The Philosophy Of Taxation And Public Finance
This paper applies philosophical and ethical concepts to the disciplines of taxation and public finance. It discusses various characteristics and attributes of the various forms of taxation, including whether taxation is voluntary or coercive, whether high rates or low rates are preferable from a variety of perspectives, the ability to pay and the cost benefit principles, uniform and discriminatory rates, tax administration, whether taxes should be visible or hidden, whether taxes should be earmarked or placed into the general fund, distortions to the economy that result from taxation, the effect of taxation on competitiveness and economic growth, tax complexity, vagueness, stability and frequently changing rules, the effect of taxation on behavior and incentives, and the effects on social harmony. Section III discusses the pros and cons of the various forms of taxation. There are separate discussions of the individual income tax, the corporate income tax, property taxation, the value added tax, retail consumption taxes, excise taxes, estate, inheritance and gift taxes, the social security tax, tariffs, inflation as a form of taxation, user fees, lotteries, and capital gains taxation. Part IV discusses the need to limit taxation and discusses various methods that have been advocated to achieve this goal, including a balanced budget amendment, the line-item veto, a supermajority requirement, the referendum, sunset provisions, stating an upper limit in the constitution and privatization.
The Philosophy of Taxation and Public Finance
Keywords: taxation, public finance, income tax, excise tax, property tax, lottery, user fee, ability to pay, tax characteristics, tax rates, earmarking, vagueness, value added tax, consumption tax, estate tax, gift tax, inheritance tax, capital gains tax, tax limitation, balanced budget amendment, line-item veto, referendum, sunset, supermajority, privatization
Most public finance books are texts, which are aimed at undergraduate or graduate students. They are overly technical in nature and appeal only to a narrow range of bureaucrats and academics. Books on taxation are written for tax practitioners and usually emphasize either what the law is or how to maneuver through the labyrinth of tax law to minimize taxes for clients. Philosophy books on taxation or public finance simply do not exist.
The Philosophy of Taxation and Public Finance is different. It is written in nontechnical language and is aimed to appeal to a wide range of readers, including practitioners, academics and students in the fields of taxation, public finance, economics, law, philosophy and political science as well as general readers who are interested in learning why they are being taxed the way they are. The author addresses the major issues and topics in taxation and public finance and injects them with philosophical insights. He discusses questions such as:-What arguments have been used to justify taxation? -When is tax evasion unethical? -Are some taxes better than others? -What are the proper functions of government? -How much is enough? Is the ability to pay concept valid? -When can punitive taxes be justified?
Robert W. McGee is a professor at the Florida International University, USA. He has published more than 40 books and more than 300 scholarly papers in the fields of accounting, taxation, economics, law and philosophy. He is a certified public accountant (CPA) and attorney, has taught both public finance and taxation and has doctorates in accounting, taxation, economics, law and philosophy
The Philosophy of Taxation and Public Finance is different. It is written in nontechnical language and is aimed to appeal to a wide range of readers, including practitioners, academics and students in the fields of taxation, public finance, economics, law, philosophy and political science as well as general readers who are interested in learning why they are being taxed the way they are. The author addresses the major issues and topics in taxation and public finance and injects them with philosophical insights. He discusses questions such as:-What arguments have been used to justify taxation? -When is tax evasion unethical? -Are some taxes better than others? -What are the proper functions of government? -How much is enough? Is the ability to pay concept valid? -When can punitive taxes be justified?
The Philosophy of Taxation and Public Finance is different. It is written in nontechnical language and is aimed to appeal to a wide range of readers, including practitioners, academics and students in the fields of taxation, public finance, economics, law, philosophy and political science as well as general readers who are interested in learning why they are being taxed the way they are. The author addresses the major issues and topics in taxation and public finance and injects them with philosophical insights. He discusses questions such as: -What arguments have been used to justify taxation? -When is tax evasion unethical? -Are some taxes better than others? -What are the proper functions of government? -How much is enough? Is the ability to pay concept valid? -When can punitive taxes be justified?
The ARP provides an opportunity to create more sustainable policies by examining how and from whom local government units obtain revenues and then align expenditure decisions accordingly. As such, my future pieces will focus on discrete opportunities for cities and counties to reform their revenue-raising practices. This is a critical time to dissect and unravel the logic and assumptions that drive local budgets. This is also an opportune moment to make concrete, actionable, and measurable commitments to reimagine local public finance.
Professor Stark regularly testifies on state and local tax policy before the California state legislature and has also served on the Board of Directors of the National Tax Association, a nonpartisan organization founded in 1907 to promote the study of tax policy and public finance. In 2008, he was a visiting professor at Harvard Law School, and he served as Vice Dean for Faculty Development at UCLA School of Law from 2010-2013.
Conditional cash transfers have been shown to motivate families to send their children to school, improve their nutrition, and monitor their health. But facilities to meet this additional demand must be made available and must be financed. The same is true of other programs focusing on improving opportunities for the poor. Financing these programs through progressive taxation while providing cash transfer incentives to poor households thus reduces inequality and poverty in the short term and helps these households generate more income over the medium and long term.
Georgist ideas were popular and influential during the late 19th and early 20th century.[16] Political parties, institutions and communities were founded based on Georgist principles during that time. Early devotees of Henry George's economic philosophy were often termed Single Taxers for their political goal of raising public revenue mainly or only from a land value tax, although Georgists endorsed multiple forms of rent capture (e.g. seigniorage) as legitimate.[17] The term Georgism was invented later, and some prefer the term geoism as more generic.[18][19] 041b061a72