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Optimal taxation and intergovernmental transfer in a dynamic model with multiple levels of government

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  • Gong, Liutang
  • Zou, Heng-fu

Abstract

In this paper, we study the optimal choices of the federal income tax, federal transfers, and local taxes in a dynamic model of capital accumulation and with explicit gamestructure s among multipleprivateage nts, multiplelocal governments, and the federal government. In general, the optimal local property tax is zero if the local property tax is constrained to be nonnegative, whereas the optimal local consumption tax is always positive. When the local consumption tax is chosen optimally, the federal income tax can be either positive or negative. For most reasonable parameter values, our numerical calculations have shown that with a positive local consumption tax there exists a reverse transfer from local governments to the federal government.
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  • Gong, Liutang & Zou, Heng-fu, 2002. "Optimal taxation and intergovernmental transfer in a dynamic model with multiple levels of government," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 26(12), pages 1975-2003, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:dyncon:v:26:y:2002:i:12:p:1975-2003
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    Cited by:

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    2. Raúl A. Ponce Rodríguez & Ikuho Kochi & Luis E. Gutiérrez Casas, 2015. "The structure of political power and redistribution in economies with multiple governments," Estudios Económicos, El Colegio de México, Centro de Estudios Económicos, vol. 30(2), pages 269-303.
    3. Xin Han & Zheng Xuelian & Jun Hou & Xianming Kuang, 2023. "The Impact of Haze Pollution on Chinese Local Government Debt," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(4), pages 21582440231, October.
    4. Liutang Gong & Heng-fu Zou, 2003. "Fiscal Federalism, Public Capital Formation, and Endogenous Growth," Annals of Economics and Finance, Society for AEF, vol. 4(2), pages 471-490, November.
    5. Ramiro Gil-Serrate & Julio López-Laborda, "undated". "Modelling Tax Decentralisation And Regional Growth," Working Papers 14-05 Classification-JEL , Instituto de Estudios Fiscales.
    6. Yutao Han & Zhen Song, 2017. "On regional integration, fiscal income, and GDP per capita," CEMA Working Papers 600, China Economics and Management Academy, Central University of Finance and Economics.
    7. Yutao Han & Zhen Song, 2022. "On regional integration, fiscal income, and GDP per capita," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 69(5), pages 506-532, November.
    8. Luigi Marattin & Tommaso Nannicini & Francesco Porcelli, 2022. "Revenue vs expenditure based fiscal consolidation: the pass-through from federal cuts to local taxes," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 29(4), pages 834-872, August.
    9. Till Gross, 2021. "Dynamic Optimal Fiscal Policy in a Transfer Union," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 42, pages 194-238, October.
    10. Liangliang Liu, 2021. "Fiscal decentralization and the imbalance between consumption and investment in China," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 66(1), pages 1-17, February.
    11. Zou, Heng-fu, 2012. "Optimal design of intergovernmental grants in a dynamic model," MPRA Paper 37427, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. Divino, Jose Angelo & Maciel, Daniel T.G.N. & Sosa, Wilfredo, 2020. "Government size, composition of public spending and economic growth in Brazil," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 155-166.
    13. Liangliang Liu & Donghong Ding & Jun He, 2019. "The welfare effects of fiscal decentralization: a simple model and evidence from China," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 53(1), pages 417-434, January.
    14. Liutang Gong & Heng-fu Zou, 1998. "Fiscal Policies in a Finite Horizon Model with the Spirit of Capitalism," CEMA Working Papers 102, China Economics and Management Academy, Central University of Finance and Economics.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • E0 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General
    • H2 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue
    • H4 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods
    • H5 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies
    • H7 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations
    • O4 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity
    • R5 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Regional Government Analysis

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