This dissertation is a collection of three essays in the fields of environmental and public economics. The first essay assesses the effect of government spending on charitable donations to environmental causes. Using a theoretical model, I solve for changes in private donations due to increased government spending and contrast this with changes due to direct grants to nonprofit organizations. Depending on the nonprofit’s fundraising response, government spending may result in the crowding out or in of private giving. I empirically investigate this topic using data from the tax returns of environmental charities as well as a panel survey data set on the philanthropic behavior of individuals. My results indicate that government expenditures on the environment actually crowd in private giving, partly due to the increased fundraising response by charities. The second essay examines the incidence of a pollution tax scheme in which tax revenue is returned to low-income workers. Using a general equilibrium model with both skilled and unskilled labor, a decomposition of the real net wage effects shows the effect of the tax rebate, the effect on the uses side of income (higher product prices), and the effect on the sources side of income (relative wage rates). Numerical examples show that returning the revenue to the low-skilled workers is still not enough to offset the effect of higher product prices; in almost all cases, the rebate does not prevent a reduction in the real net wage. The third essay studies the distributional effects of the SO2 allowance market. Even if low-income households do not have large budget shares for the polluting good, grandfathered permit systems may still be regressive since the permit rents accrue disproportionately to wealthy shareholders in the polluting industry. I estimate the burden imposed on different income groups under a grandfathered permit policy and compare this with the burden under an auctioned policy. Using Monte Carlo techniques, I calculate the 5th and 95th percentiles of the distribution of possible results. I find evidence of regressivity for grandfathered permits whereas an emissions tax/auctioned permit system can be progressive if the scarcity rents are distributed in lump sums. / text

Thesis (Ph. D.) - University of Göttingen, 2004.

O presente trabalho tem por objetivo analisar o controle judicial sobre as leis de incidência tributária, criticando a postura ativista e prestigiando a interpretação da Constituição pelo Legislativo. Ao longo da história da jurisdição constitucional brasileira, diversos fatores contribuíram para o fortalecimento do Judiciário em relação aos demais poderes: o constitucionalismo, com o reconhecimento da força normativa da Constituição, a doutrina da tipicidade fechada em Direito Tributário, a natureza de regra definitiva das normas de repartição de competência tributária, a vagueza da linguagem constitucional, entre outros. Como consequência, é comum que o Supremo Tribunal Federal declare a inconstitucionalidade de leis com base em concepções formadas jurisprudencialmente, como se o Sistema Tributário Nacional estivesse completamente encerrado na Constituição, e não fosse também construído pela lei. Serão apresentadas algumas alternativas para essa postura, tais como: a teoria dos diálogos constitucionais, a autocontenção judicial, a adoção de pluralidade metodológica no lugar de critérios apriorísticos de interpretação, a adoção de conceitos constitucionais dotados de núcleos semânticos rodeados de outros possíveis conteúdos marginais, e o reconhecimento do papel criativo e decisório da discricionariedade legislativa na interpretação das normas constitucionais de competência. / This workhas the intent to analyze the judicial control over the tax rules, criticizing the activism and privileging the constitucional interpretation by parlament. In brazilianconstitucional jurisdiction, several reasons increase judiciary among other powers: constitucionalism, with recognition of normative strength of constitucion, the legal type doctrine in tax law, the definite rule of tax competence, the vagueness language in constitucion, among others. Consequently, it is commom that the Supreme Court declares unconstitucionality of laws by its own concecptions, as if taxation system were completely on constitucion, and were not formed by law as well. There will be presented some alternatives for that such as: constitucional dialogues, judicial restraint, methodological plurality in spite of single criteria of interpretation, constitucionalconcepcts with semantic content surrounded by a marginal meaning, and creative role of legislative discretion in interpretation of competence rules in constitucion.

