Taxreform inJapan:Thecaseofpersonaltaxesa,b*CharlesYujiHorioka,ShizukaSekitaaInstituteofSocialandEconomicResearch,OsakaUniversity,6-1,Mihogaoka,Ibaraki,Osaka567-0047,JapanbJapanSocietyforthePromotionofScience(JSPS)ResearchFellowandGraduateSchoolofEconomics,OsakaUniversity,c/oInstituteofSocialandEconomicResearch,6-1,Mihogaoka,Ibaraki,Osaka567-0047,JapanReceived21March2006;receivedinrevisedform 31May2006;accepted1June2006AbstractInthispaper,weconductatheoreticalanalysisofpersonaltaxes(definedtoincludeconsumptionandincometaxes),describeandevaluatethepastandpresentstructureofpersonaltaxesinJapan,andbasedonourfindings,makeanumberofpolicyrecommendationsabouthowtoreform personaltaxesinJWefindthatthestructureofJapan’scurrentconsumptionandincometaxesisproblematicfrom theviewpointsofbothefficiencyandequityandproposeareform packagethatimprovesboththeefficiencyandequityofJapan’spersonaltaxesand,atthesametime,achievesfi#2006ElsevierBVAJELclassification:H21;H23;H24Keywords:Consumption;Consumptiontax;CorlettandHague;Countercyclicalpolicy;Economicstimulus;Efficiency;Equity;Excessburden;Fiscalreconstruction;Fiscalreform;Governmentdebt;Imputedrent;Incometax;Inverseelasticityrule;Japan;Japaneseeconomy;Laborsupply;Leisure;Luxurygoods;Necessities;Optimaltaxation;Personaltaxes;Primarybalance;Progressivity;Ramsey;Regressivity;Saving;TIntroductionTheJapanesegovernment’soutstandingdebtasaratioofGDPiscurrentlyinexcessof150percentandisbyfarthehighestamongthemajorindustrializednations,dueinlargeparttotherepeatedeconomicstimuluspackagesimplementedduringthedecade-Thus,fiscalreconstructionisanurgentpriorityoftheJapanesegovernment,andithaspledgedtorestoretheprimarybalance(definedasgovernmentrevenuesexcludingbondrevenuesminusgovernmentexpendituresexcludinginterestpaymentsanddebtredemption)TheJapanesegovernmentplanstoachievefiscalreconstructionthroughacombinationofspendingcutsandtaxincreasessinceneitherofthem Withrespecttotaxincreases,theJapanesegovernmentappearstobeplanningtorelyprimarilyonhikesintheconsumptiontax,butinMarch2006,theFiscalSystemCouncil(ZaiseiSeido-touShingikai)releasedtheresultsofitsprojectionsshowingthattheconsumptiontaxwillhavetoberaisedsharplyfrom thecurrent5percenttoafull22percentby2015iffiscalreconstructionistobeachievedbyrelyingsolelyonhikesintheconsump-Theauthorsarestrongly againstusing hikesin theconsumption tax to achievefiscalreconstruction,Unlesstheconsumptiontaxcanbemademoreprogressivebyconvertingittoanexpendituretaxorbysettingalowertaxrateforfoodandothernecessitiesthanforothergoods,wefavorrelyinginsteadonincreasingincometaxrevenuebystricterenforcementand/InJapan,thereissubstantialtaxevasion,especiallybyfarmersandtheself-employed,andthusrevenuefrom theincometaxcouldbeincreasedconsiderablyevenwithoutchangingtaxratesifenforcementweremadestricter(forexample,byintroducingataxpayeridentificationnumbersystem,increasingthenumberoftaxauditors,and/orincreasingtheproportionoftaxreturnsthatareaudited)Moreover,stricterenforcementoftheincometaxwouldsimultaneouslyenhancetheinter-Ifstricterenforcementoftheincometaxdoesnotincreasetaxrevenuebyasufficientamount,SincetheburdenofincometaxesinJapanisfarlowerthaninothercountries,thereisconsiderablescopeforraisingincometaxesandmakingthem moreprogressive,Wefavorachievingfiscalreconstructionbyraisingrevenuefromtheincometaxratherthanbyraisingrevenuefrom Theincometaxisfarmoreprogressive(andhencemoreequitable)thantheconsumptiontaxtobeginwith,andmoreover,ifweenforceitmorestrictlyandincreaseitsprogressivity,itwouldgeneratemorerevenueand,atthesametime,becomeevenmoreequitable(acrossoccupationsaswellasacrossincomegroups),Ifthereisnochoicebuttorelypartlyorwhollyonhikesintheconsumptiontaxasawayofincreasingtaxrevenueandachievingfiscalreconstruction,wefavorincreasingtheprogressivityoftheconsumptiontaxbyintroducingadifferentialtaxrateforfoodandothernecessitiesandeliminatingthedistortionscausedbytheconsumptiontaxusingthemeansdescribedindetailinSIntheremainderofthispaper,weconductatheoreticalanalysisofpersonaltaxes(definedtoincludeconsumptionandincometaxes),describeandevaluatethepastandpresentstructureofpersonaltaxesinJapan,andbasedonourfindings,makeanumberofpolicyrecommendationsabouthow toreform personaltaxesinJWefindthatthestructureofJapan’scurrentconsumptionandincometaxesisproblematicfrom theviewpointsofbothefficiencyandequityandproposeareform packagethatimprovesboththeefficiencyandequityofJapan’spersonaltaxesand,atthesametime,achievesfiTInSection2,weconductatheoreticalanalysisofpersonaltaxes(consumptionandincometaxes)from theviewpointsofefficiencyandequity;inSection3,wedescribeandevaluatethepastandpresentstructureofpersonaltaxesinJapanfromtheviewpointsofefficiency,equityandcountercyclicalpolicy;andfinally,inSection4,wemakepolicyrecommendationsbasedonourfindings我继续添加,一次发不完!我的邮箱,我给你传过去,还击败kb呢!