Theory of Equitable Taxation : Normative Foundation and Distributive Consequences of Income Taxation /

This study offers a theoretical discussion of equity and efficiency aspects of income taxation. The analysis is carried out on two levels. The first one concerns the axiomatic derivation of certain tax principles in the framework of social choice theory. Normative characterizations of the two most f...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Brunner, Johann Kurt
Corporate Author: SpringerLink (Online service)
Format: eBook
Language:English
Published: Berlin, Heidelberg : Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 1989.
Series:Studies in contemporary economics.
Subjects:
Online Access:Connect to the full text of this electronic book
Description
Summary:This study offers a theoretical discussion of equity and efficiency aspects of income taxation. The analysis is carried out on two levels. The first one concerns the axiomatic derivation of certain tax principles in the framework of social choice theory. Normative characterizations of the two most familiar principles of the social-welfare-functional approach, namely the utilitarian objective and maximin, are contrasted with characterizations of the principle of equal proportional sacrifice (which may be regarded as the most widely accepted version of the ability-to-pay principle) and of the (formal-democratic) rule of majority voting. As a special case, the outcome of majority voting when individuals have non-egoistic preferences is discussed. On the second level, two specific models are introduced in order to analyze, by methods of optimal-taxation theory, the implications of the tax principles for the distribution of income (or taxes, resp.). Fixed individual incomes are assumed in the first model, while the second one incorporates a free individual labour-leisure choice. Within these models, the distributive consequences of the respective principles are investigated systematically, comparing the results for an optimum lump-sum tax with the more realistic case of linear and nonlinear income taxes.
Item Description:Electronic resource.
Physical Description:1 online resource (viii, 217 pages)
ISBN:9783642838620 (electronic bk.)
3642838626 (electronic bk.)
ISSN:1431-8806