Tag: Tax Expenditures

Tax Expenditures and the Environment: Strengthening the Spotlight

| 8 November 2017
Fiscal, Blog | Tags: Energy, Environment, Fossil Fuel Subsidies, Tax Expenditures
Tax expenditures – government spending through deductions, exemptions, and other benefits granted through the tax code – are significant and have wide ranging environmental implications. A stronger green fiscal policy spotlight on them is critical. ... continue reading

Fiscal Policy and Informality

| 1 September 2017
Fiscal, Blog | Tags: Inequality, Pensions, Tax Expenditures
Countries differ from each other in several aspects that need to be considered when designing fiscal policy. The size of the informal sector is a case in point. ... continue reading

Unpacking Patent Boxes

| 26 July 2017
Fiscal, Blog | Tags: Patent Boxes, Tax Competition, Tax Expenditures
An intellectual property box is a special lower tax rate for profits associated with intellectual property (IP). There are over twenty around the world, and over the last few years bills have been introduced to the U.S. Congress for a U.S. IP box. IP boxes always ... continue reading

Tax Expenditures. The Big Black Box

| 20 July 2017
Fiscal, Blog | Tags: Tax Expenditures
According to the federal financial statements 2016, tax expenditures in Switzerland reduced government revenues by 21 to 25 billion Swiss francs. This amounts to 31 to 37 percent of the country’s federal income. ... continue reading

Measuring Tax Expenditures in Developing Countries: What is the Role of the G20?

| 26 May 2017
Fiscal, Blog | Tags: Inequality, Tax Competition, Tax Expenditures
For many countries in the developing world, tax exemptions are considered a crucial instrument for stimulating private local investment and, mainly, attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows. According to the point of view that promotes tax expenditures as a convenient tool for achieving these goals, ... continue reading

Intellectual Property Boxes and the Paradox of Price Discrimination

| 15 May 2017
Fiscal, Research Papers | Tags: Corporate Taxes, Innovation, Patent Boxes, Tax Competition, Tax Expenditures
This paper considers the methods by which some existing laws and proposals offer different tax rates to different types of capital, a scheme variously known as a patent box, innovation box, or intellectual property box (IP box). It presents a model of international tax competition—what ... continue reading

Before We Reform Tax Policy, We Need to Know What Is Working

| 9 March 2017
Fiscal, Blog | Tags: Tax Expenditures
Congress and President Trump are embarking on what is likely to be a major rewrite of the federal income tax code. Yet, neither they nor anyone else knows whether the hundreds of tax preferences embedded in the law accomplish their stated purposes. ... continue reading

Inheritance Taxation, Corporate Succession and Sustainability

| 6 March 2017
Fiscal, Discussion Notes | Tags: Inheritance Tax, SMEs, Tax Expenditures
Inheritance and estate tax rates are highly heterogeneous across countries. Indeed, the lack of a broadly accepted model of optimal inheritance taxation is reflected in statutory tax rates ranging from 0% in several countries including Australia, Canada and Sweden to 55% in Japan. ... continue reading

Pension Tax Expenditures. A Costly Christmas Gift … Not From Santa

| 4 January 2017
Fiscal, Blog | Tags: Fiscal, Inequality, Pensions, Tax Expenditures
For people living in Switzerland, December 31 was the last day for 2016 contributions into their Pillar 3a retirement accounts – and hence for taking advantage of the exemption from income tax that these payments benefit from. The scheme is one of many examples from ... continue reading

Tax Expenditures and Sustainability. An Overview

| 11 November 2016
Fiscal, Discussion Notes | Tags: Employment, Energy, Fossil Fuel Subsidies, Health, Housing, Inequality, Innovation, Patent Boxes, Pensions, Tax Expenditures, VAT
Fiscal policy has significant effects on a broad sustainability agenda covering long-term economic, social and environmental goals. However, whereas a myriad of actors scrutinize taxation as well as direct government spending with regard to their impact on sustainability, a key feature of fiscal policy has ... continue reading