IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/psl/bnlqrr/199735.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The measurement of 'fiscal burden' on GDP instead than on national net value added produced: a chapter in fiscal illusion

Author

Listed:
  • F. FORTE

    (Universita' degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza")

Abstract

The work calls attention to a major macroeconomic fiscal illusion: that arising from the current official practice of expressing the main fiscal indicators, and particularly the tax burden, as a percentage of GDP rather than NDPF (Net Domestic Product at Factor Costs). This methodology causes a systematic undervaluation of the tax burden, by something between 25% (Sweden and Austria) and 15% (Switzerland). Correctly measured, the tax burden in most European countries is above 50% and in the Nordic countries above 65%, or close to it! Thus, tax payers are deceived about the true cost and size of the public economy. GDP’s origin and widespread adoption is examined as well as the development of the notion of national income adopted to assess the tax burden.

Suggested Citation

  • F. Forte, 1997. "The measurement of 'fiscal burden' on GDP instead than on national net value added produced: a chapter in fiscal illusion," Banca Nazionale del Lavoro Quarterly Review, Banca Nazionale del Lavoro, vol. 50(202), pages 337-375.
    • Handle: RePEc:psl:bnlqrr:1997:35
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://ojs.uniroma1.it/index.php/PSLQuarterlyReview/article/view/10582/10466
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Bergstrom, Theodore C & Goodman, Robert P, 1973. "Private Demands for Public Goods," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 63(3), pages 280-296, June.
    2. Michael A. Nelson, 1986. "Voter Perceptions of the Cost of Government: the Case of Local School Expenditures in Louisiana," Public Finance Review, , vol. 14(1), pages 48-68, January.
    3. Richard Wagner, 1976. "Revenue structure, fiscal illusion, and budgetary choice," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 25(1), pages 45-61, March.
    4. Richard Stone, 1951. "Functions And Criteria Of A System Of Social Accounting," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 1(1), pages 1-74, March.
    5. M. A. Copeland, 1937. "Concepts of National Income," NBER Chapters, in: Studies in Income and Wealth, Volume 1, pages 2-63, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    6. Heyndels, Bruno & Smolders, Carine, 1994. "Fiscal Illusion at the Local Level: Empirical Evidence for the Flemish Municipalities," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 80(3-4), pages 325-338, September.
    7. Francesco Forte & James M. Buchanan, 1961. "The Evaluation of Public Services," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 69(2), pages 107-107.
    8. Werner W. Pommerehne & Friedrich Schneider*, 1978. "Fiscal Illusion, Political Institutions, And Local Public Spending," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(3), pages 381-408, August.
    9. Walter Misiolek & Harold Elder, 1988. "Tax structure and the size of government: An empirical analysis of the fiscal illusion and fiscal stress arguments," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 57(3), pages 233-245, June.
    10. Michael Marlow, 1986. "Private sector shrinkage and the growth of industrialized economies," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 49(2), pages 143-154, January.
    11. William Hunter & Charles Scott, 1987. "Statutory changes in state income taxes: An indirect test of fiscal illusion," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 53(1), pages 41-51, January.
    12. repec:bla:revinw:v:19:y:1973:i:2:p:143-66 is not listed on IDEAS
    13. Dollery, Brian E & Worthington, Andrew C, 1996. "The Empirical Analysis of Fiscal Illusion," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 10(3), pages 261-297, September.
    14. Ram, Rati, 1986. "Government Size and Economic Growth: A New Framework and Some Evidencefrom Cross-Section and Time-Series Data," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 76(1), pages 191-203, March.
    15. Edgar Peden & Michael Bradley, 1989. "Government size, productivity, and economic growth: The post-war experience," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 61(3), pages 229-245, June.
    16. Gerhard Colm, 1951. "Experiences In The Use Of Social Accounting In Public Policy In The United States," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 1(1), pages 75-97, March.
    17. Gerhard Colm, 1937. "Public Revenue and Public Expenditure in National Income," NBER Chapters, in: Studies in Income and Wealth, Volume 1, pages 174-248, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    18. Laws, 1951. "The International Association For Research In Income And Wealth," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 1(1), pages 295-297, March.
    19. Charles H. Breeden & William J. Hunter, 1985. "Tax Revenue and Tax Structure," Public Finance Review, , vol. 13(2), pages 216-224, April.
    20. Jorge Martinez- Vazquez, 1983. "Renters' Illusion or Savvy?," Public Finance Review, , vol. 11(2), pages 237-247, April.
    21. Clark Warburton, 1937. "Accounting Methodology in the Measurement of National Income," NBER Chapters, in: Studies in Income and Wealth, Volume 1, pages 64-110, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    22. Gerald Scully, 1989. "The size of the state, economic growth and the efficient utilization of national resources," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 63(2), pages 149-164, November.
