DOCSLIB.ORG

Consumption Taxation

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Consumption Taxation 74 Consumption taxation Consumption taxation interest, debt repayment). This approach is often characterized as the R (for real transactions) base Gilbert E. Metcalf approach, a terminology credited to Meade (Institute Tufts University for Fiscal Studies 1973). Alternatively, one can in- clude all financial transactions (R + F base). Thus, Taxation based on consumption, as opposed all cash proceeds are included as taxable income, to some other measure of ability to pay, and all cash outflows are deducted. So long as the most notably income. same tax rate applies to all transactions, these two approaches generate the same tax consequences to a Forms of consumption taxes firm. The present discounted value of taxes paid on proceeds from borrowing, for example, should just To understand the different ways in which con- equal the present discounted value of taxes saved by sumption taxes can be implemented, it is useful to deducting principal and interest on that debt. The begin with the Haig-Simons definition of income: R + F approach is better suited for use in taxing income (Y ) equals consumption (C ) plus changes in financial services where value added is difficult to wealth (W ) (Y = C + ∆W ) . First, note that the key disentangle from financial activities (borrowing and difference between income and consumption taxa- lending). tion is the inclusion or exclusion of ∆W in the tax As an accounting identity, value added is allo- base. Changes in wealth—or savings—are not taxed cated to workers (wages) and capital owners (divi- by consumption taxes but are taxed by income taxes. dends and retained earnings). However, as noted Second, note that this relationship suggests that con- above, investment expensing means that the taxes sumption can be taxed directly (e.g., via a sales or on value added allocated to capital owners are offset excise tax) or indirectly by imposing an income tax by the reduction in taxes due to expensing. In other with deductions for increases to savings (and inclu- words, the only capital owners who will incur the sion of withdrawals from savings in the tax base). A burden of a consumption tax are those who own national sales tax on all goods and services would be capital before a consumption tax is implemented one way to implement a consumption tax, while an (ignoring transitional rules). This gives rise to the income tax with IRA treatment of all savings would distinction between “old” and “new” capital and is be a way to implement the consumption tax indi- an important issue in tax reforms. rectly. The expenditure tax proposed by Kaldor It is often claimed that a consumption tax is a (1955) is an example of this indirect approach. Re- combination of a wage tax plus this lump sum tax cently, it has been revived as a component of the on old capital. There are (at least) two important ob- Nunn-Domenici USA Tax Plan. servations to make about this claim. First, if a future Value-added taxes (VATs) provide a third observer sees that individuals file tax returns paying method of implementing consumption taxes. Value taxes on their wage income only, that observer will added in production is the difference between the not be able to say if this is a “wage” or a “consump- sale price of produced goods and services and the tion” tax. To distinguish between the two forms of cost of goods and services used in production. A taxation, the observer would need to know what VAT can be viewed as a national sales tax where the happened to old capital at the time of the reform. If tax is collected in increments at each stage of pro- a wage tax has been enacted along with a levy on duction, from the producers rather than from the existing capital, then the observer would be looking retail seller. A key feature of a consumption-style at a consumption tax. In other words, the distinction VAT is that investments by the firm are deducted between a wage tax and a consumption tax based on (expensed) rather than depreciated. The effective tax treatment of old capital may mislead an observer. rate on investment equals zero if a firm can expense We would enact what looks like a consumption tax, its investment. While taxes are paid on the returns to but what really is a wage tax, by forgiving the tax on that investment (i.e., on the value of goods and old capital and vice versa. services generated by the investment), those taxes Second, the claim would suggest that in the ab- can be viewed as the government’s share of the re- sence of old capital, wage and consumption taxes turn to the investment because of its equity stake in are equivalent. But consider an entrepreneur who the investment following the tax deduction resulting thinks up a great idea after the new law has been en- from expensing. acted and sells it for $1 million. (Or perhaps he finds As described above, all financial transactions oil on a previously worthless piece of property and are ignored when calculating value added. All cash sells it for $1 million.) All consumption financed by proceeds into the firm (stock sales, proceeds from this $1 million would escape taxation under a wage borrowing) are ignored, as is all cash out (dividends, tax. A personal cash flow tax would tax all cash Consumption taxation 75 coming to an individual, with a deduction for any consumption tax should properly tax bequests. The savings (into qualified accounts); in this case, the Meade Commission’s approach to taxing bequests consumption financed by proceeds from the sale of