Μεταφέρω επιστολή αναγνώστη με τίτλο “Targeting consumption is fairer way to tax global companies” που δημοσιεύθηκε στην Φαϊνάνσιαλ Τάιμς της 8 Μαρτίου 2024. Η συζήτηση -η διαμάχη- έχει πλούσιο παρελθόν, από ακαδημαϊκής απόψεως· και, ίσως, το επιχείρημα του αναγνώστη υπογραμμίζει την πολιτική σημασία μιας τέτοιας συζήτησης στο παρόν.
“It seems to be beyond belief that, decades after this problem has been identified, the issue of international tax avoidance by corporations again has a diminishing prospect of being resolved …
The arbitrary allocation of profits to a destination of choice which happens to offer ludicrously low taxes makes a mockery of any concept of tax fairness. It is an insult to smaller companies who cannot play such games and are thus automatically disadvantaged. It also puts an expanding share of the tax burden on workers, since they for sure can’t very well pretend to be somewhere else for tax purposes.
Without global agreements on corporate taxes any single unscrupulous actor can undercut the more reasonable ones. The issue is also complicated enough to make harnessing public support a difficult endeavour. It may thus be time to acknowledge that corporate taxes are no longer an adequate concept and alternative modes of taxation should be studied. Sometimes, when a single part of a machine malfunctions, it may be easier to replace the machine itself than to fix the part.
A comprehensive solution would involve a shift of taxes away from the concept of ‘profits’ — the calculation of which is in any case often ambiguous. This should of course also include a shift away from taxes on labour income. Instead, consumption taxes constitute a very convenient and fair method of taxation which are also, in comparison to taxes on profits and income, very easy to implement and measure. Taxes are then paid at the point of consumption and do in fact really represent existing value that is added and provided by the state (like enforcement of contracts and public infrastructure) in the specific location.”
Domenico Giannone & Giorgio Primiceri Post-covid inflation was predominantly driven by unexpectedly strong demand forces—both in the United States and in the Euro Area. We
Richard Baldwin Service value chains are expanding faster than industrial ones, yet their geography is strikingly different: a US-centred star rather than regional blocs. This
Φορολογία εισοδήματος ή κατανάλωσης
poleconomix.gr
Μεταφέρω επιστολή αναγνώστη με τίτλο “Targeting consumption is fairer way to tax global companies” που δημοσιεύθηκε στην Φαϊνάνσιαλ Τάιμς της 8 Μαρτίου 2024. Η συζήτηση -η διαμάχη- έχει πλούσιο παρελθόν, από ακαδημαϊκής απόψεως· και, ίσως, το επιχείρημα του αναγνώστη υπογραμμίζει την πολιτική σημασία μιας τέτοιας συζήτησης στο παρόν.
“It seems to be beyond belief that, decades after this problem has been identified, the issue of international tax avoidance by corporations again has a diminishing prospect of being resolved …
The arbitrary allocation of profits to a destination of choice which happens to offer ludicrously low taxes makes a mockery of any concept of tax fairness. It is an insult to smaller companies who cannot play such games and are thus automatically disadvantaged. It also puts an expanding share of the tax burden on workers, since they for sure can’t very well pretend to be somewhere else for tax purposes.
Without global agreements on corporate taxes any single unscrupulous actor can undercut the more reasonable ones. The issue is also complicated enough to make harnessing public support a difficult endeavour. It may thus be time to acknowledge that corporate taxes are no longer an adequate concept and alternative modes of taxation should be studied. Sometimes, when a single part of a machine malfunctions, it may be easier to replace the machine itself than to fix the part.
A comprehensive solution would involve a shift of taxes away from the concept of ‘profits’ — the calculation of which is in any case often ambiguous. This should of course also include a shift away from taxes on labour income. Instead, consumption taxes constitute a very convenient and fair method of taxation which are also, in comparison to taxes on profits and income, very easy to implement and measure. Taxes are then paid at the point of consumption and do in fact really represent existing value that is added and provided by the state (like enforcement of contracts and public infrastructure) in the specific location.”
Matthias Hammerl
University of Applied Sciences
Wiener Neustadt, Vienna, Austria
Share:
σχετικά άρθρα
Does Growth in the Money Supply Predict U.S. Inflation? Yes, but …
Michael W. McCracken & Lillian Fu KEY TAKEAWAYS Πηγή: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis πλήρες κείμενο
Demand-Driven Inflation
Domenico Giannone & Giorgio Primiceri Post-covid inflation was predominantly driven by unexpectedly strong demand forces—both in the United States and in the Euro Area. We
The Global Office: Globalisation’s frontier is shifting from factories to offices
Richard Baldwin Service value chains are expanding faster than industrial ones, yet their geography is strikingly different: a US-centred star rather than regional blocs. This