Submitted by Cristiane Oliveira (cristiane.oliveira@fgv.br) on 2011-06-02T20:54:20Z No. of bitstreams: 1 73070100002.pdf: 988918 bytes, checksum: 274434d30f62cff7ad06fb9c5f576e9a (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Gisele Isaura Hannickel(gisele.hannickel@fgv.br) on 2011-06-03T11:53:05Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 73070100002.pdf: 988918 bytes, checksum: 274434d30f62cff7ad06fb9c5f576e9a (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Suzinei Teles Garcia Garcia(suzinei.garcia@fgv.br) on 2011-06-03T11:54:22Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 73070100002.pdf: 988918 bytes, checksum: 274434d30f62cff7ad06fb9c5f576e9a (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2011-06-03T13:52:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 73070100002.pdf: 988918 bytes, checksum: 274434d30f62cff7ad06fb9c5f576e9a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-12-16 / This thesis attempts to investigate two issues in Public Economics in Brazil: tax incidence and strategic tax interaction. The tax incidence issue is investigated under a tax shifting framework, in which both tax burden and tax costs pass-through are discussed. Data over Value Added Tax (VAT) for food commodities in states is collected. In the first method, results suggest that the consumer‟s share on tax burden in Brazil is around 40%. The remaining tax share is hold by firms. In the second method, results suggest that tax costs are uncompleted passed-through prices. Also, findings point out that the tax shifting parameter depends on the direction of the fiscal change, as tax rates increases affect prices in a different magnitude when compared to tax rates decreases. Moreover, strategic tax interaction is investigated in both a horizontal and a vertical tax competition framework. Horizontal tax interaction is investigated across states considering food commodities. Results indicate that tax interaction is positive but not significant. The decision to tax seems to follow states´ internal characteristics. The last method investigates vertical tax interaction for gas and cigarette in Brazil. Results suggest that states respond to federal tax changes for cigarette. On the other hand, results suggest that horizontal tax interaction is more important for gas. / Esta tese procura investigar dois aspectos de Economia do Setor Público no Brasil: incidência fiscal e interações fiscais estratégicas. O tópico de incidência tributária é investigado em um contexto de transmissão do tributo, no qual carga fiscal e efeitos dos tributos sobre os preços são discutidos. O banco de dados utilizado inclui alíquotas do tributo estadual sobre bens alimentícios. Na primeira metodologia, identifica-se que a Carga Fiscal do consumidor no Brasil para os bens analisados é ao redor de 40%. Já o percentual remanescente corresponderia a Carga Fiscal da firma. Na segunda metodologia, resultados apontam que os preços reagem de forma incompleta a mudanças das alíquotas dos tributos. Ademais, o padrão de transmissão depende da direção da mudança fiscal: acréscimos e decréscimos das alíquotas dos tributos estaduais são repassados em proporções diferentes aos preços. Adicionalmente, são investigadas interações estratégicas na definição dos tributos, entre Estados e também entre Estados e Federação. Interações horizontais são investigadas para bens alimentícios. As estimativas sugerem que as interações apresentam efeito positivo, porém insignificante nas decisões tributárias. É provável que decisões tributárias dependam de características internas dos Estados. Já o último método investiga eventual competição vertical nos tributos entre Estados e Federação para cigarros e gasolina. Os resultados indicam que interações verticais são importantes no caso do cigarro, e interações horizontais importantes para gasolina.

O presente trabalho tem por objetivo analisar o controle judicial sobre as leis de incidência tributária, criticando a postura ativista e prestigiando a interpretação da Constituição pelo Legislativo. Ao longo da história da jurisdição constitucional brasileira, diversos fatores contribuíram para o fortalecimento do Judiciário em relação aos demais poderes: o constitucionalismo, com o reconhecimento da força normativa da Constituição, a doutrina da tipicidade fechada em Direito Tributário, a natureza de regra definitiva das normas de repartição de competência tributária, a vagueza da linguagem constitucional, entre outros. Como consequência, é comum que o Supremo Tribunal Federal declare a inconstitucionalidade de leis com base em concepções formadas jurisprudencialmente, como se o Sistema Tributário Nacional estivesse completamente encerrado na Constituição, e não fosse também construído pela lei. Serão apresentadas algumas alternativas para essa postura, tais como: a teoria dos diálogos constitucionais, a autocontenção judicial, a adoção de pluralidade metodológica no lugar de critérios apriorísticos de interpretação, a adoção de conceitos constitucionais dotados de núcleos semânticos rodeados de outros possíveis conteúdos marginais, e o reconhecimento do papel criativo e decisório da discricionariedade legislativa na interpretação das normas constitucionais de competência. / This workhas the intent to analyze the judicial control over the tax rules, criticizing the activism and privileging the constitucional interpretation by parlament. In brazilianconstitucional jurisdiction, several reasons increase judiciary among other powers: constitucionalism, with recognition of normative strength of constitucion, the legal type doctrine in tax law, the definite rule of tax competence, the vagueness language in constitucion, among others. Consequently, it is commom that the Supreme Court declares unconstitucionality of laws by its own concecptions, as if taxation system were completely on constitucion, and were not formed by law as well. There will be presented some alternatives for that such as: constitucional dialogues, judicial restraint, methodological plurality in spite of single criteria of interpretation, constitucionalconcepcts with semantic content surrounded by a marginal meaning, and creative role of legislative discretion in interpretation of competence rules in constitucion.

