We establish the precise connections between progressive taxation and inequality reduction, in a setting where the level of tax revenue to be raised is endogenously fixed and tax schemes are balanced. We show that, in contrast with the traditional literature on taxation, the equivalence between inequality reduction and the combination of progressivity and income order preservation does not alwa...

At first glance, the elimination of the corporate tax on business seems an obvious method of attracting new firms to the state and promoting the expansion of existing firms. And in fact, states and localities have been offering tax incentives, usually in the form of reduced property taxes or corporate income tax credits, to firms for many years. Under current law, Georgia imposes a 6 percent ta...

To combat their aversion to paying taxes, many taxpayers can exercise some control over their tax bill. U.S. tax law includes a rich menu of tax-incentivized behaviors, including favorable treatment of mortgage interest, retirement savings, and charitable giving, among many other provisions. Through undertaking these actions, or through remembering to claim credits or deductions due for actions...

This paper deals with the question, whether in a federal state the regions should obtain the right to levy regional income taxes. It is shown that a revenue sharing system in uences the optimal income tax rates and causes distortions. In a federal system with other distorting taxes, several states and a revenue sharing system the welfare e ects of regional income taxes can be positive or negati...

Although the economic effects of CO2 abatement depend substantially on the degree to which capital and labor can substitute for energy, the issue of energy-capital-labor substitution is surrounded by considerable uncertainty. In this article we use econometrically estimated, sectorally differentiated elasticities of substitution for Germany to shed some light on this issue. The elasticity estim...

Analysts have proposed raising the maximum level of earnings subject to the Social Security payroll tax (the "tax max") to improve long-term Social Security Trust Fund solvency. This article investigates how raising the tax max leads to the "leakage" of portions of the additional revenue into higher benefit payments. Using Health and Retirement Study data matched to Social Security earnings rec...