IREF

This study is realized by Ludger Schuknecht, economist at the European Central Bank. He is making the case for the return to healthy and sustainable public finances. In that perspective, the authors identifies four central issues.

First, deficits and debts must be returned to a sustainable path. In many countries, deficits will need to fall by one percentage point of GDP per year and in some by much more. Even then, a balanced budget would only be reached in about 2015 for the average of the euro area and even later in the U.K.

Super Size It? A Rationale Against Feeding the Leviathan – Julia Toser

The threat of fiscal harmonization – Massimiliano Trovato

“An Economic Rationale for the Net Wealth Tax – Does It Exist?”- Jan Schnellenbach

“Taxonomy of Wealth Taxes” – Philipp Bagus

“Because that’s where the money is!” – Daniel Pellerin

As opposed to a graduated or a progressive tax, the “flat tax” is proportional, that is to say a same rate applies for all classes of income and all entities with a class. Flat tax means the end of discrimination according to income or corporate revenues. This scheme is currently discussed in United States to simplify the old tax code; it is already in use in other countries like Russia, Estonia, or Slovaquia.

The famous book on the flat tax written by Hall & Rabushka is finally available for the French readers. IREF edited the French version of the book in cooperation with Contribuables Associés.

The author of this book, Gérard Bramoullé, is deputy mayor in charge of finance for the city of Aix-en-Provence. He is explaining why the local taxes are explosing in France…

This is the first volume of a forthcoming trilogy on social security systems. The authors Jacques Garello and Georges Lane are challenging the current French social security model and are…

The second volume of the trilogy of Jacques Garello and Georges Lane is analysing the capitalisation social security system.

This is the third volume of the book of Jacques Garello and Georges Lane, edited in French language. The authors are proposing ideas for transition from the “pay as you…

This paper from Curtis S. Dubay from the Heritage Foundation investigates the new taxes US government is about to impose, in order to finance Obama’s health care reform. Higher Medicare taxes would push the top average marginal tax rate even higher than already scheduled. Currently, the top federal tax rate is 35 percent, but President Obama has proposed to allow it to increase to 39.6 percent. In addition, the House of Representatives’ version of health care reform includes a 5.4 percent surtax on incomes over $500,000 a year.