In my graduation theses I focus on charge of consumption taxes of consumer sector´s spending. Indirect taxes are imposed onto selected economic goods and increase their costs. Herewith they cause decrease of consumers´ available pension. Howsoever the available pension of different income groups is reduced depends at indirect taxes only on the level of consumption and which economic goods are used by these groups. Indirect taxes are on the contrary to direct taxes less conspicuous, because they are included in the prices of the wares and services. The consumer pays the tax by paying each purchase without any administrative acts and in doing so they do not know how much they paid in taxes to the government. The tax paid by an entity (natural or legal person) can be basically relocated in two ways. Onward to the buyer on the product market by increase of economic goods´ price or of a factor; backward to the seller. This relocation can be partial, i.e. the tax in new price will be partial; hundred-per-cent and in case of certain conditions it can be even higher than the height of tax is. The relocation doesn´t need to occur at all. For assesment of consumer sector tax charege level from consumption I chose a method which uses accessible agregate dates about consumption of social income group. In calculations I arised from dates from year 2006 published by Czech Statistical Office. From the analysys results of consumer sector´s consumption spending charge of consumer tax in 2006 result that the tax burden, which the consumer sector has, represents 13,15 {--} 14,90 % of their total average consumption spending. 11% of tax burden constitutes a value added tax and 3% constitutes a consumer tax. This means that if their consumption spending is 100 000 Kč, then the tax burdern would be 13 150 {--} 14 900 Kč. Consumer sector of employees and self-employers have a bigger tax burden than consumer sector of unemloyed and retirees. The reason is a bigger part of economic goods usage charged by 19% VAT rate.

This diploma thesis deals with value added tax on development of consumer prices on partial market. Term of tax incidence and factors are explained in the theoretical part of thesis. These factors are affected on partial market. The aim of diploma thesis is an analysis of added value tax reduce rate variance (from 1. 1. 2008) in consumer prices and evaluate effect of value added tax on chosen products. This analysis was made in the terms of factors, which are acting on partial market. In diploma thesis were monitoring milk products prices in chosen food shops Company in interval of one year. Then assessment was made in the influence of VAT increase rate on consumer The assessment of influencing factors in milk market was made in the terms of VAT.

O propósito deste trabalho é apresentar as questões doutrinárias relevantes que envolvem o imposto sobre a transmissão inter vivos, a qualquer título, por ato oneroso, de bens imóveis, por natureza ou acessão física, e de direitos reais sobre imóveis, exceto os de garantia, bem como cessão de direitos a sua aquisição (ITBI), no âmbito constitucional, da lei complementar tributária e da lei ordinária. Para tal desiderato, no primeiro capítulo, foram abordados o tema da linguagem e sua importância para o estudo do direito, a metodologia adotada, com as categorias da semiótica, bem como o relacionamento entre as normas jurídicas de direito tributário e as de direito privado. No segundo capítulo, tratou-se da distinção entre o texto escrito e a significação que dele se obtém, assim como da construção do sentido da norma jurídica, de sua estrutura e das distinções entre sistema do direito positivo, sistema normativo e ordenamento jurídico. A essência do terceiro capítulo foi o estudo do conceito de imunidade tributária e uma primeira aproximação das materialidades das imunidades específicas do ITBI. No quarto capítulo, nós examinamos as questões relevantes sobre o ITBI e a lei complementar. Nesse estudo tratou-se do enquadramento dos Municípios no sistema federativo, da lei complementar tributária e sua importância para a estabilidade do pacto federativo e da regulamentação da imunidade condicionada do ITBI, prevista no artigo 156, §2º, I, da Constituição de 1988. No quinto capítulo, abordaram-se todas as questões relevantes do ITBI nos critérios da regra-matriz de incidência tributária, e os critérios materiais possíveis do ITBI a partir da Constituição. No critério temporal, as possibilidades de adiantamento do momento da incidência do ITBI. No critério espacial, o local onde se pode considerar ocorrida a transmissão do bem imóvel. No critério pessoal, as possibilidades de contribuintes e a responsabilidade tributária dos tabeliães e oficiais de registro de imóveis. No critério quantitativo, a base de cálculo do ITBI com suas possibilidades: preço, valor venal no IPTU e valor de mercado, sua determinação nos casos de permuta de imóveis e de partilha de bens, bem como sua redução na transmissão de direitos reais menores que o direito de propriedade. / The purpose of this work is to present the relevant doctrinaire questions about the tax on inter vivos transfer, on any account, by onerous acts, of real property, by nature or physical accession, and of real rights to property, except for real security, as well as the assignment of rights to the purchase therof (ITBI), in a constitutional, supplementary law and ordinary law scope. For this goal, in the first chapter, were broached the language subject and its importance to law studies, the choosen methodology, including semiotics cathegories, as well as the relationship between tax law rules and civil law rules. In the second chapter, we broached the difference between in writing text and the meaning that we obtain from it, as well as the rule sense formation, its structure and the differences between positive law, normative system and juridical ordainment. The essence of the third chapter was the study of the constitutional exemption and a first approach on ITBI specific constitutional exemption materialities. In the fourth chapter, we examined the relevant issues on ITBI and supplementary law. On this study we dealt with the fitting of municipalities in the federative system subject, the supplementary law and its importance on federative alliance juridical safety, the regulation of the ITBI constitutional conditioned exemption, ruled on article 156, paragraph 2, I, Constitution of 1988. In the fifth chapter, we broached all the relevant ITBI issues on the tax incidence matrix rule and the possible ITBI material criterion on a constitutional basis. In the temporal criterion, the possibilities of anticipation of the ITBI incidence instant. In the spatial criterion, the place where it can be considered occurred the transfer of real property. In the personal criterion, the possibilities of taxpayer choices and the notary public and real property register office tax answerableness. In the quantitative criterion, ITBI tax basis possibilities: fixed price, tax on urban buildings and urban land property basis and market price, and its settling in real property exchange and real estate apportionment cases, as well as its reduction in transfer of real rights to property lesser than real property.