was to propose a separate wealth tax to “encourage the idea would be taxed. In certain cases, the U.S. dispersion in the ownership of wealth” (Institute for Treasury staff’s blueprints (U.S. Treasury Depart- Fiscal Studies 1973: 518). ment 1977) allow for a tax prepayment option in which additions to savings are not deducted, nor are Historical antecedents the principal and return from that savings taxable The intellectual arguments for consumption taxation (when withdrawn for consumption). While tax pre- can be traced back to Thomas Hobbes. Writing payment is a useful—perhaps essential—option for some 350 years ago, he argued that “. the Equality certain assets (houses, jewelry, etc.), it could not be of Imposition consisteth rather in the Equality of used for taxing returns such as our entrepreneur re- that which is consumed, than of the riches of the ceives. In this context, the tax prepayment approach persons that consume the same” (Hobbes 1651: would be identical to a wage tax. 387). His argument was based on the logic that the Variations on these approaches to taxing con- state provides protection for the enjoyment of life sumption abound; generally, the focus on how one and that taxes are the price of that protection. Be- implements a consumption tax follows from admin- cause consumption is the material manifestation of istrative and distributional concerns arising from the enjoyment of life, so should consumption be the windfall gains and losses in the transition from some base of taxation. Or as Hobbes put it, “For what rea- existing tax system to the consumption tax system. son is there, that he which laboureth much, and One popular variant is the Hall-Rabushka Flat Tax, sparing the fruits of his labour, consumeth little, which is a two-part tax. The business tax is essen- should be more charged, than he that living idlely tially a VAT with a deduction allowed for compen- getteth little, and spendeth all he gets: seeing the one sation to workers. The second tax is a personal tax hath no more protection from the Commonwealth on compensation at the same tax rate. Described this than the other?” way, the shifting of the labor tax component from More recently, Kaldor (1955) argued for an ex- the business tax to a personal tax has no economic penditure tax as a surtax to coexist with the current effect. The motivation for shifting the labor tax income tax in the United Kingdom. More recently component is to allow a generous personal exemp- still, the Meade Commission (Institute for Fiscal tion to effect greater tax progressivity. A slight vari- Studies 1973) in the United Kingdom and the U.S. ant on the Hall-Rabushka Flat Tax is Bradford’s Treasury Department (1977) have made forceful (1987) X Tax. It differs in having a progressive rate cases for consumption taxation. Despite these pro- structure on the personal tax, the top rate of which posals, no country has shifted its tax system wholly equals the business tax rate. to a consumption base. However, there has been a An important unresolved question is whether shift in the mix from income toward consumption bequests and gifts should be included in the base of taxation in a number of ways in the last 20 years. a consumption tax when the tax is explicitly levied First, the European Community (EC) passed two di- on consumption. Clearly, the receipt of gifts should rectives in 1967, in which it mandated all EC mem- not trigger a consumption tax liability. One might bers to implement VATs. As a result, the mix of argue that the gift of a bequest (or other monetary consumption and income taxes has shifted to the gift) should be treated as consumption (and hence point where consumption taxes (VATs, excise taxes, taxed) because the bequest generates consumption etc.) constitute between 15 and 25 percent of tax benefits for the donor. An altruistic motive (e.g., revenues for the EC countries (see Metcalf 1995).
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Creating Market Incentives for Greener Products Policy Manual for Eastern Partnership Countries
    Creating Market Incentives for Greener Products Policy Manual for Eastern Partnership Countries Creating Incentives for Greener Products Policy Manual for Eastern Partnership Countries 2014 About the OECD The OECD is a unique forum where governments work together to address the economic, social and environmental challenges of globalisation. The OECD is also at the forefront of efforts to understand and to help governments respond to new developments and concerns, such as corporate governance, the information economy and the challenges of an ageing population. The Organisation provides a setting where governments can compare policy experiences, seek answers to common problems, identify good practice and work to co-ordinate domestic and international policies. The OECD member countries are: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. The European Union takes part in the work of the OECD. Since the 1990s, the OECD Task Force for the Implementation of the Environmental Action Programme (the EAP Task Force) has been supporting countries of Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia to reconcile their environment and economic goals. About the EaP GREEN programme The “Greening Economies in the European Union’s Eastern Neighbourhood” (EaP GREEN) programme aims to support the six Eastern Partnership countries to move towards green economy by decoupling economic growth from environmental degradation and resource depletion. The six EaP countries are: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.
