Selected issues of personal income taxation harmonization

In the process of furthering EU integration little attention was given to the role of income taxes. Multiple income tax systems exist across the Union and their differentiation negatively impacts the European labor market, investments and savings, inhibiting economic growth. Individual nations have little motivation to harmonize as they can engage in tax rate competition and income taxes are interwoven with social security systems that make any attempts at reform extremely complex and politically unpopular. Much of current harmonization is silent”, paralegal, and occurs in response to market forces rather than following a formal plan and through intergovernmental cooperation

CHANGE OF THE ORGANISATIONAL AND LEGAL FORM OF INDEPENDENT PUBLIC HEALTHCARE CENTRES (SPZOZ) AND CONSEQUENCES FOR FINANCING HEALTHCARE ENTITY ACTIVITIES

Local government units (LGU) are nowadays facing the very difficult and complicated task of making reasonable decisions regarding the transforming of SPZOZs into capital companies. First, it seems necessary to carry out a simulation of costs and advantages of the assumed models and solutions together with an analysis of advantages and disadvantages of the new legal and organisational forms. The aim of this paper is to assess whether the process of transforming SPZOZs into capital companies is purposeful and reasonable, and to define a way to prepare hospitals for functioning in an altered legislative environment. The paper draws attention to the fact that transformation itself does not guarantee that the results achieved by the given entity will automatically improve. The transformation can bring financial advantages for the newly created company and the local government, from the subsidies and remissions in accordance with art. 197 of the act on medical activity. Yet the conditions for getting such help are quite restrictive and not in every situation can financial help from the central budget be counted on. Such aid could help improve the financial standing of a hospital considerably. Also, it must be remembered that a hospital transformed into a capital company acquires the capacity to go bankrupt. If the new entity generates a loss, it may result in the owner having to raise the initial capital in order to avoid filing a bankruptcy petition by the company. In practice, the financial consequences for the local government are the same as in the case of having to cover losses. The difference lies in the continuity of the provided medical services

Income taxation versus mangerial decisions

Taking rational decisions in a company, both current and strategic, requires knowing and taking into consideration the external conditions of the conducted activity. The accuracy of decisions made, as well as the ability to adjust to a changing external environment determines not only the effectiveness of the enterprise's operations, but also its ability to conduct further activity. The paper aims at demonstrating the influence of income tax on the activity of economic entities and also on the decisions taken by management. The article is composed of three complementary sections. The first one - the introduction - is an attempt at outlining the subject framework for the article and demonstrating potential areas in which the tax system affects the economy and the associated consequences. The second part provides an empirical analysis presenting possible variants (simulations) of declaring income and related management decisions taken in various time horizons and boundary conditions, reflecting the criteria of a resident. The third part of the paper comprises conclusions based on the results of conducted simulations, related to the influence of the income tax construction on financial decisions taken by enterprises and related consequences

Sorption of organic compounds by organo-zeolites

Organic compounds such as BTEX and PAHs are one of the most common contaminants in water system. These contaminants would take decades to degrade and they have harmful effects on human health (Qin et al., 2008). Several treatment methods have been developed to remove those contaminants from industrial wastewater. They include ion-exchange, filtration, adsorption and the use of various types of sorbents for example zeolites (Kibazohi et al., 2004; Mathur et al., 2007; Aivaliotiet al., 2012; Almeida et al. 2012). Natural clinoptilolite (Cp) from the Bystré deposit in Slovakia and zeolite Na-X synthesized from fly ash has been modified with a hexadecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (HDTMA) in amounts of 1.0 and 2.0 of external cation exchange capacity (ECEC) of the zeolites (Szala et al., 2013). The sorption properties of unmodified zeolites and organo-zeolites in terms of aqueous solutions of benzene, ethylobenzene, toluene, p-xylene (BTEX) and their mixtures as well as anthracene, naphthalene, benzo[a]pyrene, dibenzo[a,h]anthracene (PAHs) and their mixtures at different concentrations were evaluated. The results showed that the modification of the zeolite Na-X  and Cp with HDTMA improves the sorption properties. Modification in the amount of 1.0 ECEC proved to be the best in terms of p-xylene, anthracene, naphthalene, benzo[a]pyrene, dibenzo[a,h]anthracene. On the other hand benzene, ethylobenzene and toluene were adsorbed the most effectively by 2.0 ECEC modification of Na-X and Cp. Based on experimental data, the removal efficiencies for BTEX follows the order: p-xylene > toluene > benzene > ethylobenzene, for POHs: dibenzo[a,h]anthracene > benzo[a]pyrene > anthracene > naphthalene. P-xylene and naphtalene were adsorbed in the greatest quantity and benzene and anthracene in the lowest quantity from the mixtures of BTEX and PAHs, respectively. The sorption efficiency depends on the physicochemical properties of the organic compounds (dipole moment, molar mass, molecule structure and the time of the sorption process) as well as natural Cp and synthetic zeolite Na-X properties, such as Si/Al ratio, texture parameters and external cation exchange capacity. With an increasing concentration of the hydrocarbons in the solution the sorption capacity increases (Szala et al., 2015). Natural Cp is a better sorbent than synthetic zeolite Na-X in case of BTEX sorption, while PAHs are adsorbed more effectively by zeolite Na-X and its modifications. The mechanism of the sorption consists on the dissolving of the organic compounds into the organic layer of the surfactant (on the zeolites’ surface) as well as on the organic compounds’ penetration into the mesopores

