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Une taxe nationale de vente doit-elle exempter l’alimentation? Une réponse d’une analyse d’équilibre général dans le cas du Québec

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  • Lefebvre, Pierre

    (Département de science économique, Université du Québec à Montréal)

  • Mayer, Francine

    (Département de science économique, Université du Québec à Montréal)

Abstract

This paper analyses the national retail sales tax reform proposed in the federal government's June 1987 White Paper on Tax Reform using an applied general equilibrium model of the Quebec economy. The model evaluates the welfare effect and the incidence effects in Quebec of replacing both the federal manufacturer's sales tax and the existing provincial retail sales tax with a two-rate national retail sales tax. We consider two scenarios, the first with food exempt and the second with food taxed. The results show that the reform with food taxed increases the efficiency gains. However, the impact on the distribution of the welfare gains (burden) of the sales tax for 28 representative household groups is only slightly modified by the tax treatment of food. It also appears that the effects of sales tax reforms are very sensitive to the export demand conditions of the economy. Cette étude analyse, à l’aide d’un modèle d’équilibre général de l’économie du Québec, le bien-fondé d’exclure l’alimentation de la base de taxation dans le cadre d’une taxe de vente nationale telle que proposée dans le Livre blanc de juin 1987 du ministère des Finances du Canada. Elle évalue, en termes de bien-être et de sa répartition entre 28 ménages représentatifs de la population du Québec, le remplacement des régimes existants de taxes de vente par une taxe nationale selon deux scénarios : en incluant ou excluant l’alimentation de l’assiette fiscale. Il se dégage des résultats que l’élargissement de la base de taxation à l’alimentation accroît l’efficacité économique mais que le fait d’exclure ou non l’alimentation modifie peu la distribution des gains ou des pertes de bien-être. Il ressort aussi que les résultats sont très sensibles aux conditions de demande d’exportations de l’économie.

Suggested Citation

  • Lefebvre, Pierre & Mayer, Francine, 1990. "Une taxe nationale de vente doit-elle exempter l’alimentation? Une réponse d’une analyse d’équilibre général dans le cas du Québec," L'Actualité Economique, Société Canadienne de Science Economique, vol. 66(1), pages 31-49, mars.
    • Handle: RePEc:ris:actuec:v:66:y:1990:i:1:p:31-49
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