    [Show full text]
  • Denmark Ecotax Rates Green Budget Germany (Gbg)
    DENMARK ECOTAX RATES GREEN BUDGET GERMANY (GBG) EFR in Denmark: General Tax- Tax rate national cur- Tax rate – Name Typ Specific Tax-Base Base rency Euro € Denmark Waste manage- Charge on batte- ment - individual Lead batteries - car 1.61 € per ries Fee/Charge products batteries < 100 Ah 12.00 DKK per unit. unit. Waste manage- Charge on batte- ment - individual Lead batteries - car 3.23 € per ries Fee/Charge products batteries > 100 Ah 24.00 DKK per unit. unit. Waste manage- Charge on batte- ment - individual 2.42 € per ries Fee/Charge products Lead batteries - other 18.00 DKK per unit. unit. Waste manage- 33.6 - Charge on ha- ment - individual 250 - 88,000 DKK 11828 € zardous waste Fee/Charge products Hazardous waste per tonne per tonne. 185.20 € per Charge on mu- household nicipal waste 1378.00 DKK per per year collection / Waste manage- household per year on aver- treatment Fee/Charge ment - in general Municipal waste on average age. 2.20 € per Charge on sewa- Management of 16.40 DKK per m3 m3 on a- ge discharge Fee/Charge water resources Water consumption on average verage Duty on carrier Waste manage- bags made of pa- ment - individual Carrier bags made of 1.34 € pr per, plastics, etc. Tax products paper 10.00 DKK pr kg kg. Duty on carrier Waste manage- bags made of pa- ment - individual Carrier bags made of 2.96 € pr per, plastics, etc. Tax products plastics 22.00 DKK pr kg kg. 0.27 € per kg net Duty on certain 2.00 DKK per kg net weight of chlorinated sol- Hazardous che- weight of the sub- the sub- vents Tax micals Dichloromethane stance.
    [Show full text]
  • Ecotaxes: a Comparative Study of India and China
    Ecotaxes: A Comparative Study of India and China Rajat Verma ISBN 978-81-7791-209-8 © 2016, Copyright Reserved The Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC) is engaged in interdisciplinary research in analytical and applied areas of the social sciences, encompassing diverse aspects of development. ISEC works with central, state and local governments as well as international agencies by undertaking systematic studies of resource potential, identifying factors influencing growth and examining measures for reducing poverty. The thrust areas of research include state and local economic policies, issues relating to sociological and demographic transition, environmental issues and fiscal, administrative and political decentralization and governance. It pursues fruitful contacts with other institutions and scholars devoted to social science research through collaborative research programmes, seminars, etc. The Working Paper Series provides an opportunity for ISEC faculty, visiting fellows and PhD scholars to discuss their ideas and research work before publication and to get feedback from their peer group. Papers selected for publication in the series present empirical analyses and generally deal with wider issues of public policy at a sectoral, regional or national level. These working papers undergo review but typically do not present final research results, and constitute works in progress. ECOTAXES: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF INDIA AND CHINA1 Rajat Verma2 Abstract This paper attempts to compare various forms of ecotaxes adopted by India and China in order to reduce their carbon emissions by 2020 and to address other environmental issues. The study contributes to the literature by giving a comprehensive definition of ecotaxes and using it to analyse the status of these taxes in India and China.
    [Show full text]
  • International Trade, National Treatment, and Domestic Regulation Author(S): Robert W
    The University of Chicago The University of Chicago Law School International Trade, National Treatment, and Domestic Regulation Author(s): Robert W. Staiger and Alan O. Sykes Source: The Journal of Legal Studies, Vol. 40, No. 1 (January 2011), pp. 149-203 Published by: The University of Chicago Press for The University of Chicago Law School Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/658402 . Accessed: 28/09/2011 12:58 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. The University of Chicago Press, The University of Chicago, The University of Chicago Law School are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Journal of Legal Studies. http://www.jstor.org International Trade, National Treatment, and Domestic Regulation Robert W. Staiger and Alan O. Sykes Existing formal models of the relationship between trade policy and regulatory policy suggest the potential for a regulatory race to the bottom. World Trade Organization (WTO) rules and disputes, however, center on complaints about excessively stringent regulations. This paper bridges the gap between the existing formal literature and the actual pattern of rules and disputes. Employing the terms-of-trade framework for the modeling of trade agreements, we show how “large” nations may have an incentive to impose discriminatory product standards against imported goods once border instruments are constrained and how inefficiently strin- gent standards may emerge under certain circumstances even if regulatory discrimination is prohibited.
