SMEs and the tax system: What is so different about them?

Klein- und Mittelunternehmen, Mittelstandspolitik, Steuerpolitik, Betriebsgröße, Besteuerungsgrundsatz, Steuermoral, Verwaltungskosten, EU-Staaten, Small and medium-sized enterprises, Small business policy, Tax policy, Firm size, Taxation principle, Tax compliance, Administrative costs, EU countries

Départ à la retraite. Une perspective internationale

Des différences internationales importantes persistent quant au taux d'activité des travailleurs âgés et à l'âge du départ à la retraite. Tandis que certains pays d'Europe continentale sont caractérisés par des taux d'activités relativement faibles, d'autres pays développés ne connaissent pas cette tendance. Nous illustrons le rôle important joué par les décisions individuelles dans le contexte du départ à la retraite.

Public Pension Reform: A Primer

The present paper reviews key issues in pension design and pension reform encountered all across the world. The paper heavily refers to the recent U.S. Social Security reform debate in general and to the Personal Retirement Accounts proposal in particular. A particular emphasis is put on annuitization and risk-taking in the economy. Our discussion signals some inadequacy of the proposed measures with respect to the goals of viability of the system and individual financial security during retirement

Older men’s labor force participation in Belgium

peer reviewedWe provide an overview of the institutional framework in Belgium that is of relevance for labor market participation and retirement decision at older ages. We then describe key labor market indicators using data from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) over the period 1983-2013 and also present trends in participation in (early-) retirement routes. Next, we explore how the types of jobs in the country have changed over time, both in terms of their “quality” and the “quantity” of work involved.EMPO

Disability in Belgium: there is more than meets the eye

The paper provides a perspective on the development of the Belgian disability insurance system. Using both survey and administrative data, it sketches a picture of the (changing) factors leading towards disability, as well as the outcomes in terms of program participation. The paper shows the key role of integrating other forms of early retirement programs into the analysis. The main findings are an unspectacular trend in the number of DI beneficiaries over time combined with a strong expansion of (early-) retirement schemes.

Statutory, effective, and optimal net tax schedules in Lithuania

We estimate effective and optimal net income tax schedules and compare them to the estimated statutory rates for the case of Lithuania for the period 2014-2015. Values of effective net tax rates are estimated from the survey of EU Statistics on Income and Living Conditions; the statutory net tax rates are estimated with the European tax-benefit simulator EUROMOD, whereas optimal net taxes are calculated via Saez (2002) methodology. We find that the three net tax schedules are similar for employees in the middle of the income distribution. At the bottom of the income distribution, optimal net tax schedules suggest higher in-work benefits. The net tax schedules diverge substantially for the self-employed. At the top of the income distribution, where the majority of self-employed are concentrated, the self-employed are required to pay 15 cents less net taxes per Euro than employees - and they effectively pay 29 cents less

Micro-Simulation of Social Security Reforms in Belgium

The present paper analyzes the budgetary impact of various Social Security reforms in the Belgian institutional setting. Our approach relies on parameters that were derived in Dellis et alii (2002) using a micro-modeling strategy. focusing our attention on a hypothetical age cohort, we illustrate the budgetary impact that the reforms considered might have on the budget of the federal government.