The Tax Reform Agenda in Australia

This paper applies concepts developed in the Policy Agendas Project (PAP) literature to an analysis of Australian tax policy over the post war period. It argues that a major turning point in the Australian tax policy agenda occurred during the second term of the Hawke Government (1984‐87). Beyond this turning point, and despite the fierce partisan conflict concerning tax policy over the past two decades, there has been remarkaly little difference between Australia's two major parties at the level of substantive policy content. The Australian tax policy agenda over the post war period can be characterised by remarkable policy continuity punctuated by a period of change in the mid 1980s when structural change in the international political economy precipitated unprecedented domestic liberalisation.     

How does intergovernmental fiscal environment affect general fund balances of major American cities?

This study explores the extent to which intergovernmental fiscal factors affect fiscal reserves in municipal general funds. Statistical results from panel data of 87 major cities in the US for the period from 1995 to 2010 show that cities facing more restrictive limitations on local property taxation tend to maintain higher levels of unreserved general fund balances. Additional analyses also show that fiscally constrained cities accumulate surpluses in their general funds. This is consistent with the proactive approach in which municipal governments make fiscal decisions with the awareness of expected state constraints on their revenue-raising capacity. We call for consideration of relevant intergovernmental constraints in the determination of appropriate level of fund balances for municipal governments.     

Introduction: The OECD and Policy Transfer: Comparative Case Studies

Abstract

The six articles in this issue examine the role of the OECD in policy transfer. Two articles (Kudrle on international tax agreements, and Legrand and Vas on Australia’s vocational and educational training policy) conclude that the OECD has been influential, albeit in a grinding and lengthy way. Two others (Clifton on the OECD’s “enhanced engagement” policy with five G-20 countries, and Eccleston and Woodward on tax transparency) find the OECD’s influence either patchier or even dysfunctional. Carroll’s article provides a novel analysis of policy transfer through accession processes, while Alasuutari explores transfer in terms of a comparative analysis of policy rationalizations that refer to the OECD as a “standard.” A common theme of all six articles is the way in which policy transfer is driven by exogenous pressures and crises, and how international governmental organizations like the OECD exploit these pressures to protect and expand their global relevance.     

关于完善我国个人所得税的探讨

目前,我国现行个人所得税制度在税制模式、税制要素和税收征管三方面仍存在一些问题。可以采用优化税制模式、合理设计税制要素和提高个人所得税征管水平的方式加以解决。     

以重点人员为中心治安情报预警机制初探

以重点人员为中心治安情报预警新机制,就是通过利用现代网络信息技术,充分发挥重点人员的单元信息标签作用,使治安情报信息关联化、有序化和优质化,从而提高治安情报预警的效率、效益和效果,提高治安工作的主动性、针对性和科学性。构建以重点人员为中心的治安情报预警新机制,就要以重点人员为信息关联中心,打牢情报信息收集基础,抓好情报分析研判关键环节,充分发挥情报预警预防作用。     

Long‐Run Labor Market Effects of the Job Corps Program: Evidence from a Nationally Representative Experiment

Job Corps is the nation's largest and most comprehensive career technical training and education program for at‐risk youth ages 16 to 24. Using the sample from a large‐scale experiment of the program from the mid‐1990s, this article uses tax data through 2015 (20 years later) to examine long‐term labor market impacts. The study finds some long‐term beneficial effects for the older students, with employment gains of 4 percentage points, 40 percent reductions in disability benefit receipt, and 10 percent increases in tax filing rates in 2015. For these students, program benefits exceeded program costs from the social perspective. This study is the first to establish that a national program for disconnected youth can produce long‐term labor market gains, and can be a positive investment made for society. The results suggest that intensive, comprehensive services that focus on developing both cognitive and noncognitive skills are important for improving labor market prospects for this population.     

税收优惠政策实施绩效的模糊综合评价

如何对经济政策实施绩效加以公正、客观的定量化评估,不仅是关系经济政策延续运用和调整的规范性课题,同时也是对经济政策实行科学化管理的实证性课题。通过借鉴综合评价企业技术创新绩效定量分析的一般方法,利用模糊综合评价技术,可以总结对区域型税收优惠政策实施绩效进行综合评估的一般思路和方法。     

税收的宪法学解读

本文从宪法学层面解读税收,认为税收是权利的保护费,是使用公共产品支付的对价,税收是私有财产权和国有财政权之契合点。     

产业集聚理论对中西部地区发展民营经济的应用分析

产业集聚是区域竞争优势的源泉 ,已成为发达国家、发达地区产业成长的一个显著特征。产业集聚的本质是外部经济 ,这一外部经济的主要来源有劳动市场的共享、专业性附属行业的创造和技术外溢。产业集聚可以减少环境的不确定性 ,有利于知识和技术的传播与扩散 ,形成创业空间集聚的正反馈效应 ,已经成为区域参与全球竞争的重要力量。我国中西部地区民营经济发展基础差、总量小、比重低 ,空间上的分散配置存在着私人供给的公共产品溢出效应损失 ,服务产品需求的市场外效应损失 ,信息的、知识和技术溢出效应损失。改变这一状况的一个有效途径就是在重点地区实现产业集聚 ,为民营经济的发展创造条件 ,促进工业化 ,推进城镇化 ,提升区域经济的竞争力水平     

税收刑法立法民主化

为了提高税收刑法的自觉遵行度,降低其执法成本,必然要求税收刑事立法反映人民的意志,保护人民的利益,体现人民的民主权利。在税收刑法立法过程中,应当加强税收刑法立法决策,制定民主机制建设,确保税收刑法立法形式的法典化和内容的公正化。