Public Finance Fundamentals, now in its third edition, aims to facilitate and advance the learning of the fundamentals of public finance, the basic tenets that apply even as the social, political and legislative environments of organisations shift over time. The idea of the book is to equip readers with long-lasting knowledge, skills, and analytical tools to successfully tackle various types of organisational, institutional and public-sector dynamics, by giving them an understanding of financial management concepts, principles, theory, and policy. This third edition of Public Finance Fundamentals expands the scope of the previous editions to cover contemporary concerns and debates emanating from emerging economic and financial trends in many developing countries, including South Africa. As with the previous editions, the chapters include learning outcomes and summaries, as well as illustrations, tables, and figures.

The new, updated edition of the 2017 bestseller!

Coming to grips with money, making wise decisions and setting ourselves on a path to wealth can be daunting. Some women excel at this; others battle from payday to payday. What do ‘smart women’ know that the rest of us can learn? In this updated edition, Smartwoman reveals who is competing for your money (black tax and other family pressures), how to create a designer life (as opposed to filling up space with designer stuff), and how to start a side hustle. It also covers major life events, such as marriage, divorce and death, and how you can make smart financial decisions at these times.

Knowing how and where to invest is crucial to building wealth, and this book covers the full spectrum of investment options, including equities, property, offshore investment and alternative investments, such as art.

New chapters include how Covid-19 impacts our cash flow and investments; side hustles; investing offshore; and cryptocurrencies and how they fit into an investment portfolio.

Whatever your life stage or circumstances, being in financial control, owning your destiny and building long-term wealth is within every woman’s reach.

This timely book explores the measurement and consequences of financialisation, as well as its driving forces, to take a fresh look at reconciling the twin concepts of financialisation and financial development. Imad Moosa provides a critical review of these two separate strands – the individual measures of economic development and financialisation – on the grounds that they are inadequate to represent a multi-dimensional process. Introducing a new composite measure encompassing the means of payment and asset ownership as well as conventional indicators, Moosa expertly investigates the economic, political and social consequences of financialisation. Identifying the driving forces of financialisation, he concludes that there is a requirement to reverse the current trend using more than just legislation and regulation to secure a sound and stable economy. This innovative book will be a fascinating and informative read for academics and research students of financial economics, regulation and economic sociology. Policy makers and politicians engaged in financial regulation will find the suggested insights into achieving future financial stability thought-provoking.

This book is the first coherent quantified assessment of the economy of the Roman Empire. George Maher argues inventively and rigorously for a much higher level of growth and prosperity than has hitherto been imagined, and also explains why, nonetheless, the Roman Empire did not achieve the transition which began in Georgian Britain. This book will have an enormous impact on Roman history and be required reading for all teachers and students in the field. It will also interest and provoke historians of the medieval and early modern periods into wondering why their economies failed to match the Roman level. Part of the problem in assessing the Roman economy is that we do not have much in the way of numerical data, but Roman historians, who rarely have much statistical expertise, have not always recognised the potential of the data we do have. Dr Maher's reassessment of the economy of the Roman Empire has to use the same data as everyone else, but he is able to draw strikingly novel conclusions in two ways: first, by more statistically sophisticated use of a few crucial datasets and, second, by correlating and drawing a coherent picture across the whole economy. On grain yields, firstly, instead of getting bogged down in details of individual cases, George Maher shows how there is a remarkably consistent pattern from which outliers can be excluded, showing yields were much higher than normally assumed. He then demonstrates that high yields are in fact necessary to explain the exceptional urbanization of the Empire. Urbanization at this level in turn, as George Maher shows, has implications for consumption and commerce. He takes this further to show how high levels of trade imply high levels of sophistication in economic practices and mentality. In one of his most methodologically novel chapters, George Maher develops a new and simpler way of assessing average life expectancy and argues for a life expectancy almost double the traditional view. This book, Dr George Maher's doctoral thesis, is the theoretical underpinning of his book Pugnare: Economic Success and Failure.