    [Show full text]
  • Corporate Taxation in Europe: Let's Get It Together! Willem Pieter De Groen 16 February 2015
    Corporate Taxation in Europe: Let's get it together! Willem Pieter de Groen 16 February 2015 More comprehensive cooperation in corporate taxation at European level could significantly advance the region’s socio-economic prosperity, but its potential contribution is unfortunately overlooked in the current search for growth and job creation. Lucrative tax niches established in some member states and the fear of losing fiscal autonomy prevent several countries from accepting the move towards an EU single market for taxation. If ‘Lux leaks’ and other tax avoidance and evasion revelations succeed in changing the dominant attitudes in the European tax debate, what steps need to be taken to allow tax policy to play a positive role in promoting economic prosperity? ux leaks has placed the issue of corporate tax avoidance and evasion once again on the political agenda. In November 2014, the International Consortium of Investigative LJournalists1 unveiled the secret tax deals struck by about 350 multinational companies with the Luxembourg authorities, which allowed them to reduce their corporate income tax (CIT) bill. The companies used mismatches in the tax systems as well as deals with the authorities to reduce both the effective tax rate and the base. Lux leaks is not the first and is unlikely to be the last tax-avoidance scandal. It followed the public outrage provoked two years earlier in the United Kingdom over reports that the US coffee shop chain Starbucks had substantially reduced its tax bill by paying royalties to its regional headquarters in the Netherlands, which has a regime with low rates on royalties.
    [Show full text]
  • International Vat/Gst Guidelines
    ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT INTERNATIONAL VAT/GST GUIDELINES February 2006 CENTRE FOR TAX POLICY AND ADMINISTRATION INTERNATIONAL VAT/GST GUIDELINES PREFACE 1. The spread of Value Added Tax (also called Goods and Services Tax – GST) has been the most important development in taxation over the last half-century. Limited to less than ten countries in the late 1960s it has now been implemented by about 136 countries; and in these countries (including OECD member countries) it typically accounts for one-fifth of total tax revenue. The recognised capacity of VAT to raise revenue in a neutral and transparent manner drew all OECD member countries (except the United States) to adopt this broad based consumption tax. Its neutrality of principle towards international trade also made it the preferred alternative to customs duties in the context of trade liberalisation. 2. At the same time as VAT was spreading across the world, international trade in goods and services was expanding rapidly as part of globalisation developments, spurred on by deregulation, privatisation and the communications technology revolution. As a result, the interaction between value added tax systems operated by individual countries has come under greater scrutiny as potential for double taxation and unintentional non-taxation has increased. 3. When international trade was characterised largely by trade in goods, collection of taxes was generally undertaken by customs authorities, and when services were primarily traded within domestic markets, there was little need for global attention to be paid to the interaction between national consumption tax rules. That situation has changed dramatically in recent years and the absence of internationally agreed approaches, which can be traced back to that lack of need, is now leading to significant difficulties for both business and governments, particularly for the international trade in services and intangibles, and increasingly for the trade in goods.
    [Show full text]
  • Following the Money: Lessons from the Panama Papers Part 1
    ARTICLE 3.4 - TRAUTMAN (DO NOT DELETE) 5/14/2017 6:57 AM Following the Money: Lessons from the Panama Papers Part 1: Tip of the Iceberg Lawrence J. Trautman* ABSTRACT Widely known as the “Panama Papers,” the world’s largest whistleblower case to date consists of 11.5 million documents and involves a year-long effort by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists to expose a global pattern of crime and corruption where millions of documents capture heads of state, criminals, and celebrities using secret hideaways in tax havens. Involving the scrutiny of over 400 journalists worldwide, these documents reveal the offshore holdings of at least hundreds of politicians and public officials in over 200 countries. Since these disclosures became public, national security implications already include abrupt regime change and probable future political instability. It appears likely that important revelations obtained from these data will continue to be forthcoming for years to come. Presented here is Part 1 of what may ultimately constitute numerous- installment coverage of this important inquiry into the illicit wealth derived from bribery, corruption, and tax evasion. This article proceeds as follows. First, disclosures regarding the treasure trove of documents * BA, The American University; MBA, The George Washington University; JD, Oklahoma City Univ. School of Law. Mr. Trautman is Assistant Professor of Business Law and Ethics at Western Carolina University, and a past president of the New York and Metropolitan Washington/Baltimore Chapters of the National Association of Corporate Directors. He may be contacted at [email protected]. The author wishes to extend thanks to those at the Winter Conference of the Anti-Corruption Law Interest Group (ASIL) in Miami, January 13–14, 2017 who provided constructive comments to the manuscript, in particular: Eva Anderson; Bruce Bean; Ashleigh Buckett; Anita Cava; Shirleen Chin; Stuart H.
