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Some Equity and Efficiency Considerations of International Tax Competition

Author

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  • Werner Roeger
  • Jan Veld
  • Don Woehrmann

Abstract

The paper uses a dynamic 2-country equilibrium model with imperfections in the labour market calibrated for the US and EU economy to investigate dynamic efficiency and equity aspects of international tax competition. We focus on tax policy where governments can only decide on the levels of corporate and labour taxes, given a constant share of government consumption and transfers in GDP and a constant VAT rate. We find that the welfare effect of a tax shift from capital to labour depends heavily on the distortionary nature of labour taxes. In contrast to existing results we find substantial positive international spillover effects of corporate tax reduction in one country, with long term gains outweighing short term losses. Results are very different, however, if one goes beyond the representative agent framework. According to our results, a tax switch is most likely not Pareto improving since net wages tend to decline in both regions even in the long run. Copyright Kluwer Academic Publishers 2002

Suggested Citation

  • Werner Roeger & Jan Veld & Don Woehrmann, 2002. "Some Equity and Efficiency Considerations of International Tax Competition," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 9(1), pages 7-31, January.
  • Handle: RePEc:kap:itaxpf:v:9:y:2002:i:1:p:7-31
    DOI: 10.1023/A:1014477105941
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    Cited by:

    1. Chirinko, Robert S., 2002. "Corporate Taxation, Capital Formation,and the Substitution Elasticity Between Labor and Capital," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 55(2), pages 339-355, June.
    2. Robert S. Chirinko & Steven M. Fazzari & Andrew P. Meyer, 2004. "That Elusive Elasticity: A Long-Panel Approach to Estimating the Capital-Labor Substitution Elasticity," CESifo Working Paper Series 1240, CESifo.

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