The public finance branch of economics has seen a great deal of change in prevailing attitudes regarding the role of the market and the role of government in countries with democratic institutions and market economies. Different functions have been added, over the past century, and especially after World War II, to the role that the government should play. The laissez faire ideology of the past, that minimized the government role, was progressively abandoned until the last two decades of the 20th century, when there was an attempt to reduce the ambitious role that the government had assumed, and to give a growing role back to the market. This book explains how changes in both the market and the government have made public finance a more challenging, interesting and at times frustrating branch of economics. It provides a cosmopolitan perspective and details the part that historical developments have played in shaping modern views. The author explores the real life, practical nature of public finance and de-emphasizes the role of armchair theorizing by focusing on real issues that are seen from a community rather than an individualistic perspective. The Advanced Introduction to Public Finance offers a fresh look at the field for students, researchers and policymakers in economics, public administration, taxation, policy and economic history.

Taking an innovative look at the origins of economics, this forward-thinking book relocates economics from a materialistic general theory of rational action into an idealistic theory of social organization and individual action. Adding new insightful analytical methods such as complexity theory, graph theory and computational modelling to the original insights of the Scottish Enlightenment, Richard Wagner explores economics in an ever-changing society, looking at the key civilizing processes and the important social questions. Rethinking Economics as Social Theory moves away from the traditional review of analytical exercises and associated data and illustrates an enlightening scheme of thought where human societies are heterogeneous and not homogeneous and where change is continually in motion. Furthermore, Wagner theorises that economizing is a universal form of human action that plays out in numerous substantive directions and shows cooperation and conflict to have a yin-and-yang relationship. This illuminating book will prove an excellent resource for economists interested in working outside of comparative statics as well as social scientists looking for a broader vision of economics. Philosophers and those working in the field of biological sciences will also find this an informative read.

This title is not merely a new edition, but a complete rewrite. It provides the reader with a thorough understanding of international income tax aspects from a South African perspective. Topics generally regarded as highly complex are dealt with in a practical way, and illustrated by relevant examples. These topics include: controlled foreign companies; foreign dividends; exchange controls; tax havens; intermediate holding companies; double-taxation agreements. Some features of this title include: a discussion of the 2010 Update to OECD Model Tax Convention and Commentaries as well as the 2010 SA Legislative amendments; a rewritten chapter on Trusts; a substantially expanded bibliography. Five new chapters added on: Taxation of individuals; Taxation of Companies and Dividends; Taxation of Partnerships; Cross-border VAT; and Interpretation of Statutes.

This guide has been written with specific reference to the Examinable Taxation Pronouncements (the tax syllabus) for the Initial Test of Competence (ITC) of SAICA.

We have spent the last three decades engaged in a pointless and irrelevant debate about the relative merits of privatization or nationalization. We have been arguing about the wrong thing while sitting on a goldmine of assets. Don't worry about who owns those assets, worry about whether they are managed effectively. Why does this matter? Because despite the Thatcher/ Reagan economic revolution, the largest pool of wealth in the world - a global total that is much larger than the world's total pensions savings, and ten times the total of all the sovereign wealth funds on the planet - is still comprised of commercial assets that are held in public ownership. If professionally managed, they could generate an annual yield of 2.7 trillion dollars, more than current global spending on infrastructure: transport, power, water, and communications. Based on both economic research and hands-on experience from many countries, the authors argue that publicly owned commercial assets need to be taken out of the direct and distorting control of politicians and placed under professional management in a 'National Wealth Fund' or its local government equivalent. Such a move would trigger much-needed structural reforms in national economies, thus resurrect strained government finances, bolster ailing economic growth, and improve the fabric of democratic institutions. This radical, reforming book was named one of the "Books of the Year".by both the FT and The Economist.

