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Public debt asymmetries: the effect on taxes and spending in the European Union

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  • Krogstrup, Signe

Abstract

The aim of this paper is two-fold: First, assuming public debts are pre-determined and in their steady state in EU countries, the paper investigates the effect of asymmetric debt service obligations on taxes, primary spending and the tax mix in EU countries. Second, it investigates how increased tax competition may change these effects. The impact of debt service on taxes, primary spending and the tax mix is derived in a simple model of tax competition, and the hypotheses derived from the model are tested empirically for a panel of EU countries. Cross- country differences in public debts are found to lead to asymmetries in taxes and primary expenditures across EU countries, with high debt countries having lower expenditures and higher taxes than low debt countries. Capital mobility is found to increase these asymmetries, and trigger cross-country asymmetries in the tax mix of EU countries. JEL Classification: H6, H23, H73, H87, F02

Suggested Citation

  • Krogstrup, Signe, 2002. "Public debt asymmetries: the effect on taxes and spending in the European Union," Working Paper Series 162, European Central Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:ecb:ecbwps:2002162
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    File URL: https://www.ecb.europa.eu//pub/pdf/scpwps/ecbwp162.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Henning Bohn, 1998. "The Behavior of U. S. Public Debt and Deficits," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 113(3), pages 949-963.
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    4. Feldstein, Martin & Horioka, Charles, 1980. "Domestic Saving and International Capital Flows," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 90(358), pages 314-329, June.
    5. Alberto Alesina & Roberto Perotti, 1997. "Fiscal Adjustments in OECD Countries: Composition and Macroeconomic Effects," IMF Staff Papers, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 44(2), pages 210-248, June.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Séverine MENGUY, 2019. "Does public indebtedness constrain or can it favor economic growth? A simple analytical modeling," Bulletin of Applied Economics, Risk Market Journals, vol. 6(2), pages 1-29.
    2. Signe Krogstrup, 2002. "What do Theories of Tax Competition Predict for Capital Taxes in EU Countries? A Review of the Tax Competition Literature," IHEID Working Papers 05-2002, Economics Section, The Graduate Institute of International Studies.
    3. Andrejovská Alena & Mihóková Lucia & Martinková Slavomíra, 2017. "Meta-analysis categorization of EU countries in the context of corporate income tax," Contaduría y Administración, Accounting and Management, vol. 62(3), pages 1001-1018, Julio-Sep.
    4. Mindaugas Butkus & Diana Cibulskiene & Lina Garsviene & Janina Seputiene, 2021. "Empirical Evidence on Factors Conditioning the Turning Point of the Public Debt–Growth Relationship," Economies, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-22, December.
    5. Ateyah Alawneh, 2017. "The Impact of Public Expenditure and Public Debt on Taxes: A Case Study of Jordan," Accounting and Finance Research, Sciedu Press, vol. 6(3), pages 1-10, August.
    6. Oronde Small & Leanora Brown & Gustavo Canavire‐Bacarreza, 2020. "The Fiscal Policy Response To Public Debt In Developing Countries," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 38(1), pages 155-165, January.
    7. Souleymane COULIBALY, 2008. "Empirical Assessment of the Existence of Taxable Agglomeration Rents," Cahiers de Recherches Economiques du Département d'économie 08.01, Université de Lausanne, Faculté des HEC, Département d’économie.
    8. Alena Andrejovská & Monika Hudáková, 2016. "Classification of EU Countries in the Context of Corporate Income Tax," Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis, Mendel University Press, vol. 64(5), pages 1699-1708.
    9. Thi Anh Nhu Nguyen & Thi Thuy Huong Luong, 2021. "Fiscal Policy, Institutional Quality, and Public Debt: Evidence from Transition Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-15, September.
    10. Fontana, Giuseppe & Kamara, Mohamed Sheriff Hamid, 2023. "Towards monetary union in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS): Better policy harmonisation and greater intra-trade are needed," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 45(1), pages 58-73.
    11. Imad Jabbouri & Maryem Naili, 2020. "Determinants of Nonperforming Loans in Emerging Markets: Evidence from the MENA Region," Review of Pacific Basin Financial Markets and Policies (RPBFMP), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 22(04), pages 1-33, February.
    12. Felix Kimtai Kiminyei, 2019. "Empirical Investigation on the Relationship among Kenyan Public Debt, Tax Revenue and Government Expenditure," Academic Journal of Economic Studies, Faculty of Finance, Banking and Accountancy Bucharest,"Dimitrie Cantemir" Christian University Bucharest, vol. 5(1), pages 142-159, March.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    asymmetric; European Union; public debt; public finance; tax competition;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H6 - Public Economics - - National Budget, Deficit, and Debt
    • H23 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Externalities; Redistributive Effects; Environmental Taxes and Subsidies
    • H73 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - Interjurisdictional Differentials and Their Effects
    • H87 - Public Economics - - Miscellaneous Issues - - - International Fiscal Issues; International Public Goods
    • F02 - International Economics - - General - - - International Economic Order and Integration

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