IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/mfg/wpaper/18.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

A Better Local Business Tax: The BVT

Author

Listed:
  • Richard M. Bird

    (University of Toronto)

Abstract

This paper makes the case for a new tax for local government: the Business Value Tax (BVT). The BVT is a value added tax (VAT) like the Canadian federal Goods and Services Tax (GST) and the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) used in some provinces, but it taxes business income rather than sales. The author concludes that a local BVT is economically preferable to other forms of local business tax, administratively manageable, and could be politically desirable – especially for large cities and metropolitan regions with urban infrastructure investment needs. It outlines how the tax works, shows how it differs from the GST/ HST, and discusses the experience with BVT-like taxes in several countries.

Suggested Citation

  • Richard M. Bird, 2014. "A Better Local Business Tax: The BVT," IMFG Papers 18, University of Toronto, Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance.
    • Handle: RePEc:mfg:wpaper:18
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitstream/1807/81249/1/imfg_paper_18_bird_may%2030_2014.pdf
    File Function: First version, 2014
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ernesto Longobardi, 2011. "From transfers to tax "co-occupation": the Italian reform of intergovernmental finance," SERIES 0038, Dipartimento di Economia e Finanza - Università degli Studi di Bari "Aldo Moro", revised Dec 2011.
    2. Chun-Yan Kuo & Thomas Mcgirr & Satya Poddar, 1988. "Measuring the Non-Neutralities of Sales and Excise Taxes in Canada," Development Discussion Papers 1988-08, JDI Executive Programs.
    3. William H. Oakland & William A. Testa, 2000. "The Benefit Principle as a Preferred Approach to Taxing Business in the Midwest," Economic Development Quarterly, , vol. 14(2), pages 154-164, May.
    4. Benjaming Dachis & Adam Found & Peter Tomlinson, 2013. "What Gets Measured Gets Managed: The Economic Burden of Business Property Taxes," e-briefs 166, C.D. Howe Institute.
    5. Manzo, Marco & Monteduro, Maria Teresa, 2010. "From IRAP to CBIT: tax distortions and redistributive effects," MPRA Paper 28070, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Bev Dahlby, 2012. "Reforming the Tax Mix in Canada," SPP Research Papers, The School of Public Policy, University of Calgary, vol. 5(14), April.
    7. Eva ERDOS, 2009. "The Local Taxation In The European Union – The Hungarian Local Business Tax (Hipa) Case," Curentul Juridic, The Juridical Current, Le Courant Juridique, Petru Maior University, Faculty of Economics Law and Administrative Sciences and Pro Iure Foundation, vol. 2, pages 47-60, June.
    8. Richard M. Bird & Enid Slack, 2013. "Local Taxes and Local Expenditures: Strengthening the Wicksellian Connection," International Center for Public Policy Working Paper Series, at AYSPS, GSU paper1323, International Center for Public Policy, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University.
    9. Kenyon, Daphne A., 1996. "A New State VAT? Lessons From New Hampshire," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association, vol. 49(3), pages 381-99, September.
    10. Massimo Bordignon & Silvia Giannini & Paolo Panteghini, 2001. "Reforming Business Taxation: Lessons from Italy?," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 8(2), pages 191-210, March.
    11. Smart, Michael & Bird, Richard M., 2009. "The Impact on Investment of Replacing a Retail Sales Tax With a Value-Added Tax: Evidence From Canadian Experience," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 62(4), pages 591-609, December.
    12. James Feehan, 1998. "Optimal Provision of Hicksian Public Inputs," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 31(3), pages 693-707, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Daniel Henstra & Jason Thistlethwaite, 2017. "Climate Change, Floods, and Municipal Risk Sharing in Canada," IMFG Papers 30, University of Toronto, Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance.
    2. Bob Baldwin, 2015. "Municipal Employee Pension Plans in Canada: An Overview," IMFG Papers 23, University of Toronto, Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance.
    3. Zack Taylor & Alec Dobson, 2020. "Power and Purpose:Canadian Municipal Law in Transition," IMFG Papers 47, University of Toronto, Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance.
    4. Alberto Porto & Marcelo Garriga & Walter Rosales, 2017. "El Impuesto a los Ingresos Brutos y Alternativas de Reforma," Department of Economics, Working Papers 112, Departamento de Economía, Facultad de Ciencias Económicas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata.
    5. Alberto Porto, 2017. "Impuestos Subnacionales sobre la Producción. Aportes para la Discusión de la Reforma Tributaria," IIE, Working Papers 113, IIE, Universidad Nacional de La Plata.
    6. Almos T. Tassonyi, 2017. "The Context and Challenges for Canada's Mid-Sized Cities," SPP Briefing Papers, The School of Public Policy, University of Calgary, vol. 10(9), May.
    7. Alberto Porto, 2017. "Impuestos Subnacionales sobre la Producción. Aportes para la Discusión de la Reforma Tributaria," Department of Economics, Working Papers 113, Departamento de Economía, Facultad de Ciencias Económicas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata.
