A joint Initiative of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität and Ifo Institute for Economic Research Working Papers INDIRECT TAXATION IN GREECE: EVALUATION AND POSSIBLE REFORM Georgia Kaplanoglou David Michael Newbery CESifo Working Paper No. 661 (1) February 2002 Category 1: Public Finance CESifo Center for Economic Studies & Ifo Institute for Economic Research Poschingerstr. 5, 81679 Munich, Germany Phone: +49 (89) 9224-1410 - Fax: +49 (89) 9224-1409 e-mail:
[email protected] ISSN 1617-9595 An electronic version of the paper may be downloaded • from the SSRN website: www.SSRN.com ¯ • from the CESifo website: www.CESifo.de CESifo Working Paper No. 661 February 2002 INDIRECT TAXATION IN GREECE: EVALUATION AND POSSIBLE REFORM Abstract The paper assesses the distributional and efficiency/disincentive aspects of the Greek indirect tax system, which provides 60% of total tax revenue. The marginal welfare costs of broad commodity groups were computed to identify welfare-improving directions of reform. The disincentive effects were estimated from marginal indirect tax rates using Household Expenditure Survey data. The indirect tax structure is shown to be unnecessarily complicated and inefficient, without achieving any redistributive goals. The UK indirect tax structure was shown to be simpler, more equitable and more efficient to implement and administer when simulated on Greek consumers. JEL Classification: H21, H23, H31. Keywords: indirect tax reform, inequality, tax efficiency, disincentive effects, tax simulations. Georgia Kaplanoglou David Michael Newbery Economic Research Department University of Cambridge Bank of Greece Department of Applied Economics GR-102 50 Athens Cambridge, CB3 9DE Greece United Kingdom
[email protected] Indirect taxation in Greece: evaluation and possible reform Georgia Kaplanoglou and David Newbery 1.