This paper evaluates the redistributive impacts of rural taxation in China, using the CASS CHIP survey 1995-2002. The main findings can be summarized as follows.First, the major policy target of rural taxation reform--reducing the average rate of taxes and levies--was accomplished between 1995 and 2002, with favorable redistributive results. When the aggregate scene is observed, the disequalizing redistributive impact of taxation declined between 1995 and 2002. Second, despite these positive results from the aggregate perspective, the favorable impact of the reform was severely limited because overall rural taxation remained disequalizing after the reform and regressivity in taxation itself, measured by the Kakwani index and the income elasticity of taxation, increased between 1995 and 2002. The favorable change in the redistributive impact between these years did not occur as a result of a decrease in the degree of regressivity of the tax itself, but because the average rate of taxation and before-tax income inequality declined. Moreover, when the regional picture is observed, the overall redistributive impact of taxation worsened in several provinces following the reform.
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Paper provided by Graduate School of Economics, Hitotsubashi University in its series Discussion Papers with number
2006-10.
Find related papers by JEL classification: H23 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Externalities; Redistributive Effects; Environmental Taxes and Subsidies 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 D31 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Personal Income and Wealth Distribution