The existence of tax havens is more than ever a subject of controversy. While the European Union, as well as the USA and the OECD countries are trying to put pressure on the governments of States considered as tax havens, the understanding of what is at stake is becoming more and more obscure. We are trying here to help you to form an objective opinion about this issue.
Taxes
You can find here links of interest on wordwide taxation and international comparisions.
Fiscal strategic interaction is a recurrent topic of recent economic literature. This short paper describes a database created as an instrument to analyze such interactions between Italian municipalities in local…
You can find here links of interest and statistical data about French taxation and debt.
The Heritage Foundation launches a campaign against the dreaded estate tax (also known as the “death tax”) in the US. In the coming weeks, Congress will once again take up debate on the death tax, which expires for one year, beginning on January 1, 2010, before coming back in full force on January 1, 2011. Some in Congress are eager to prevent the death tax from expiring for even one year. Those that don’t want the tax to die will likely argue for a one-year extension of the tax at its current rate and exemption levels.
Twenty four countries in the world have already adopted the flat tax. The taxe rate is going from 10% (in Bulgaria, Albania, Kazachstan and Mongolia) to 25% (in Litva and Jamaica). One of IREF’s main proposals is to introduce a 15% flat tax in France.
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.