For readers interested in an overview of what led to the adoption of the European Union's Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and its aftermath, this book traces the discursive dynamics and milestones of the negotiations around the MFF and the new recovery instrument, aimed at alleviating the economic crisis caused by the Coronavirus pandemic. Covering the negotiations of the current MFF, contributions by both scholarly experts in their respective policy areas and authors close to the policy community in Brussels provide a well rounded insight into this discerning topic. Chapters explore the issues that unfolded during the negotiations of the MFF and recovery package against the backdrop of conflicts over solidarity, identity and sovereignty and thus the scope of cooperation and membership as well as institutional design and authority. EU Policymaking at a Crossroads anticipates, describes and discursively explains changes in selected policy areas, looking into the negotiations, effects and reflections surrounding them. This timely book will be a highly beneficial read for academics and students in the fields of international relations, European politics and public policy. Scholars specializing in multilevel governance of different policy areas such as sustainability, agriculture and migration will also profit from this comprehensive book.

Combining theoretical and practical aspects of policy analysis, this book evaluates actual and proposed policy reforms to income tax and transfer systems, using a behavioural tax microsimulation model. It highlights how these models allow for the full details of tax systems and the considerable population heterogeneity that is found in practice. John Creedy and Penny Mok look at how such models can be used to obtain summary measures that are relevant in tax debates. These include elasticities of labour supply and measures of the welfare effects of tax changes, in terms of excess burdens. Chapters further examine how models can be used to search systematically, across a range of policy changes, for revenue-neutral reforms which result in an improvement, in terms of an explicit evaluation function. This will be a timely read for students of public finance, welfare and labour economics. The careful attention paid to metrics used in policy evaluations will also make this a useful book for researchers and policy advisors concerned with income taxation, social transfers, inequality and poverty measurement.

Help students learn what taxes are, how they work, and why they exist. This nonfiction book describes the purpose and history of taxes, and includes a glossary, short fiction piece related to the topic, and an exciting activity. Above all, this book explains how taxes function in society in an easy-to-understand way. This 32-page full-color book covers how taxes work, the different types of taxes, and what taxes pay for. It also explores important topics like civic duty and democracy and includes an extension activity for grade 3. Perfect for the classroom, at-home learning, or homeschool to discover taxation, money, and public goods and services.

Fifty years on from the introduction of Value Added Tax (VAT) across the European Union and its Member States, this comprehensive book provides a practical commentary on, and analysis of, the harmonised system of VAT in the EU. This meticulously researched reference work not only analyses legislation and case law, but also examines them in the broader context of the operation of EU law. Written by a team of expert practitioners led by KPE Lasok QC, an authority on European law with extensive practical experience of VAT and Customs cases, this book includes a detailed discussion of the relevant case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union, considering cases critically with a view to identifying underlying trends and principles. Key features include: consideration of the broader context in which EU law operates comprehensive, simultaneous analysis of legislation and case law critical examination of principles underpinning relevant case law a definitive exposition of the present state of the harmonised EU VAT system. EU Value Added Tax Law will prove to be an indispensable source of practical knowledge and background information for tax practitioners advising clients and in-house tax advisers assisting their employers in relation to VAT in the EU, as well as officials of tax authorities in EU Member States. Academics researching or teaching VAT will also find this book's detailed and critical coverage invaluable. Contributors include: S. Black, E. Hellier, T. Lall, KPE Lasok, H.L. McCarthy

Presenting innovative modelling approaches to the analysis of fiscal policy and government debt, this book moves beyond previous models that have relied upon the assumption that various age-specific rates and policy variables remain unchanged when it comes to generating government expenditures and tax revenues. As a result of population ageing, current policy settings in many countries are projected to lead to unsustainable levels of public debt; Tax Policy and Uncertainty explores models that allow for feedbacks and uncertainty to combat this. Applicable to any country, the models in the book explore the optimal timing and extent of tax changes in the face of anticipated high future debt. Chapters produce stochastic debt projections, including probability distribution of debt ratios at each point in time. It also offers important analysis of fiscal policy trade-offs as well as providing advice on when and by how much tax rates should be increased. Economics scholars focusing on fiscal policy will appreciate the improved models in this book that allow both for uncertainty and feedback effects arising from responses to increased debt. It will also be helpful to economic policy advisors and economists in government departments.

Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences, business and law, expertly written by the world's leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas. This Advanced Introduction presents the modern theories of corporate finance. Its focus on core concepts offers useful managerial insights, bolstered by recent empirical evidence, to provide a richer understanding of critical corporate financial policy decisions. Key features include: A modern approach to corporate financial theory and evidence Key research presented in a structured manner Concepts explained in an intuitive, example-filled manner that does not require a strong mathematics background Detailed references for those wishing further reading on particular topics. Within business programs, the book offers an insightful introduction for courses on corporate finance, but also can be employed as a supplementary text in broader business courses. Experienced managers in financial functions will find the book a useful review and update of material developed since earning their degrees. Given the increasing use of cross-functional teams within the business community, the book provides a richer understanding of corporate financial policy choices for managers across a broad array of business functions.

This comprehensive Handbook provides an insight into the main concepts and academic debates on taxation from a political science perspective. Providing a background to current debates on green taxation, taxation and inequality, taxation and gender, tax evasion and avoidance, and tax compliance, it offers potential avenues for future research. The Handbook explores the historical evolution of modern tax systems, contemporary tax politics from a comparative perspective, global tax politics from an international relations perspective, and the formation of tax policy preferences of taxpayers, voters, business associations and parties. Expert contributors analyse the foundations of the field of research and focus on key debates, including the links between colonization and taxation, international cooperation against tax evasion and avoidance, and the taxation of financial transactions. The Handbook on the Politics of Taxation will be a vital resource for academics and students of public finance and public policy. Its exploration of tax compliance and voter preferences will also be beneficial for practitioners and policymakers in these fields.

Comparing Income Distributions brings together John Creedy's recent original research and analyses of income distribution. The book is concerned with both static, or cross-sectional, comparisons, and dynamic aspects of income mobility. The author presents new methods of depicting and measuring income mobility and poverty persistence. Income mobility is explored in terms of individuals' relative income changes and their positional changes within the distribution. The first half of the book covers a range of technical aspects of inequality measurement, including less well-known properties of inequality indices, and the decomposition of inequality changes into component contributions. The second half explores various aspects of the graphical display and measurement of income mobility. While the focus of the book is on methods, illustrative examples are provided using New Zealand data. Graduate students, public sector economists, and researchers interested in income distribution will welcome this important work.

This book presents a general theory of the economics of prosperity. Drawing upon both historic and contemporary Austrian economic thinking, it looks beyond merely identifying various isolated causes of economic growth and development to describe and explain the process of economic progress. It brings together various economic principles related to production, exchange, the market division of labor, capital, technology, entrepreneurship, and economic calculation, and a further understanding of how different institutional settings and specific policies all affect the process of economic progress. It also provides a helpful critique of modern growth theory. The author argues that economic prosperity is not monocausal. It is the happy consequence of a highly developed division of labor, taking advantage of an expanding capital structure, embodied in technically advanced capital goods, all wisely invested by entrepreneurs. All these sources of prosperity require the social institutions of private property and sound money to function well together, facilitating economic progress and human civilization. The Economics of Prosperity provides a comprehensive explanation of the myriad of factors influencing economic growth and development for scholars, policy makers and economists.

Public private partnerships (PPPs) have been a controversial approach to procuring public infrastructure services. Against a background of recent trenchant criticism of PPPs, Mervyn K. Lewis, a leading scholar in the area, re-examines their utility. He questions what PPPs can and cannot do, why governments choose this route and whether PPPs can ever be good value for money. The author analyses the extensive use of PPPs for hospitals and transport megaprojects and outlines the key challenges to implementing them, shaping the future direction of the PPP model. Exploring the psychological influences on decision-making, the book also puts a new focus on the people delivering the project; it is not only a matter of selecting the right model. Professor Lewis concludes that, although the PPP model remains problematic, if chosen appropriately every procurement approach has its place in good policy. Providing an in-depth exploration of the features of PPPs and the complexities of megaprojects, Rethinking Public Private Partnerships will be of considerable interest to academics and students of public policy, economic regulation and governance, and public finance. Its re-assessment of the field will also prove invaluable for government procurers, advisory firms and PPP experts.

