Harnessing Market Competition in PPP Procurement: The Importance of Periodically Taking a Strategic View

Public‐Private Partnerships (PPP) procurement is routinely portrayed as offering greater scope for harnessing competitive market forces to secure Value for Money (VfM) than traditional procurement approaches ( OECD 2008 ). The aim of this article is (a) to demonstrate the importance of periodically taking a more systematic and strategic view when assessing VfM in PPP procurement ( OGC 2003 ), and (b) to develop an analytical framework for such an analysis. Road infrastructure procurement in South East Queensland is used as a case study to test the usefulness of the proposed framework, and to show how a narrow focus on individual contracts increases the risk of overlooking overdependence on one supplier ( OGC 2003 ). Discussion focuses on the need to combine detailed analysis of individual contracts with longitudinal analyses of market competitiveness when assessing best VfM.     

从偷税罪到逃税罪的立法演变分析

偷税罪在我国的刑事立法中经历了一个从无到有,由抽象、笼统、单一、欠缺到具体、明确、科学、完善的历史发展过程。《刑法修正案(七)》对刑法典第201条规定的偷税罪从行为方式、构罪标准、法定刑等多方面进行了重大修改,并实行有条件的初犯补税免罪机制。同时,罪名也被修改为逃税罪。     

Now you're tax-exempt,now you're not: Property taxation of assisted living facilities

This research is motivated by a change in Florida that affected assisted living facilities (ALFs) by removing the property tax exemptions for those operated by nonprofit organizations. As such, this paper addresses two research questions: (1) Are there systematic differences between Florida's for-profit- and nonprofit-designated ALFs in terms of operations and service provision? (2) What was the impact, if any, of losing and regaining their property tax exemptions on the operations of Florida's nonprofit ALFs? We use data from the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration to conduct difference of means testing for-profit versus nonprofit ALFs, as well as annual financial data of each ALF property owners' IRS Form 990 from the National Center for Charitable Statistics Core Files and parcel-level property data from the state of Florida to conduct regression analysis using three different dependent variables measuring various components of nonprofit ALF operations. We find that nonprofit ALFs have greater legitimacy in service delivery than for-profits, as nonprofit ALFs have higher service capacity, quality, and variety than for-profit ALFs in Florida. In addition, property tax exemptions for nonprofit ALFs in Florida decrease total expenses and increase officer compensation.     

Modelling the determinants of electronic tax filing services’ continuance usage intention

The success of electronic filing services largely depends on their continuance usage. This study examines the factors affecting the continuance usage intention of the online tax filing services in Mauritius. An integrated model comprising Trust Theory and Information System Success Model (ISSM) is applied to assess the continuance usage behaviour of e-filing systems. The model has been extended by adding two additional variables: Perceived Usefulness and Perceived Risk. The model was tested using a sample of 315 users of e-filing services in Mauritius. A structural equation modelling technique using partial least square structural equation modelling verified the hypotheses. The results reveal that the continuance usage intention of an electronic tax filing system is influenced by Perceived Usefulness, User Satisfaction, and Service Quality. However, Perceived Risk does not influence the continuance usage intention of e-filing systems since the importance of Perceived Risk diminishes as trust in the e-service provider increases. The theoretical and practical implications derived from the findings of this study are also discussed. This paper makes several contributions to the literature on electronic tax filing systems.     

China's new regulatory regime tailored for the sharing economy: The case of Uber under Chinese local government regulation in comparison to the EU,US, and the UK

Although Uber's arrival in China has resulted in disruptive competition for incumbent taxi companies, it offers an attractive alternative in China's supply-demand-imbalanced urban passenger transport system. China's regulatory regime for Uber has evolved in three stages: from the regulatory vacuum prior to 2015 to its official legalization in 2015–2016, and the enactment of numerous local regulations in 2016, with specific and more demanding requirements for Uber. This policy is a part of the Chinese approach to the gradual liberalization of the urban passenger transport market. Policymakers should consider ‘fair competition’ as the guiding principle to balance the interests of sharing firms and incumbent service providers, as well as between different sharing firms. The core value of this principle lies in the benefits it provides for consumers and the way it engenders a pro-competitive market environment. The labor protection arrangements for sharing firms’ laborers should be more flexible and diversified. In order to recognize whether an Uber-Driver is an employee or independent contractor, a new standard taking into account a range of factors should be established through collective negotiations between the participants of the sharing economy, and dialogues between members of the judiciary, academics, and the policymakers. Further, consumer protection law and personal data protection provisions should apply when sharing firms misuse their distinctive algorithmic management model to compete unfairly to the detriment of consumers and other users. Ex ante regulatory measures designed to protect the personal data of users should be introduced for deployment in the context of the sharing economy. When enforcing these rules, a balance should be struck ensuring free data flow that is essential to sharing firms’ innovation and competition, and the need to ensure the level of data security required to underpin a well-functioning sharing society.     

The Competition–Violence Hypothesis: Sex,Marriage, and Male Aggression

Sexually active men, who are not in a monogamous relationship, may be at a greater risk for violence than men who are sexually active within monogamous relationships and men who are not sexually active. The current study examines changes in sexual behavior and violence in adolescence to early adulthood. Data on male (n = 4,597) and female (n = 5,523) respondents were drawn from four waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent and Adult Health (Add Health). HLM regression models indicate that men who transition to a monogamous, or less competitive, mode of sexual behavior (fewer partners since last wave), reduce their risk for violence. The same results were not replicated for females. Further, results were not accounted for by marital status or other more readily accepted explanations of violence. Findings suggest that competition for sex be further examined as a potential cause of male violence.     

试述物业税的开征与房地产税制改革

开征物业税是启动新一轮税制改革的重要信号。物业税的开征 ,关乎千家万户的切身利益 ,备受瞩目。本文拟从回溯房地产税制的历史变迁着手 ,检讨房地产税制的现状 ,并通过剖析物业税开征的原因及弊端 ,揭示物业税的应有内涵     

论高校学报策划工作

在新形势下,高校学报要尽快转变观念,积极面向市场,着力强化策划工作。高校学报策划,要从定位、栏目、选题、组稿、版式、发行等环节着手,以赢得办刊工作的主动性,提高刊物的市场竞争能力。     

试析全国工人运动会竞赛制度的建立及竞赛定位

全国工人运动会应该形成固定的赛会届制制度,间隔5—6年举办;建立相应的组织机构,加强对职工体育工作的组织领导和政策法规的建设;发挥工运会于社会转型期对职工体育活动全面发展的推动、引导作用。工运会设项、立项以传统项目和推介项目相结合,面向基层,从实际出发,将竞赛定位在“普及”的层面上。     

税收法律行为初论

与税收法律关系同样都为税法学的基本范畴 ,但税收法律行为的研究在传统税法学理论中却付之阙如 ,本文即对此作出了探索性的研究。本文首先界定了税收法律行为的概念 ,并确定了其较为重要的种类划分 ;然后 ,通过对税收法律行为与行政法律行为以及私法法律行为之间关系的分析 ,明确了税收法律行为的公、私法交融的性质特征 ,并着重以契约行为为例加以进一步的说明 ;最终 ,将税收法律行为与税法上的事实行为一起 ,初步构建了税法上行为的体系。