    [Show full text]
  • Tax Challenges in the Digital Economy
    DIRECTORATE GENERAL FOR INTERNAL POLICIES POLICY DEPARTMENT A: ECONOMIC AND SCIENTIFIC POLICY TAX CHALLENGES IN THE DIGITAL ECONOMY STUDY Abstract This paper analyses direct and indirect tax challenges in the digital economy in light of the conclusions of the OECD’s BEPS (Base Erosion and Profit Shifting) Project. While assessing the recent reforms in the area of taxation within the EU and third countries, it revisits the question of whether or not specific measures are needed for the digital sector. Taking into account the recent scandals involving big digital companies and their aggressive tax planning practices in the EU, the specificities of the digital sector and the legal landscape in the 28 Member States, the paper makes policy recommendations for further tax reforms in order to tackle tax avoidance and harmful competition. This document was provided/prepared by Policy Department A at the request of the TAXE2 Committee. IP/A/TAXE2/2016-04 June 2016 PE 579.002 EN This document was requested by the European Parliament's Special Committee on Tax Rulings AUTHOR Eli HADZHIEVA, Dialogue for Europe RESPONSIBLE ADMINISTRATOR Dirk VERBEKEN EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Karine GAUFILLET LINGUISTIC VERSIONS Original: EN ABOUT THE EDITOR Policy departments provide in-house and external expertise to support EP committees and other parliamentary bodies in shaping legislation and exercising democratic scrutiny over EU internal policies. To contact Policy Department A or to subscribe to its newsletter please write to: Policy Department A: Economic and Scientific Policy European Parliament B-1047 Brussels E-mail: [email protected] Manuscript completed in April 2016 © European Union, 2016 This document is available on the Internet at: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/studies DISCLAIMER The opinions expressed in this document are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position of the European Parliament.
    [Show full text]
  • Consumption Tax Policies in OECD Countries
    Consumption Tax Policies in OECD Countries FISCAL Daniel Bunn Cristina Enache Ulrik Boesen Vice President of Economist Senior Policy Analyst, FACT Global Projects Excise Taxes No. 741 Jan. 2021 Key Findings • Consumption taxes are a significant source of revenue for governments across the world, making up 32.3 percent of tax revenues in OECD countries in 2019. • Despite the potential of consumption taxes as a neutral and efficient source of tax revenues, many governments have implemented policies that are unduly complex and have poorly designed tax bases that exclude many goods or services from taxation, or tax them at reduced rates. • Value-added taxes and sales taxes are ripe for reform to avoid distorting consumption patterns and raise revenue in a stable manner. • Excise tax revenues tend to be volatile and should be specifically designed to target the societal costs associated with certain products and the revenue used to mitigate negative impacts of taxed activities like smoking and pollution. • Policymakers should ensure that consumption taxes only apply to final purchases of goods and services and that business inputs are untaxed. The Tax Foundation is the nation’s leading independent tax policy research organization. Since 1937, our research, analysis, and experts have informed smarter tax policy at the federal, state, and global levels. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. ©2021 Tax Foundation Distributed under Creative Commons CC-BY-NC 4.0 Editor, Rachel Shuster Designer, Dan Carvajal Tax Foundation 1325 G Street, NW, Suite 950 Washington, DC 20005 202.464.6200 taxfoundation.org TAX FOUNDATION | 2 Introduction Consumption taxes are a major source of revenue for governments around the world.
