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Modernizing the European VAT

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  • Sijbren Cnossen

Abstract

The harmonized European value-added tax (VAT) is anything but a modern consumption tax that taxes all goods and services at a uniform rate. As exemplified by an analysis of the Dutch version, some 60% of the base is exempted, that is, not taxed on output but on inputs. This has serious consequences. The VAT exemptions distort input choices, stimulate uneconomical self-supply, and complicate administration and compliance. The welfare costs of the exemptions can be estimated at one half of one percent of gross domestic product (GDP). Research shows that under an equal yield assumption, the elimination of the exemptions and the introduction of a single rate in conjunction with a reduction in the standard rate should foster economic growth. The Member States of the European Union (EU) should be allowed to replace their defective VATs with a modern version. This would strengthen competitive conditions.

Suggested Citation

  • Sijbren Cnossen, 2020. "Modernizing the European VAT," CESifo Working Paper Series 8279, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_8279
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    File URL: https://www.cesifo.org/DocDL/cesifo1_wp8279.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Keen, Michael & Mintz, Jack, 2004. "The optimal threshold for a value-added tax," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(3-4), pages 559-576, March.
    2. Sijbren Cnossen, 2018. "VAT and agriculture: lessons from Europe," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 25(2), pages 519-551, April.
    3. Sijbren Cnossen, 2011. "A Proposal to Improve the VAT Treatment of Housing in the European Union," Fiscal Studies, Institute for Fiscal Studies, vol. 32(4), pages 455-481, December.
    4. Sijbren Cnossen, 2013. "A proposal to apply the Kiwi-VAT to insurance services in the European Union," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 20(5), pages 867-883, October.
    5. Mr. Santiago Acosta Ormaechea & Atsuyoshi Morozumi, 2019. "The Value Added Tax and Growth: Design Matters," IMF Working Papers 2019/096, International Monetary Fund.
    6. Institute for Fiscal Studies, 2011. "A retrospective evaluation of elements of the EU VAT system," Taxation Studies 0039, Directorate General Taxation and Customs Union, European Commission.
    7. Copenhagen Economics, 2013. "VAT in the Public Sector and Exemptions in the Public Interest," Taxation Studies 0045, Directorate General Taxation and Customs Union, European Commission.
    8. Leon Bettendorf & Sijbren Cnossen, 2015. "The Long Shadow of the European VAT, Exemplified by the Dutch Experience," FinanzArchiv: Public Finance Analysis, Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, vol. 71(1), pages 118-139, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Mahfoudh Hussein Mgammal & Ebrahim Mohammed Al-Matari & Talal Fawzi Alruwaili, 2023. "Value-added-tax rate increases: A comparative study using difference-in-difference with an ARIMA modeling approach," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-17, December.
    2. Santiago Acosta-Ormaechea & Atsuyoshi Morozumi, 2021. "The value-added tax and growth: design matters," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 28(5), pages 1211-1241, October.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    VAT; European Union; exemptions; tax reform; C-efficiency;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H25 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Business Taxes and Subsidies
    • H70 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - General

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