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The Choice between Income and Consumption Taxes: A Primer

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  • Auerbach, Alan J.

Abstract

It has now been nearly three decades since the publication of two important volumes that laid out many of the details of how one might implement a progressive consumption tax (Institute for Fiscal Studies, 1978; U.S. Treasury, 1977). Over the years since, many contributions have analyzed the mechanics of the different variants of consumption taxation, the potential efficiency and distributional effects of their adoption, the issues of administration and transition from the current tax system, and the problems relating to certain types of transactions. But much of what we "know" is not part of the general policy discussion and there are important issues that the literature has recognized but still not resolved. The aim of this paper is to lay out the key economic issues involved in deciding whether and how to adopt a consumption tax and to discuss what theory and evidence have told us and could tell us about these issues.
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  • Auerbach, Alan J., 2006. "The Choice between Income and Consumption Taxes: A Primer," Department of Economics, Working Paper Series qt9q85f6qz, Department of Economics, Institute for Business and Economic Research, UC Berkeley.
    • Handle: RePEc:cdl:econwp:qt9q85f6qz
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    Cited by:

    1. Jing Xing, 2011. "Does tax structure affect economic growth? Empirical evidence from OECD countries," Working Papers 1120, Oxford University Centre for Business Taxation.
    2. Alan J. Auerbach, 2006. "The Future of Capital Income Taxation," Fiscal Studies, Institute for Fiscal Studies, vol. 27(4), pages 399-420, December.
    3. Francesco Figari & Alari Paulus, 2015. "The Distributional Effects of Taxes and Transfers Under Alternative Income Concepts," Public Finance Review, , vol. 43(3), pages 347-372, May.
    4. Ruud de Mooij & Michael Keen, 2012. ""Fiscal Devaluation" and Fiscal Consolidation: The VAT in Troubled Times," NBER Chapters, in: Fiscal Policy after the Financial Crisis, pages 443-485, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Sam Allgood, 2009. "The Collective Household, Household Production and Efficiency of Marginal Reforms," Journal of Public Economic Theory, Association for Public Economic Theory, vol. 11(5), pages 749-771, October.
    6. Peter Birch Sørensen, 2006. "The Theory of Optimal Taxation: What is the Policy Relevance?," EPRU Working Paper Series 06-07, Economic Policy Research Unit (EPRU), University of Copenhagen. Department of Economics.
    7. Lemelin, André & Savard, Luc, 2022. "What do CGE models have to say about fiscal reform?," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 758-774.
    8. Munkacsi, Zsuzsa, 2015. "Fiscal austerity, unemployment and family firms," Discussion Papers 06/2015, Deutsche Bundesbank.
    9. World Bank, 2009. "Pakistan - Tax Policy Report : Tapping Tax Bases for Development - Full Report," World Bank Publications - Reports 3100, The World Bank Group.
    10. Andreas Peichl, 2009. "The Benefits and Problems of Linking Micro and Macro Models — Evidence from a Flat Tax Analysis," Journal of Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 12(2), pages 301-329, November.
    11. Sijbren Cnossen, 2012. "Taxing Consumption or Income: Du Pareil au Meme," SPP Research Papers, The School of Public Policy, University of Calgary, vol. 5(13), March.
    12. Figari, Francesco & Paulus, Alari, 2013. "The distributional effects of taxes and transfers under alternative income concepts: the importance of three ‘I’s," EUROMOD Working Papers EM15/13, EUROMOD at the Institute for Social and Economic Research.
    13. Auerbach, Alan J., 2006. "Tax Reform in the 21st Century," Berkeley Olin Program in Law & Economics, Working Paper Series qt444479wh, Berkeley Olin Program in Law & Economics.
    14. Andreas PEICHL, 2008. "The Benefits of Linking CGE and Microsimulation Models - Evidence from a Flat Tax analysis," EcoMod2008 23800106, EcoMod.
    15. Christian R. Jaramillo & Jorge Tovar, 2007. "Reflexiones sobre la teoría y la práctica del IVA en Colombia," Revista de Economía del Rosario, Universidad del Rosario, December.
    16. Louis Kaplow, 2006. "Capital Levies and Transition to a Consumption Tax," NBER Working Papers 12259, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    17. André Decoster & Jason Loughrey & Cathal O'Donoghue & Dirk Verwerft, 2011. "Microsimulation of indirect taxes," International Journal of Microsimulation, International Microsimulation Association, vol. 4(2), pages 41-56.
    18. Stoian Tanchev, 2016. "Consumer tax system of Bulgaria in terms of economic growth and crisis," Economic Thought journal, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences - Economic Research Institute, issue 4, pages 85-105,106-.

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    • H20 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - General

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