The 2018 Value Added Tax (VAT) rate increase in South Africa is a significant event in that it was the first time since the advent of democracy in South Africa (1994) that the VAT rate had been raised. Located within the discipline of fiscal sociology, this study emphasises the developmental implications of fiscal policy choices. It problematises tax revenue mobilisation to meet growing spending requirements in South Africa. It looks at why, of the various fiscal and tax policy options available, the decision was made to raise the VAT rate. The mixed methods study provides a content analysis of literature obtained through a desk review and statistical analysis of a public opinion survey. By examining the underlying dynamics that influence fiscal policy decisions, it explains how fiscal and institutional factors and taxpayer culture interacted to bring about the decision to increase the VAT rate. It finds that policy decisions with large spending requirements can have an impact on fiscal policy decisions with implications for rights realisation. A conceptual framework specific to the South African context was developed as an output. Additionally, a revised conceptual framework for the determination of taxation was produced.

The exploration of this thesis on public finance proceeds on two axes. First, it aims at developing an ontological perspective to public finance. Accordingly, public finance is defined to be the concrete political relation between the state and society. The thesis that presents a political and historical evaluation of public finance from a critical sociological and political economy approach associates the components of this definition such as public, the political etc. with the relevant debates in social and political theory. In line with this, the traditional harmony-perspective of neoclassical public finance theories, which is ignorant of the political, is criticized, calling it as &lsquo / police finance&rsquo / instead of &lsquo / public finance&rsquo / . Secondly, the thesis explores the history of fiscal thought between the 15th-19th centuries with special reference to the Ottoman Empire. All in all, with these topics this thesis aims at making a contribution to the field of &ldquo / fiscal sociology&rdquo / from a critical sociological and political economy approach.

A descoberta de enormes reservas de petróleo na camada pré-sal do litoral brasileiro levou à adoção de um novo marco regulatório para as atividades de pesquisa e produção do mineral. O regime de partilha de produção e a instituição de um fundo soberano para cuidar das receitas petrolíferas foram as principais mudanças introduzidas por tal legislação. Partindo-se das lições da sociologia fiscal, que enfatizam a importância da tributação à solidez do regime democrático, e da observação da experiência de três países exportadores de petróleo, que revela a inaptidão das receitas petrolíferas em promover o desenvolvimento, defende-se que os benefícios da descoberta do pré-sal restringem-se à ampliação da indústria nacional associada ao setor, não abrangendo as receitas geradas em sua exploração. Desta maneira, sustenta-se que o novo marco regulatório somente contribuirá ao fortalecimento da democracia brasileira caso o regime de partilha propicie a formação de novos negócios e empresas e o Fundo Social proteja a economia doméstica dos efeitos deletérios do uso imediato de receitas petrolíferas. / The discovery of a massive oil field in the sub-salt layer of the Brazilian coast triggered the adoption of a different regulatory framework for the Oil & Gas exploration sector. The production-sharing agreement and the establishment of a sovereign wealth fund to handle oil revenues were the main changes carried out by the new legislation. Relying on the lessons from fiscal sociology, which emphasize the importance of taxation to a democratic regime, and the study of three oil exporting countries, that illustrate that oil revenues do not promote development, it is argued that the gains from the sub-salt discoveries are restricted to the growth of the oil related national industry, not encompassing the revenues accrued from its exploration. Accordingly, it is contended that the new regulatory framework will only contribute to the enhancement of Brazilian democracy if through the sharing-producing agreements the State is indeed successful in encouraging the formation of new firms and, also, if the sovereign fund fulfills its obligation of shielding the economy from the immediate disbursement of oil revenues.

Considerando que transformações no sistema tributário indicam processos de construção do Estado, o presente trabalho dirige-se aos seguintes problemas: quais os determinantes sociais e políticos do sistema tributário paraguaio desde a transição democrática, 1989? Qual a influência dos principais setores econômicos? Por que tem sido particularmente difícil extrair impostos das elites privadas no país? De forma a responder tais questões, o trabalho está organizado da seguinte maneira. Primeiro, traz uma periodização da construção do Estado no Paraguai a fim de contextualizar o processo em andamento. Segundo, apresenta indicadores para ilustrar a conjuntura socioeconômica, institucional e fiscal do país. E terceiro, analisa a trajetória das reformas tributárias implementadas no Paraguai desde 1989 a partir de categorias da literatura de sociologia fiscal. O estudo sugere a existência de estruturas de dependência de trajetória no sistema tributário paraguaio, conformadas pela ação política de elites agrárias com alto grau de coesão e dominância. Essas elites têm conseguido bloquear reformas que possibilitariam transformações em termos de capacidade e progressividade do sistema tributário, além de perfurar sua universalidade. / Assuming that changes in the tax system indicate state-building processes, this paper addresses the following questions: what are the social and political determinants of the Paraguayan tax system since the beginning of the democratic transition in 1989? What is the influence of the country’s main economic sectors? Why have state authorities in Paraguay been so unsuccessful to impose taxes on its private elites? To best answer these questions, the study is organized as follows. First, it provides a periodization of state-building in Paraguay so as to contextualize the ongoing process. Second, it illustrates the country’s socioeconomic, institutional and fiscal situation through the display of indicators. Third, it draws upon scholarship on fiscal sociology to provide analysis of the trajectory of tax reforms implemented in Paraguay since 1989. The study suggests the existence of a path dependent tax structure that was shaped by political action of highly cohesive and dominant agrarian elites. These elites have been able to veto reforms that would allow changes in levels of tax capacity and tax progressivity, besides having perforated tax universality.

