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Determinants of Tax Rates in Local Capital Income Taxation: A Theoretical Model and Evidence from Germany

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  • Thiess Büttner

Abstract

In a theoretical model local jurisdictions provide a public input and a public consumption good financed by a tax on capital income. When deciding about tax rate and budget structure the jurisdictions will generally respond to each other's fiscal choices irrespective of whether their policy is oriented more towards raising local income or raising public consumption. These policy differences along with differences in size are then shown to give rise to local differences in tax rates. The theoretical implications for the distribution of tax rates are then confronted with the case of local business taxation (Gewerbesteuer) in West Germany. Taking into account local interdependence in tax rate decisions, tax rates are found to be positively related to the population size of the communities even when controlling for density. This conforms with the hypothesis that large jurisdictions experience some market power in the capital market. In addition, federally mandated local welfare expenses are established as a determinant of local tax differences raising concerns about distortions induced by the German federal system.

Suggested Citation

  • Thiess Büttner, 1999. "Determinants of Tax Rates in Local Capital Income Taxation: A Theoretical Model and Evidence from Germany," FinanzArchiv: Public Finance Analysis, Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, vol. 56(3/4), pages 363-363, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:mhr:finarc:urn:sici:0015-2218(200007)56:3/4_363:dotril_2.0.tx_2-u
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    Cited by:

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    2. Claudio Agostini, 2004. "Tax Interdependence in American States," Econometric Society 2004 Latin American Meetings 155, Econometric Society.
    3. Sebastian Hauptmeier & Ferdinand Mittermaier & Johannes Rincke, 2008. "Fiscal Competition over Taxes and Public Inputs: Theory and Evidence," CESifo Working Paper Series 2499, CESifo.
    4. Sebastian Langer, 2019. "Expenditure interactions between municipalities and the role of agglomeration forces: a spatial analysis for North Rhine-Westphalia," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 62(3), pages 497-527, June.
    5. Buettner, Thiess, 2003. "Tax base effects and fiscal externalities of local capital taxation: evidence from a panel of German jurisdictions," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 54(1), pages 110-128, July.
    6. Fuest Clemens & Riphahn Regina, 2001. "Is the Local Business Tax a User Tax? An Empirical Investigation for Germany / Ist die Gewerbesteuer eine Äquivalenzsteuer? Eine empirische Analyse für Deutschland," Journal of Economics and Statistics (Jahrbuecher fuer Nationaloekonomie und Statistik), De Gruyter, vol. 221(1), pages 14-31, February.
    7. Ricardo Varsano & Sergio Guimarães Ferreira & José Roberto Afonso, 2015. "Fiscal Competition: a Bird's Eye View," Discussion Papers 0114, Instituto de Pesquisa Econômica Aplicada - IPEA.
    8. Mintz, Jack & Smart, Michael, 2004. "Income shifting, investment, and tax competition: theory and evidence from provincial taxation in Canada," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(6), pages 1149-1168, June.
    9. Peichl, Andreas & Fuest, Clemens & Siegloch, Sebastian, 2013. "Wage Incidence of Local Corporate Taxation - Micro Evidence from Germany," VfS Annual Conference 2013 (Duesseldorf): Competition Policy and Regulation in a Global Economic Order 79916, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    10. Leon Bettendorf & Joeri Gorter & Albert van der Horst, 2006. "Who benefits from tax competition in the European Union?," CPB Document 125, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
    11. Clemens Fuest & Andreas Peichl & Sebastian Siegloch, 2012. "Which Workers Bear the Burden of Corporate Taxation and Which Firms Can Pass It On? Micro Evidence from Germany," Working Papers 1216, Oxford University Centre for Business Taxation.
    12. Yajie Liu & Feng Dong, 2019. "How Industrial Transfer Processes Impact on Haze Pollution in China: An Analysis from the Perspective of Spatial Effects," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-27, February.
    13. Ferdinand Mittermaier, 2009. "The Role of Firm Ownership in Tax Competition," FinanzArchiv: Public Finance Analysis, Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, vol. 65(3), pages 297-312, September.
    14. Schaltegger Christoph A., 2003. "Zum Problem räumlicher Nutzen-Spillover zentralörtlicher Leistungen. Einige empirische Ergebnisse aus dem Schweizer Föderalismus / Inter-jurisdictional Spillover Effects from Central Public Infrastruc," Journal of Economics and Statistics (Jahrbuecher fuer Nationaloekonomie und Statistik), De Gruyter, vol. 223(2), pages 159-175, April.
    15. Holger Kächelein, 2014. "Asymmetric capital tax competition and choice of tax rate," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 21(1), pages 50-65, February.
    16. Lars P Feld, 2004. "On Tax Competition: The (Un-)Expected Advantages of Decentralized Fiscal Autonomy," Marburg Working Papers on Economics 200425, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, Department of Economics (Volkswirtschaftliche Abteilung).
    17. Hauptmeier, Sebastian & Mittermaier, Ferdinand & Rincke, Johannes, 2012. "Fiscal competition over taxes and public inputs," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(3), pages 407-419.
    18. Michael Keen, 2002. "The German Tax Reform of 2000," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 9(5), pages 603-621, September.
    19. Maarten Allers & J. Elhorst, 2005. "Tax Mimicking and Yardstick Competition Among Local Governments in the Netherlands," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 12(4), pages 493-513, August.

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