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The Incentive Effect of Fiscal Equalization Transfers on Tax Policy

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Author Info
Thiess Büttner ()

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Abstract

A theoretical analysis considers the impact of a typical system of redistributive “fiscal equalization” transfers on the taxing effort of local jurisdictions. More specifically, it shows that the marginal contribution rate, i.e. the rate at which an increase in the tax base reduces those transfers, might be positively associated with the local tax rate while the volume of grants received is likely to be inversely related to the tax base. These predictions are tested in an empirical analysis of the tax policy of German municipalities. In order to identify the incentive effect the analysis exploits discontinuities in the rules of the fiscal equalization system as well as policy changes. The empirical results support the existence of an incentive effect, suggesting that the high marginal contribution rates induce the municipalities to raise their business tax rates significantly.

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Paper provided by CESifo GmbH in its series CESifo Working Paper Series with number CESifo Working Paper No. 1404.

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Date of creation: 2005
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Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_1404

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Related research
Keywords: fiscal equalization tax competition fiscal federalism incentive effect of taxation regression discontinuity

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
H71 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - State and Local Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue
H77 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - Intergovernmental Relations; Federalism

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    Other versions:
  3. Buettner, Thiess, 2001. "Fiscal externalities in local tax competition : empirical evidence from a panel of German jurisdictions," ZEW Discussion Papers 01-11, ZEW - Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung / Center for European Economic Research. [Downloadable!]
  4. Bev Dahlby & Neil Warren, 2003. "Fiscal Incentive Effects of the Australian Equalisation System," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 79(247), pages 434-445, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  13. Heckman, James J. & Lalonde, Robert J. & Smith, Jeffrey A., 1999. "The economics and econometrics of active labor market programs," Handbook of Labor Economics, in: O. Ashenfelter & D. Card (ed.), Handbook of Labor Economics, edition 1, volume 3, chapter 31, pages 1865-2097 Elsevier. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  15. Christian Baretti & Bernd Huber & Karl Lichtblau, 2002. "A Tax on Tax Revenue: The Incentive Effects of Equalizing Transfers: Evidence from Germany," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer, vol. 9(6), pages 631-649, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Christian Traxler & Andreas Reutter, 2008. "Apportionment, Fiscal Equalization and Decentralized Tax Enforcement," Working Paper Series of the Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods 2008_21, Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods. [Downloadable!]
  2. Thiess Büttner & Sebastian Hauptmeier & Robert Schwager, 2006. "Efficient Revenue Sharing and Upper Level Governments: Theory and Application to Germany," CESifo Working Paper Series CESifo Working Paper No. , CESifo GmbH. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  3. Jean, HINDRIKS & Susana, PERALTA & Sholmo, WEBER, 2006. "Competing in taxes and investment under fiscal equalization," Université catholique de Louvain, Département des Sciences Economiques Working Paper 2006062, Université catholique de Louvain, Département des Sciences Economiques. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  4. Hauptmeier, Sebastian, 2007. "Intergovernmental grants and public input provision : theory and evidence from Germany," ZEW Discussion Papers 07-006, ZEW - Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung / Center for European Economic Research. [Downloadable!]
  5. Peter Egger & Marko Koethenbuerger & Michael Smart, 2007. "Do Fiscal Transfers Alleviate Business Tax Competition? Evidence from Germany," CESifo Working Paper Series CESifo Working Paper No. , CESifo GmbH. [Downloadable!]
  6. Diego Martínez-López, 2005. "On the states' behavior with equalization grants," Economic Working Papers at Centro de Estudios Andaluces E2005/03, Centro de Estudios Andaluces. [Downloadable!]
  7. Christos Kotsogiannis & Robert Schwager, 2006. "Fiscal Equalization and Yardstick Competition," CESifo Working Paper Series CESifo Working Paper No. , CESifo GmbH. [Downloadable!]
  8. Christos Kotsogiannis & Robert Schwager, 2006. "Fiscal Equalization and Yardstick Competition," Working Papers 2006-15, University of Kentucky, Institute for Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations. [Downloadable!]
  9. Jean, HINDRIKS & Susana , PERALTA & Sholmo , WEBER, 2005. "Fiscal competition, revenue sharing, and policy-induced agglomeration," Université catholique de Louvain, Département des Sciences Economiques Working Paper 2005062, Université catholique de Louvain, Département des Sciences Economiques. [Downloadable!]
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