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Format: 1 online resource (76 pages)

ISBN: 9789264195615 (PDF) , 9786610006007 , 92-64-19561-0

Series Statement: OECD Tax Policy Studies, no.6

Content: This study draws on recent tax policy experience in a selection of OECD countries to provide an analysis of important current tax policy issues in a number of areas: corporate income tax; personal income tax and social security contributions; consumption tax; property and wealth taxes; devolving expenditure and taxing power; tax administration and enforcement. Taxation is inevitable in modern economies to finance public spending, which is aimed at meeting fundamental economic and social objectives. However, efficiency losses associated with taxation need to be taken into account when the cost and benefits of public expenditure to be funded are being assessed. The public perception of the fairness of tax systems, the practical enforceability of tax rules and the cost arising from compliance are other important considerations. Against this backdrop, the OECD has reviewed in the past two years the tax systems of a number of Member countries in its periodical Economic Surveys. The analysis and policy recommendations emerging from these reviews may provide some useful lessons for other OECD countries, and these are pulled together in this paper.

Note: Intro -- Foreword -- Table of Contents -- Chapter 1. Introduction -- Table 1. Synopsis of key challenges for tax policy in the countries reviewed -- Chapter 2. Trends in Taxation and the Forces Shaping Them -- 2.1. The tax burden -- Table 2. Total tax revenue as percentage of GDP -- Table 3. Tax revenue of major taxes as a percentage of total tax revenue, 1998 -- 2.2. The structure of taxation -- Figure 1. Tax mix by source -- Figure 2. Evolution of the tax mix over time -- 2.3. The central-local allocation of revenue and tax-raising powers -- Figure 3. Tax receipts and expenditure by regional and local governments -- Table 4. Attribution of tax revenues to sub-sectors of general government -- Notes -- Chapter 3. General Principles Guiding Tax Policy -- 3.1. Efficiency considerations -- 3.2. Equity considerations and tradeoffs with efficiency -- 3.2.1. Horizontal equity -- 3.2.2. Vertical equity -- Table 5. Statutory income tax progressivity around the income level of the average production ... -- 3.2.3. Trade-offs between equity and efficiency -- 3.3. Enforceability and compliance -- Notes -- Chapter 4. Areas and Options for Reform -- 4.1. Corporate income tax -- 4.1.4. Easing non-neutralities of funding modes of corporate investment -- Box 1. Classical versus integrated systems of dividend taxation -- 4.1.5. Broadening the corporate tax base and providing uniform taxation -- Box 2. Special corporate tax regimes -- 4.1.6. Limiting "simplified regimes" and progressive rate structures -- 4.2. Personal income and social security tax -- 4.2.1. Easing the tax burden on lower-paid labour -- Figure 4. Tax wedges on labour, 2000 -- 4.2.2. Reducing statutory tax rates and raising the effective progressiveness of income taxation ... -- Box 3. Dual versus comprehensive income taxation. , 4.2.3. Tightening the tax system vis-à-vis the self-employed -- Box 4. Tax policies geared towards encouraging pension saving and housing investment -- 4.2.4. Enhancing the neutrality of capital income taxation -- 4.3. Consumption tax -- 4.3.1. Reducing deviations from standard VAT rates -- Figure 5. Effectiveness of value added taxes, 1998 -- 4.3.2. Reducing tax-exempt thresholds -- 4.3.3. Ensuring neutrality in taxing electronic commerce -- 4.3.4. Improving the internalisation of external effects in tax rate structures -- Box 5. Internalising external effects and protecting the environment -- 4.4. Property and wealth tax -- 4.4.1. Strengthening the taxation of real property -- 4.4.2. Re-considering net wealth taxes -- 4.5. Devolving expenditure and taxing power -- 4.6. Tax administration and enforcement -- 4.6.1. Reducing compliance costs for the taxpayer -- 4.6.2. Raising the efficiency of tax collection and administration -- 4.6.3. Combating illegal tax abuse more effectively -- Notes -- Annex. Features of Tax Systems Impinging on Economic Efficiency -- Table A.1. Tax treatment of private pensions in OECD countries -- Table A.2. Financial assets and portfolio of pension funds -- Table A.3. Tax treatment of owner-occupied housing in OECD countries -- Table A.4. Marginal effective tax wedges in manufacturing -- Box A.1. Measuring marginal effective tax rates on corporate investment -- Table A.5. Tax treatment of dividends and capital gains on shares -- Table A.6. Estimated change in structural unemployment due to changes in the labour tax wedge -- Box A.2. Social security contribution ceilings and floors -- Figure A.1. Marginal statutory all-in tax rates on labour -- Table A.7. Rate schedules of central government personal income tax -- Figure A.2. Marginal effective tax rates on household labour income. , Box A.3. Tax treatment of stock option programmes -- Table A.8. Implicit tax rates on continued work embedded in benefits for elderly, 1995 -- Figure A.3. Share of value added tax in total indirect taxes in OECD countries -- Table A.9. Turnover thresholds for VAT exemption -- Table A.10. Revenues from environmental taxes -- Figure A.4. Revenues from environmental taxes by main environmental tax-bases - selected OECD... -- Notes -- Bibliography -- OECD Tax Policy Studies. , English

Language: English

URL: https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264195615-en