Promoting Growth, Maintaining Progressivity, and Dealing with the Fiscal Crisis

Economists and legislators have proposed many theories and plans for overhauling the corporate tax system (and the U.S. tax system as a whole); however, this Article argues that any viable proposal should begin with the enactment of a value added tax (VAT).As a result of the IRC's unworkably complex corporate section, the United States economy has been hindered by high compliance costs and the loss of business overseas. Overall, a substantial federal VAT is the best option in terms of compliance and administration costs as well as reducing opportunities for federal tax evasion. But merely placing a VAT on top of the existing system would merely send us in reverse by further increasing the variable and substantial fixed costs of administration and compliance. A mere changing of the marginal rates or deduction rules would be insufficient to deal with the systematic problem caused by the yawning federal deficit and the arcane IRC. A VAT rate set too low would impose substantial costs per dollar of additional revenue. Thus, Congress should enact either a federal VAT (15%) capable of significantly reducing the federal deficit or none at all.

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Promoting Growth, Maintaining Progressivity, and Dealing with the Fiscal Crisis

Abstract: Trade-offs between economic efficiency, growth, and distributional equity permeate economics, including discussions of tax policy and tax reform. Computable general equilibrium (CGE) modeling is one tool that is often used to estimate the magnitudes of the variables that determine the

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References 30 publications

The effect of VATs on government balance sheets

The effect of VATs on government balance sheets

Tax Reform Consequent upon an Embedded Single-Rate Vat Just Might Prevent Injustice While Revivifying a Geriatric Uncle Sam

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