    8. Alberto Porto & Marcelo Garriga & Walter Rosales, 2017. "El Impuesto a los Ingresos Brutos y Alternativas de Reforma," IIE, Working Papers 112, IIE, Universidad Nacional de La Plata.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Richard M. Bird, 2013. "Below the Salt: Decentralizing Value-Added Taxes," International Center for Public Policy Working Paper Series, at AYSPS, GSU paper1302, International Center for Public Policy, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University.
    2. Thomas Leoni & Margit Schratzenstaller, 2020. "Senkung der Lohnnebenkosten und Finanzierungsvarianten. Bisherige Erkenntnisse und internationale Reformbeispiele," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 66851.
    3. Richard M. Bird & Michael Smart, 2014. "VAT in a Federal System: Lessons from Canada," Public Budgeting & Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(4), pages 38-60, December.
    4. Bev Dahlby, 2012. "Reforming the Tax Mix in Canada," SPP Research Papers, The School of Public Policy, University of Calgary, vol. 5(14), April.
    5. Federico Revelli, 2012. "Business taxation and economic performance in hierarchical government structures," Working Papers 2012/12, Institut d'Economia de Barcelona (IEB).
    6. n.d., 2013. "Italy's corporate tax reforms and firm-specific tax rates in the period 1998-2012," STUDI ECONOMICI, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2013(111), pages 51-68.
    7. Alberto Porto & Marcelo Garriga & Walter Rosales, 2017. "El Impuesto a los Ingresos Brutos y Alternativas de Reforma," Department of Economics, Working Papers 112, Departamento de Economía, Facultad de Ciencias Económicas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata.
    8. Peter Birch Sørensen, 2003. "Neutral Taxation of Shareholder Income: A Norwegian Tax Reform Proposal," EPRU Working Paper Series 03-06, Economic Policy Research Unit (EPRU), University of Copenhagen. Department of Economics.
    9. Adam Found & Peter Tomlinson, 2017. "Business Tax Burdens in Canada’s Major Cities: The 2017 Report Card," e-briefs 269, C.D. Howe Institute.
    10. Hansen, Benjamin & Miller, Keaton & Weber, Caroline, 2022. "Vertical integration and production inefficiency in the presence of a gross receipts tax," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 212(C).
    11. Natale Renato Fazio & Mauro Politi, 2007. "Metodologia per l’analisi dei comportamenti e della soddisfazione degli utilizzatori di una banca dati statistica su Internet," Rivista di statistica ufficiale, ISTAT - Italian National Institute of Statistics - (Rome, ITALY), vol. 9(1), pages 5-30, march.
    12. Kick, Thomas & Celerier, Claire & Ongena, Steven, 2017. "Changes in the Cost of Bank Equity and the Supply of Bank Credit," VfS Annual Conference 2017 (Vienna): Alternative Structures for Money and Banking 168164, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    13. Alessandro Faramondi & Claudio Pascarella & Augusto Puggioni, 2007. "Piccole e medie imprese: le innovazioni nei metodi di calcolo dei principali aggregati economici di contabilità nazionale," Rivista di statistica ufficiale, ISTAT - Italian National Institute of Statistics - (Rome, ITALY), vol. 9(1), pages 59-84, march.
    14. Benjaming Dachis & Adam Found & Peter Tomlinson, 2013. "What Gets Measured Gets Managed: The Economic Burden of Business Property Taxes," e-briefs 166, C.D. Howe Institute.
    15. Catherine Mathieu & Henri Sterdyniak, 2015. "What future for taxation in the EU?," Revue de l'OFCE, Presses de Sciences-Po, vol. 0(5), pages 5-13.
    16. Ruud de Mooij & Michael P. Devereux, 2008. "Alternative Systems of Business Tax in Europe: An applied analysis of ACE and CBIT Reforms," Taxation Studies 0023, Directorate General Taxation and Customs Union, European Commission.
    17. Giampaolo Arachi & Valeria Bucci & Ernesto Longobardi & Paolo M. Panteghini & Maria Laura Parisi & Simone Pellegrino & Alberto Zanardi, 2012. "Fiscal Reforms during Fiscal Consolidation: The Case of Italy," FinanzArchiv: Public Finance Analysis, Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, vol. 68(4), pages 445-465, December.
    18. Giuseppe C. Ruggeri & Kellya. Bluck, 1992. "The Treatment of Transfers in the Measurement of Sales Tax Incidence: the Case of Canada's Manufacturers' Sales Tax," Public Finance Review, , vol. 20(1), pages 24-46, January.
    19. Zhang, Yan & Bai, Zhuoran & Findaly, Christopher, 2021. "Value-added Tax Reform and Services Exports: Evidence from China," MPRA Paper 111184, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 2021.
    20. Richard M. Bird, 2012. "The GST/HST: Creating an Integrated Sales Tax in a Federal Country," SPP Research Papers, The School of Public Policy, University of Calgary, vol. 5(12), March.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    tax; business value tax; large cities;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H11 - Public Economics - - Structure and Scope of Government - - - Structure and Scope of Government
    • H72 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - State and Local Budget and Expenditures

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:mfg:wpaper:18. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Enid Slack (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/imfutca.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.