Federal Tax Competition and the Efficiency Consequences for Local Taxation of Revenue Equalization

Recent work has shown that a system of equalization grants can limit tax competition among lower-level governments. The structure of such models, however, does not allow for the federal to be an active player but its role is being limited in the administration of the equalization grants. The implication of this is that potentially important, for the efficiency properties of lower-level government taxation, vertical fiscal externalities are ignored. This paper introduces equalization grants into a standard federal capital tax competition model in which fiscal externalities arise not only horizontally, between jurisdictions, but also vertically between the levels of government. It is shown that, even in the presence of vertical fiscal inefficiencies, efficiency in the level of lower-level government taxation can be achieved by a modifying version of a standard equalization grant formula.Federal tax competition; fiscal externalities; equalization grants

POLICY INNOVATION IN FEDERAL SYSTEMS

Conventional wisdom has it that policy innovation is better promoted in a federal rather than in a unitary system. Recent research, however, has provided theoretical evidence to the contrary: a multi-jurisdictional system is characterized---due to the existence of a horizontal information externality---by under-provision of policy innovation. This paper presents a simple model that introduces political competition for federal office. Under such competition political actors use the innovative policies in order to signal ability to the electorate. In the equilibrium analyzed policy innovation occurs more frequently than in a unitary system. It is thus shown that, once electoral motives are accounted for, the conventional wisdom is validated.Fiscal federalism; policy innovation; policy experimentation.

Ad Valorem Taxes and the Fiscal Gap in Federations

This paper investigates the implications of vertical fiscal externalities for the optimal federal tax and the sign of fiscal gap in the presence of ad valorem taxation. It is shown that the federal government can always achieve the second-best optimum for public good provision. The sign of the fiscal gap is, in general, ambiguous. The consequence of this is that a precise evaluation of the fiscal gap requires an explicit consideration of the underlying fundamentals of the federal economy.Ad valorem taxes; fiscal gap; externalities; fiscal federalism

On the Incentives to Experiment in Federations

Conventional wisdom has it that policy innovation is better promoted in a federal rather than in a unitary system. Recent research, however, has provided theoretical evidence to the contrary: a multi-jurisdictional system is characterized—due to the existence of a horizontal information externality—by under-provision of policy innovation. This paper presents a simple model that introduces political competition for federal o?ce and emphasizes that such competition plays an important role in shaping the incentives for experimentation. For, in this case, political actors use the innovative policies to signal ability to the electorate. This e?ect may o?set the e?ect that arises from the incentive to free ride, and so a federal system may generate more innovation than a unitary one.Fiscal federalism; policy innovation; policy experimentation.

Coordinating Climate and Trade Policies: Pareto Efficiency and the Role of Border Tax Adjustments

This paper explores the role of trade instruments in globally efficient climate policies, focusing on the central issue of whether border tax adjustment (BTA) is warranted when carbon prices differ internationally. It shows that tariff policy has a role in easing cross-country distributional concerns that can make non-uniform carbon pricing efficient, and that Pareto-efficiency requires a form of BTA when carbon taxes in some countries are constrained, a special case being identified in which this has the simple structure envisaged in practical policy discussion. It also stresses—a point that has been overlooked in the policy debate—that the case for BTA depends critically on whether climate policies are pursued by carbon taxation or by cap-and-trade.Environmental taxation; cap-and-trade; international trade; Pareto efficiency; border tax adjustments.

Public Goods and Tax Competition in a Two-Sided Market

A rather neglected issue in the tax competition literature is the dependence of equilibrium outcomes on the presence of firms and shoppers (two-sided markets). Making use of a model of vertical and horizontal differentiation, within which jurisdictions compete by providing public goods and levying taxes in order to attract firms and shoppers, this paper characterizes the non-cooperative equilibrium. It also evaluates the welfare implications for the jurisdictions of a popular policy of tax coordination: The imposition of a minimum tax. It is shown that the interaction of the two markets affects the intensity of tax competition and the degree of optimal vertical differentiation chosen by the competing jurisdictions. Though the non-cooperative equilibrium is, as it is typically the case, inefficient such inefficiency is mitigated by the strength of the interaction in the two markets. A minimum tax policy is shown to be effective when the strength of the interaction is weak and ineffective when it is strong.Public goods; Tax competition; Two-Sided Market; Vertical Differentiation

Coordinating Climate and Trade Policies: Pareto Efficiency and the Role of Border Tax Adjustments

This paper explores the role of trade instruments in globally efficient climate policies, focusing on the central issue of whether border tax adjustment (BTA) is warranted when carbon prices differ internationally. It shows that tariff policy has a role in easing cross-country distributional concerns that can make non-uniform carbon pricing efficient, and that Pareto-efficiency requires a form of BTA when carbon taxes in some countries are constrained, a special case being identified in which this has the simple structure envisaged in practical policy discussion. It also stresses - a point that has been overlooked in the policy debate - that the case for BTA depends critically on whether climate policies are pursued by carbon taxation or by cap-and-tradeenvironmental taxation, cap-and-trade, international trade, Pareto efficiency, border tax adjustments

Political Uncertainty and Policy Innovation

Conventional wisdom has it that outside sources of information enhance the capability of political institutions to separate selfish from benevolent incumbents. This paper investigates, in the presence of innovative public policies whose outcomes are uncertain, the role of outside information and shows that it is more involved than typically thought. While it is true that enhanced information helps in separating politicians, it also creates an externality that reduces the incentives to experiment with innovative public policies.Policy uncertainty; Political uncertainty; Fiscal federalism;Policy innovation; Experimentation.

Fiscal Equalization and Yardstick Competition

A multi-jurisdictional system is thought to improve, through yardstick competition, accountability. At the same time equalization programs, a common feature of multijurisdictional systems, are thought to be a prerequisite for both efficiency of the internal market and the equity objective of the equal treatment of equals. This paper shows that such programs, by reducing the information context of comparisons across jurisdictions, introduce perverse fiscal incentives and thus reduce accountability. The consequence of this is that equilibrium rent-taking increases with the intensity of equalization transfers.Equalization transfer programs; fiscal capacity; rent-seeking; fiscal federalism

Fiscal Equalization and Yardstick Competition

A multi-jurisdictional system is thought to improve, through yardstick competition, accountability. At the same time equalization programs, a common feature of multi-jurisdictional systems, are thought to be a prerequisite for both efficiency of the internal market and the equity objective of the equal treatment of equals. This paper shows that such programs, by reducing the information context of comparisons across jurisdictions, introduce perverse fiscal incentives and thus reduce accountability. The consequence of this is that equilibrium rent-taking increases with the intensity of equalization transfers.equalization transfer programs, fiscal capacity, rent-seeking, fiscal federalism