    23. Samuel H. Baker, 1983. "The Determinants of Median Voter Tax Liability: an Empirical Test of the Fiscal Illusion Hypothesis," Public Finance Review, , vol. 11(1), pages 95-108, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Roberto Dell'Anno & Morena De Stefano, 2014. "Un indicatore sintetico dell?Illusione Finanziaria. Un tentativo di stima per l?Italia," ECONOMIA PUBBLICA, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2014(1), pages 65-92.
    2. Walter Misiolek & Harold Elder, 1988. "Tax structure and the size of government: An empirical analysis of the fiscal illusion and fiscal stress arguments," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 57(3), pages 233-245, June.
    3. Haug, Peter, 2009. "Shadow Budgets, Fiscal Illusion and Municipal Spending: The Case of Germany," IWH Discussion Papers 9/2009, Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH).
    4. Brian Dollery & Andrew Worthington, 1999. "Fiscal Illusion at the Local Level: An Empirical Test Using Australian Municipal Data," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 75(1), pages 37-48, March.
    5. Facchini, François & Melki, Mickaël, 2013. "Efficient government size: France in the 20th century," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 1-14.
    6. Yongzheng Liu & Haibo Feng, 2015. "Tax structure and corruption: cross-country evidence," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 162(1), pages 57-78, January.
    7. Roberto Dell'Anno & Vincenzo Maria De Rosa, 2013. "The Relevance of the Theory of Fiscal Illusion. The Case of the Italian Tax System," HISTORY OF ECONOMIC THOUGHT AND POLICY, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2013(2), pages 63-92.
    8. Musharraf Cyan & Jorge Martinez-Vazquez & VIoleta Vulovic, 2013. "Measuring tax effort: Does the estimation approach matter and should effort be linked to expenditure goals?," International Center for Public Policy Working Paper Series, at AYSPS, GSU paper1308, International Center for Public Policy, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University.
    9. Taeseop Yoon & Junseop Shim, 2016. "An empirical analysis of the fiscal impacts of changes in tax revenue multiplicity: Focusing on Florida county case," International Review of Public Administration, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(1), pages 21-36, January.
    10. Facchini, François & Melki, Mickaël, 2013. "Efficient government size: France in the 20th century," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 1-14.
    11. Martin Baekgaard & Søren Serritzlew & Jens Blom-Hansen, 2016. "Causes of Fiscal Illusion: Lack of Information or Lack of Attention?," Public Budgeting & Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(2), pages 26-44, June.
    12. Csontos, László, 1995. "Fiskális illúziók, döntéselmélet és az államháztartási rendszer reformja [Fiscal illusions, decision theory, and public sector reform]," Közgazdasági Szemle (Economic Review - monthly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), Közgazdasági Szemle Alapítvány (Economic Review Foundation), vol. 0(12), pages 1118-1135.
    13. Brunner, Eric J. & Ross, Stephen L. & Simonsen, Becky K., 2015. "Homeowners, renters and the political economy of property taxation," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 38-49.
    14. Jens Blom-Hansen, 2005. "Renter Illusion: Fact or Fiction?," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 42(1), pages 127-140, January.
    15. Andrew Abbott & Philip Jones, 2016. "Fiscal Illusion and Cyclical Government Expenditure: State Government Expenditure in the United States," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 63(2), pages 177-193, May.
    16. Gemmell, Norman & Morrissey, Oliver & Pinar, Abuzer, 1999. "Fiscal illusion and the demand for government expenditures in the UK," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 15(4), pages 687-704, November.
    17. Hotak, Nematullah & Kaneko, Shinji, 2022. "Fiscal illusion of the stated preferences of government officials regarding interministerial policy packages: A case study on child labor in Afghanistan," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 285-298.
    18. Ankie Scott-Joseph, 2022. "Debt financing and fiscal illusion: evidence from Caribbean states," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 2(9), pages 1-25, September.
    19. Michael Marlow & David Joulfaian, 1989. "The determinants of off-budget activity of state and local governments," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 63(2), pages 113-123, November.
    20. Sefa Awaworyi Churchill & Mehmet Ugur & Siew Ling Yew, 2017. "Does Government Size Affect Per-Capita Income Growth? A Hierarchical Meta-Regression Analysis," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 93(300), pages 142-171, March.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    GDP; National Net Value Added Produced; Tax burden; Public economy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H20 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - General
    • H21 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Efficiency; Optimal Taxation

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:psl:bnlqrr:1997:35. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Carlo D'Ippoliti (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.economiacivile.it .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.