Considerando que transformações no sistema tributário indicam processos de construção do Estado, o presente trabalho dirige-se aos seguintes problemas: quais os determinantes sociais e políticos do sistema tributário paraguaio desde a transição democrática, 1989? Qual a influência dos principais setores econômicos? Por que tem sido particularmente difícil extrair impostos das elites privadas no país? De forma a responder tais questões, o trabalho está organizado da seguinte maneira. Primeiro, traz uma periodização da construção do Estado no Paraguai a fim de contextualizar o processo em andamento. Segundo, apresenta indicadores para ilustrar a conjuntura socioeconômica, institucional e fiscal do país. E terceiro, analisa a trajetória das reformas tributárias implementadas no Paraguai desde 1989 a partir de categorias da literatura de sociologia fiscal. O estudo sugere a existência de estruturas de dependência de trajetória no sistema tributário paraguaio, conformadas pela ação política de elites agrárias com alto grau de coesão e dominância. Essas elites têm conseguido bloquear reformas que possibilitariam transformações em termos de capacidade e progressividade do sistema tributário, além de perfurar sua universalidade. / Assuming that changes in the tax system indicate state-building processes, this paper addresses the following questions: what are the social and political determinants of the Paraguayan tax system since the beginning of the democratic transition in 1989? What is the influence of the country’s main economic sectors? Why have state authorities in Paraguay been so unsuccessful to impose taxes on its private elites? To best answer these questions, the study is organized as follows. First, it provides a periodization of state-building in Paraguay so as to contextualize the ongoing process. Second, it illustrates the country’s socioeconomic, institutional and fiscal situation through the display of indicators. Third, it draws upon scholarship on fiscal sociology to provide analysis of the trajectory of tax reforms implemented in Paraguay since 1989. The study suggests the existence of a path dependent tax structure that was shaped by political action of highly cohesive and dominant agrarian elites. These elites have been able to veto reforms that would allow changes in levels of tax capacity and tax progressivity, besides having perforated tax universality.

Considerando que transformações no sistema tributário indicam processos de construção do Estado, o presente trabalho dirige-se aos seguintes problemas: quais os determinantes sociais e políticos do sistema tributário paraguaio desde a transição democrática, 1989? Qual a influência dos principais setores econômicos? Por que tem sido particularmente difícil extrair impostos das elites privadas no país? De forma a responder tais questões, o trabalho está organizado da seguinte maneira. Primeiro, traz uma periodização da construção do Estado no Paraguai a fim de contextualizar o processo em andamento. Segundo, apresenta indicadores para ilustrar a conjuntura socioeconômica, institucional e fiscal do país. E terceiro, analisa a trajetória das reformas tributárias implementadas no Paraguai desde 1989 a partir de categorias da literatura de sociologia fiscal. O estudo sugere a existência de estruturas de dependência de trajetória no sistema tributário paraguaio, conformadas pela ação política de elites agrárias com alto grau de coesão e dominância. Essas elites têm conseguido bloquear reformas que possibilitariam transformações em termos de capacidade e progressividade do sistema tributário, além de perfurar sua universalidade. / Assuming that changes in the tax system indicate state-building processes, this paper addresses the following questions: what are the social and political determinants of the Paraguayan tax system since the beginning of the democratic transition in 1989? What is the influence of the country’s main economic sectors? Why have state authorities in Paraguay been so unsuccessful to impose taxes on its private elites? To best answer these questions, the study is organized as follows. First, it provides a periodization of state-building in Paraguay so as to contextualize the ongoing process. Second, it illustrates the country’s socioeconomic, institutional and fiscal situation through the display of indicators. Third, it draws upon scholarship on fiscal sociology to provide analysis of the trajectory of tax reforms implemented in Paraguay since 1989. The study suggests the existence of a path dependent tax structure that was shaped by political action of highly cohesive and dominant agrarian elites. These elites have been able to veto reforms that would allow changes in levels of tax capacity and tax progressivity, besides having perforated tax universality.

A descoberta de enormes reservas de petróleo na camada pré-sal do litoral brasileiro levou à adoção de um novo marco regulatório para as atividades de pesquisa e produção do mineral. O regime de partilha de produção e a instituição de um fundo soberano para cuidar das receitas petrolíferas foram as principais mudanças introduzidas por tal legislação. Partindo-se das lições da sociologia fiscal, que enfatizam a importância da tributação à solidez do regime democrático, e da observação da experiência de três países exportadores de petróleo, que revela a inaptidão das receitas petrolíferas em promover o desenvolvimento, defende-se que os benefícios da descoberta do pré-sal restringem-se à ampliação da indústria nacional associada ao setor, não abrangendo as receitas geradas em sua exploração. Desta maneira, sustenta-se que o novo marco regulatório somente contribuirá ao fortalecimento da democracia brasileira caso o regime de partilha propicie a formação de novos negócios e empresas e o Fundo Social proteja a economia doméstica dos efeitos deletérios do uso imediato de receitas petrolíferas. / The discovery of a massive oil field in the sub-salt layer of the Brazilian coast triggered the adoption of a different regulatory framework for the Oil & Gas exploration sector. The production-sharing agreement and the establishment of a sovereign wealth fund to handle oil revenues were the main changes carried out by the new legislation. Relying on the lessons from fiscal sociology, which emphasize the importance of taxation to a democratic regime, and the study of three oil exporting countries, that illustrate that oil revenues do not promote development, it is argued that the gains from the sub-salt discoveries are restricted to the growth of the oil related national industry, not encompassing the revenues accrued from its exploration. Accordingly, it is contended that the new regulatory framework will only contribute to the enhancement of Brazilian democracy if through the sharing-producing agreements the State is indeed successful in encouraging the formation of new firms and, also, if the sovereign fund fulfills its obligation of shielding the economy from the immediate disbursement of oil revenues.