Innovative in its approach, Rethinking Public Choice reviews the concept of public choice since the 1950s post-war period and the application of economics to political practices and institutions, as well as its evolution in recent years attracting contributions from political science and philosophy. Examining the growing variety of theoretical orientations on the topic, such as entangled political economy and additive political economy, the book provides new analytical insights into combining the old and new to establish a more unified political economy. Richard E. Wagner expertly highlights the key issues an entangled economy can bring, including incomplete information and its constant evolution as it reflects ever changing public choice ideas. Wagner seeks to extend the reach of public choice by distinguishing the formal idea of rationality that has dominated public choice from the immensely varied practice of human action that opens up now directions for public choice. This insightful approach will prove an excellent resource for academics and scholars of economics and political science, as well as those within the field of public administration as it offers an excellent blend of all subjects.

Master the most important areas of today's tax law with Whittenburg/Gill's best-selling INCOME TAX FUNDAMENTALS 2023. This concise, practical introduction to tax preparation uses a unique, step-by-step workbook format that integrates real, current examples and uses the most recent actual tax forms. You learn the complexities of the U.S. income tax code as this edition's clear, up-to-date presentation walks you through the most recent tax laws, revisions and changes. Updated end-of-chapter problems and online exercises let you practice completing tax return problems using real source documents identical to those of actual clients. You also learn to use professional Intuit (R) ProConnect (TM) tax preparation software that accompanies each new book. In addition, study tools and helpful resources within the CNOWv2 online homework tool help you further refine your knowledge and practical skills to become a successful tax preparer.

Governments have always endured economic woes, but the increasing severity of such challenges, from the Great Recession starting in 2008 to the unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, highlights the need for better-developed fiscal analysis capacity in governments of all sizes using the most practical-yet robust-techniques available. This volume presents an array of real-world analytical approaches in a variety of service areas at the core of state and local government. The concrete insights provided by this book serve as important tools for policy analysts, government officials charged with policy implementation, and public finance scholars across developing and developed countries looking for the essential, high-level analytical skills needed to expand internal capacity to weather uncertain economic environments. The book bridges the research-practice gap and provides practical tools for state and local fiscal analysis, including a detailed how-to guide for producing local tax expenditure reports, an age-based homestead exemption estimate calculator with guide, and simple methods for fuzzy matching administrative data. It is backed up with a depth and breadth of case studies on governments of a variety of sizes. Public officials and analysts in local state/regional institutions and international institutions with a public policy focus as well as public finance scholars across developing and developed countries will find invaluable the analyses and tools provided by this book. It also serves as a key resource for students, researchers, and instructors across public policy.

This timely book analyses the elasticity of taxable income, a central concept in public finance with a rapidly growing wealth of literature. Combining original empirical research with rigorous theoretical modelling of tax revenue and optimal tax policy, this innovative study examines the complexities and new methods of estimating the elasticity of taxable income. Clarifying the role of the elasticity of taxable income in influencing total tax revenue in a complex multi-rate structure, John Creedy divides the change in revenue into various components to derive revenue-maximising rates. He examines the welfare effects and 'excess burden' of income taxation, and considers the role of the elasticity in 'optimal' tax rates and administrative policy aiming to reduce tax evasion. The book concludes with a discussion concerning the problems and various methods of elasticity estimation, including regression and bunching. With detailed illustrations to expand and engage, this will prove an invaluable read for students and scholars of economics, particularly those focusing on the economics of taxation and tax policy. The empirical analyses and practical insights will also benefit public sector economists and policy analysts concerned with tax design.