O objetivo deste trabalho é analisar a regra-matriz constitucional do ICMS mercantil e dos princípios que regem esse imposto, a fim de verificar se os Estados e o Distrito Federal detêm competência para a instituição do ICMS na extração do petróleo, a exemplo do que fez o Estado do Rio de Janeiro por meio da Lei nº 4.117/03, conhecida como Lei Noel. Para tal desiderato, será investigado, inicialmente, o tratamento constitucional atribuído ao petróleo, e serão abordadas questões atinentes às atividades econômicas do monopólio da União sobre esse bem público, prescritas no artigo 177 da Carta Maior, e a sua flexibilização com o advento da Emenda Constitucional nº 9/95. Com supedâneo nas conclusões obtidas a partir da regra-matriz de incidência do ICMS mercantil e dos enunciados constitucionais relativos ao petróleo, serão analisados os os critérios componentes da regra-matriz de incidência construída a partir dos enunciados veiculados pela Lei nº 4.117/03 para que seja possível, dessa forma, verificar se o legislador ordinário estadual observou os limites para o exercício da competência ao instituir o ICMS na extração do petróleo. / The purpose of this study is to analyze the ICMS constitutional matriz-rule of tax incidence and principles that govern such tax, in order to verify the capability of States to create this tax on oil extraction, as it did Rio de Janeiro through Law No. 4.117/03, known as Lei Noel. This study will initially analyze constitutional rules regarding oil as well as aspects related to the economic activities of monopoly, prescribed in Article 177 of Federal Constitution and its flexibility with the advent of Constitutional Amendment No. 9, occurred in 1995. Based on the conclusions obtained from the analysis of ICMS matriz-rule of tax incidence and constitutional rules concerning oil, we will investigate Law No. 4.117/03 in order to check if the Rio de Janeiro State respected the limits imposed by Federal Constitution to create ICMS on oil extraction.

The purpose of this research was to determine whether horizontal equity in the taxation of individuals in South Africa improved after the legislative changes from 1984 to 1995 and the Katz Commission recommendations. After an extensive literature study, horizontal equity in the taxation of individuals in South Africa was defined as the equivalent tax treatment in equivalent economic circumstances for the same economic units. The household as the economic unit, is the unit to be considered when evaluating horizontal equity. The study also reviewed the solutions found in other countries for the dilemma of the one-breadwinner versus the two-breadwinner married couple. It was found that the tax systems of most countries provide relief to the one-breadwinner couple while the working wife was taxed separately from her husband or had the option to be taxed separately. An important part of this study compared the tax of the unmarried taxpayer and the married couple as the units for horizontal equity. It was found that, although two-breadwinner married couples were discriminated against until the separate taxation of married couples was introduced, the one-breadwinner couple and single taxpayers with dependants now suffer more horizontal inequity than was previously the case. The research indicated that to attain greater horizontal equity provision should also be made for families and households with only one breadwinner (breadwinner being defined as the provider in a one-breadwinner couple or a ·taxpayer with dependents). Recommendations made to alleviate this inequity are transferable allowances for spouses, or, without ~ontravening the Constitution's demands for equality, a separate rate schedule for breadwinners, a fixed allowance or rebate for breadwinners, or a proportional allo~ance depending on the breadwinner's income. The study also addressed the financial and administrative implications and political acceptability of these recommendations and concluded that the proportional allowance, although expensive, would come the closest to providing the greatest horizontal equity. The research into the international tax measures to promote equity revealed that horizontal equity could be further promoted by providing tax relief for child-care and day-care facilities. This would benefit both the two-breadwinner married couple and the single parent with dependent children. / Financail accounting / D.Com. (Applied Accountancy)