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Zur politischen Ökonomie von Defiziten und Kapitalsteuerwettbewerb

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  • Pitsoulis, Athanassios
  • Siebel, Jens Peter

Abstract

We connect the theories of strategic debt and tax competition in a model and explore whether capital mobility coupled with a strategic debt effectively tames Leviathan. Our proposition is that in the case of a small open economy international tax competi-tion for mobile capital opens the way to a previously unexplored sort of strategic deficit. The incumbent conservative government builds a reelection strategy on the downwards pressure on mobile factor tax rates caused by tax competition the liberal successor will be exposed to. As a result it can raise its chances to be reelected by tying the successor's hands on expenditure issues.

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  • Pitsoulis, Athanassios & Siebel, Jens Peter, 2009. "Zur politischen Ökonomie von Defiziten und Kapitalsteuerwettbewerb," Discourses in Social Market Economy 2009-13, OrdnungsPolitisches Portal (OPO).
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:opodis:200913
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