Fertility of immigrants and non-immigrants in the United States

The paper deals with fertility determinants in the populations of immigrants and nonimmigrants in the United States. We consider determinants as follows: age, marital status, education, religion, and race and Hispanic origin. The analyses show that a relation between fertility and place of birth was statistically significant in both populations, women and men. We prove that migration is a major source of variation in fertility between immigrants and non-immigrants, which may lead to the postponement of maternity or marriage. Finally, we find that a duration of residence is positively correlated with fertility among US immigrants

Planning and forecasting customs revenues to the state budget : a case study of Ukraine

PURPOSE: The paper aims at the studying of the planning and forecasting process, as well as the formation of a dynamic model of customs revenues to the state budget on the example of Ukraine.DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The methodology of the regression data analysis was used to assess the receipt of customs payments to the budget. The parameters of the regression models are selected by the Least Squares Method. To assess the significance of the regression parameters, their variances and the covariance matrix, the diagonal elements of which are the variance parameters, are calculated. Along with the linear and power model, the Brandon model is considered. The adequacy of the model for forecasting customs revenues was assessed using the coefficient of determination.FINDINGS: Factor analysis by the method of main components allowed us to conclude that the size of tax revenues to the state budget is most influenced by two main components, monetary and macroeconomic. Multifactor regression analysis and multiple processing of statistical data resulted in finding that it is the volume of imports and the national currency that have the greatest impact on the amount of taxes and fees to the state budget. Inflationary processes are not significant, but still affect the amount of tax revenues to the state budget, which makes it possible to increase the accumulation of taxes and fees to the budget by raising prices.PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Experiments on forecasting the receipt of taxes and fees to the budget using a dynamic model confirmed its good predictive properties and enabled us to recommend the application of the proposed dynamic model in the practice of customs and tax authorities in their planning of tax proceeds to the state budget.ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The results of the study reflect the applicability and effectiveness of the proposed dynamic model. Consequently, the dynamic model of planning and forecasting the customs revenues to the budget may constitute an alternative to the existing models.peer-reviewe

Individual debt ratio as a way of assessing the financial conditions of local government units

PURPOSE: The aim of the study is to analyze existing methodological approaches and developments used to assess the financial condition.DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The methodology was based on the methods of analysis and logical construction, the basics of descriptive statistics (to determine the phenomenon of debt), as well as the basic approach typical of the heuristic method.FINDINGS: Despite the development of methods of assessing the financial condition, practice very often confirms that the primary direction of assessing the financial condition is the ability to absorb debt. This approach forces a search for an answer to the question, can the individual debt ratio (IWZ) be a measure that answers the question about the financial condition of local government units?PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The IDR applied in Poland seems to be an effective instrument for controlling the debt of local government units. The structure of this indicator allows, on the one hand, systemic control of the debt of the entire public finance sector, and, on the other hand, it is flexibly adapted to the specificity and level of affluence of a given entity. Therefore, it is worth promoting such solutions in individual European Union countries as an effective tool for limiting LGU's uncontrolled debt.ORIGINALITY/VALUE: Results of the study reflect that IDR concerns the possibility of debt service, but it cannot be a measure of financial condition, because in local government units there are liabilities not only classified as debt obligations. The omission of these obligations and their impact on the financial condition makes the information value of IDR imperfect and incomplete. It is difficult to indicate the optimal solution that would fully reflect the current financial condition. It is possible as well as from the point of view of additional workloads, difficult to implement in practice.peer-reviewe