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The politics of tax structure

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  • Ganghof, Steffen

Abstract

Governments that wish to redistribute through budgetary policy do so mostly on the spending side, not on the taxation side of the budget. The taxation side is nevertheless important, partly because less efficient tax structures seem to be associated with lower taxation and spending levels. Hence political conflicts over spending levels may partly be fought as conflicts over tax structure. The paper provides a coherent perspective on the politics of tax structure. Specific topics include the (ir-)relevance of tax mixes, policy change in income taxation, the importance of tax competition, and the role of political institutions.

Suggested Citation

  • Ganghof, Steffen, 2006. "The politics of tax structure," MPIfG Working Paper 06/1, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies.
  • Handle: RePEc:zbw:mpifgw:061
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    6. Kayis-Kumar, Ann, 2018. "Implementing corporate tax cuts at the expense of neutrality? A legal and optimisation analysis of fundamental reform in practice," MPRA Paper 89703, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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