    [Show full text]
  • FINANCIAL TRANSACTION TAXES in THEORY and PRACTICE Leonard E
    FINANCIAL TRANSACTION TAXES IN THEORY AND PRACTICE Leonard E. Burman, William G. Gale, Sarah Gault, Bryan Kim, Jim Nunns, and Steve Rosenthal June 2015 DISCUSSION DRAFT - COMMENTS WELCOME CONTENTS Acknowledgments 1 Section 1: Introduction 2 Section 2: Background 5 FTT Defined 5 History of FTTs in the United States 5 Experience in Other Countries 6 Proposed FTTs 10 Other Taxes on the Financial Sector 12 Section 3: Design Issues 14 Section 4: The Financial Sector and Market Failure 19 Size of the Financial Sector 19 Systemic Risk 21 High-Frequency Trading and Flash Trading 22 Noise Trading 23 Section 5: Effects of an FTT 24 Trading Volume and Speculation 24 Liquidity 26 Price Discovery 27 Asset Price Volatility 28 Asset Prices and the Cost of Capital 29 Cascading and Intersectoral Distortions 30 Administrative and Compliance Costs 32 Section 6: New Revenue and Distributional Estimates 33 Modeling Issues 33 Revenue Effects 34 Distributional Effects 36 Section 7: Conclusion 39 Appendix A 40 References 43 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Burman, Gault, Nunns, and Rosenthal: Urban Institute; Gale and Kim: Brookings Institution. Please send comments to [email protected] or [email protected]. We thank Donald Marron and Thornton Matheson for helpful comments and discussions, Elaine Eldridge and Elizabeth Forney for editorial assistance, Lydia Austin and Joanna Teitelbaum for preparing the document for publication, and the Laura and John Arnold Foundation for funding this work. The findings and conclusions contained within are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect positions or policies of the Tax Policy Center, the Urban Institute, the Brookings Institution, or their funders.
    [Show full text]
  • Proposal 10: Creating an American Value-Added Tax
    NEW SOURCES OF REVENUE AND EFFICIENCY Proposal 10: Creating an American Value-Added Tax William G. Gale The Brookings Institution Benjamin H. Harris Urban Institute Deficit Reduction (10-year):$1.6 trillion Broader Benefits: Raises revenue in a manner that does not distort saving and investment choices. Lawrence Summers of Harvard University explained in a quip 1 percent of GDP, or about $160 billion, per year. Although why the United States had not adopted a value-added tax so it would be new to the United States, the VAT is in place in far. “Liberals think it’s regressive and conservatives think it’s a about 150 countries worldwide and in every non–U.S. OECD money machine.” If they reverse their positions, the V.A.T. may country. In recent years, the VAT has raised about 20 percent happen, he said. of the world’s tax revenue (Keen and Lockwood 2007). This experience suggests that the VAT can raise substantial revenue, —J an M. Rosen, “Tax Watch; The Likely Forms of New is administrable, and is minimally harmful to economic Taxes,” New York Times, December 19, 1988 growth. Additionally, the VAT has at least one other potential advantage worth highlighting: a properly designed VAT might help the states deal with their own fiscal issues. Although a Introduction VAT would be regressive relative to current income, this The Great Recession and its aftermath have left the United regressivity can be easily offset by transfers that would make States with a difficult fiscal situation: a weak economy the net burden progressive.
    [Show full text]
  • Consumption Tax Trends* - Japan
    Consumption Tax Trends* - Japan VAT rate 2020 The Japanese standard VAT (CT) rate is 10.0%, which is below the OECD average. The average VAT/GST¹ standard rate in the OECD was 19.2% as of 31 December 2020. The previous standard VAT (CT) rate in Japan was 8% in 2018. It changed to the current level in October 2019. Japan introduced a reduced rate of 8% for the supply of food, certain beverages and subscription newspapers. VAT (CT) was introduced in Japan in 1989 at a standard rate of 3.0%. Since then the minimum and maximum standard rates have been at 3.0% and 10.0% respectively. % VAT/GST1 standard rates in 2020 and 2015 30 2020 2015 25 20 OECD unweighted average, 19.2% 15 ▼ 10 5 27.0 25.0 25.0 25.0 24.0 24.0 24.0 23.0 23.0 22.0 22.0 21.0 21.0 21.0 21.0 21.0 21.0 21.0 20.0 20.0 20.0 20.0 20.0 19.0 19.0 18.0 17.0 17.0 16.0 16.0 15.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 7.7 5.0 0 1 25% VAT/GST standard rates over time 20 OECD, 19.2 15 10 JPN, 10.0 5 0 1. VAT/GST refers to value added tax/goods and services tax Source: OECD Tax Database 1st January 2020 VAT Revenue Ratio The VAT Revenue Ratio (VRR) for Japan was 0.72 in 2018, above the OECD average of 0.56.
    [Show full text]