Die Anreizwirkungen des Länderfinanzausgleichs: Reformanspruch und Wirklichkeit

Dieser Beitrag beschäftigt sich mit der Anreizproblematik unterschiedlicher Finanzausgleichssysteme. Zunächst wird der theoretische und empirische Zusammenhanf zwischen föderalen Ausgleichsregeln und Makrogrößen, z.B. dem Wirtschaftswachstum, diskutiert. Daran anschließend wird geprüft, ob mit der Reform im Jahre 2001 tatsächlich der Länderfinanzausgleich anreizfreundlicher ausgestaltet wurde. Schließlich wird eine Perspektive für künftige Reformen entwickelt, mit der die bestehenden Anreizprobleme entschärft werden können

Voluntary Disclosure Programs for Tax Evaders

In this paper, we develop a model that can explain why governments may want to choose to offer a voluntary disclosure program that allows people who withheld taxes to turn themselves in without punishment. We find that such a leniency rule not only increases government revenue when it comes as a surprise, but even when taxpayers anticipate it

The Euro Area Crisis Management Framework – Consequences and Institutional Follow-Ups

The current instruments in the EU to deal with debt and liquidity crises include among others the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) and the European Financial Stabilisation Mechanism (EFSM). Both are temporary in nature (3 years). In terms of an efficient future crisis management framework one has to ask what follows after the EFSF and the EFSM expire in 3 years time. In this vein, this briefing paper addresses the question of the political and economic medium-to long-term consequences of the recent decisions. Moreover, we assess what needs to be done using this window of opportunity of the coming 3 years. Which institutions need to be formalized, into what format, in order to achieve a coherent whole structure? This briefing paper presents and evaluates alternatives as regards the on-going debate on establishing permanent instruments to support the stability of the euro. Among them are the enhancement of the effectiveness of the Stability and Growth Pact combined with the introduction of a European semester and a macroeconomic surveillance and crisis mechanism, fiscal limits hard-coded into each country's legislation in the form of automatic, binding and unchangeable rules and, as the preferred solution, the European Monetary Fund