ABSTRACT This study investigates biases in tax decisions. In a series of four laboratory experiments with 303 students and 62 professionals, we document systematic tax-rate bias decisions under time constraints. Specifically, decision makers overestimate the relevance less complex information compared to more tax-base information. behavior leads suboptimal We also find that making, on average, ...

This paper provides a spatial-econometric analysis of the setting of property tax rates by Dutch municipalities. We find evidence of tax mimicking: a ten percent higher property tax rate in neighboring municipalities leads to a 3.5 percent higher tax rate. Mimicking is less pronounced in municipalities governed by coalitions backed by a large majority. This points to yardstick competition as th...

443 National Tax Journal Vol. LII, No. 3 Abstract This paper examines the required tax rate in a national retail sales tax (NRST). I show that recent proposals, such as one to replace virtually all federal revenues with a 23 percent taxinclusive NRST, are based on assumptions that real government spending would decline by $480 billion per year and that there would be no tax avoidance, evasion, ...

This paper examines the permanent and transitory effects of changes in wealth, the top federal marginal income tax rate, and capital gains tax rate on the distribution of Adjusted Gross Income (AGI). This paper establishes the importance of wealth in determining the distribution of AGI, and results here suggest that its effects can negate the permanent effect of a change in both tax rates. Of t...

An optimal control model shows how a jurisdiction can tax tourists in a way that maximizes its revenues net of its costs in serving tourists: By relating its tax rate to its popularity with tourists. When its popularity waxes, it should raise the tax rate; when its popularity wanes, it should lower the tax rate. Extensions consider the e ects on the tax of the discount rate, tourist prices, tou...

The introduction of a ‡at tax is supposed to have several advantages. Administration and compliance costs are reduced, as well as incentives for tax evasion. Furthermore, positive employment and growth e¤ects are expected. Despite these advantages, a ‡at rate tax is not very popular in most Western European countries. The most important objection against a ‡at tax states that a ‡at rate tax wou...