines optimal income tax progressivity when avoidance responses to taxation are important, and can be controlled at some cost by the government. A simple example shows that ignoring the fact that avoidance can be controlled that the leak in Okun’s bucket can be fixed can lead to misleading implications about the optimal degree of tax rate progressivity. The paper then generalizes ...

The elasticity of taxable income indicates the effects on income from a change in the marginal tax rate. In a number of studies on U.S. data rather strong effects have been found, although estimates seem lower in more recent papers. Studies based on data from other countries are only a few and indicate lower effects. A difference-in-differences approach utilising differences in tax changes is t...

This study aims to design a model to realize real estate income tax in Tabriz city with due attention to the tax collection process. According to the related literature, the variables of "tax payment," "real estate," "tax evasion," "investment incentive," "rent and real estate speculation," and "advertisement in tax collection" are considered as key variables, affecting the conceptual model of ...

We use a 1985-2005 panel of state data to investigate the relative tax base elasticities of two major US state taxes—corporate income taxes and sales taxes—with respect to changes in their tax rates. We focus on these two taxes because they are essentially flat-rate taxes at the state level, making it relatively straightforward to construct estimates of their bases using aggregate collections a...

This paper studies the impact of income taxes on intensive and extensive labor supply decisions for older workers. The literature provides little evidence about the responsiveness of the older population to tax incentives, though the tax code is a potentially important mechanism for affecting retirement behavior. We estimate the intensive and extensive margins jointly with a new approach accoun...

The OASI eligibility provisions include a retirement test (or earnings test), and in 1979 aged beneficiaries who are under age 72 give up $1 in current benefits for each $2 of annual earnings above $4,500. If the retirement test were eliminated, total OASI payouts would increase because aged workers would no longer forfeit benefits. Aged workers also might increase earnings or delay retirement ...

The impact of pollution and abatement policy within a stochastic endogenous growth model is analyzed. Environmental care is provided by the government and financed through income taxation and government bonds. Due to environmental preferences and partial perception of the individual’s impact on pollution, government debt influences equilibrium growth. Hence, there is an additional growth effect...

This paper examines the economics of for-profit and not-for-profit hospitals through the prism of capital acquisitions. The exercise suggests that of two hospitals that are equally efficient in producing health care, the for-profit hospital would have to charge higher prices than the not-for-profit hospital would, to break even on capital acquisitions. The reasons for this divergence are (1) th...

A well-crafted retail sales tax on all goods and services could replace all 36 other state-level taxes in Kansas— including the personal and corporate income taxes. The tax rate could be eight percent (8%) or less, after the state government makes budget adjustments related to the recent recession-driven revenue shortfalls. Such a bold move holds the promise of making Kansas one of the most gro...