The global financial crisis had a dramatic short-term effect on federal relations and, as the twelve case studies in this illuminating book show, set in place a new set of socio-political factors that are shaping the longer-run process of institutional change in federal systems. The Future of Federalism illustrates how an understanding of these complex dynamics is crucial to the development of policies needed for effective and sustainable federal governance in the 21st century. The book finds that growing fiscal pressures are interacting with domestic political variables to produce country specific federal dynamics. Arguably the first detailed study of the medium term impact of the financial crisis and its aftermath on federal governance, this volume highlights how growing budget pressures are contributing to increased centralisation in many federations, while in others national governments are devolving power to appease regional grievances and preserve the federal union. Contributions from leading federalism and public finance scholars test recent theoretical explanations of change in federal systems against the experiences of a diverse cross-section of federal jurisdictions. The case studies include both established federations and 'federalizing' jurisdictions, such as the UK and China, and highlights the complex dynamics which shape the evolution of federal governance Comprehensive and interdisciplinary, this timely book will appeal to students and scholars - from political science, economics and law - studying federalism, governance studies and comparative political economy. It is essential reading for public officials and policy makers interested in intergovernmental relations, public finance and budgeting and tax policy. Contributors include: J.R. Afonso, D.M. Brown, C. Colino, T.J. Conlan, L. de Mello, E. del Pino, R. Eccleston, R. Hortle, R. Jha, R. Krever, S. Lee, R. Mabugu, E. Massetti, P. Mellor, J. Schnellenbach, N. Soguel, C. Wong

No government can be sustained without the ability to tax its citizens. The question then arises how can a nation do so in a way that's fair and equitable to taxpayers without distorting incentives or the allocation of resources, while simultaneously promoting economic growth and providing the state with the funds it requires to adequately address the needs of its citizens? This insightful work, featuring contributions from a stellar array of international tax experts and economists, addresses the crucial issues which developed countries will confront in the early decades of the twenty-first century: - The pursuit of tax reform. - Personal tax base: income or consumption? - Tax rate scale: equity and efficiency aspects. - Business tax reform: structural and design issues. - Interjurisdictional issues. - Controlling tax avoidance.

The 20th century will probably be regarded as a watershed in the history of taxation. The first half of the century was characterized by numerous changes to tax theory and practice that alone probably outstripped those of the previous millennium. But these developments are modest when viewed against the barrage of competing theoretical views and technical analyses of tax policy in the century's last five decades, let alone the avalanche of legislation, regulations, rulings and tax commissions that marked, first, the post-war growth of the welfare state and, second, the growing internationalization of world commerce and the ensuing competition for economic advantages. The expert papers in "Tax Conversations" review the principal themes dominating tax debate and tax reform at the end of the century. Together, they seek to explain how these issues have evolved, their current implications, and their possible or probable directions into the next century. The conversations analyze these elements of the tax debate in order to give meaning to their past and to assess the prospects for their futures. The papers in this volume are presented in honour of John G. Head, a scholar whose work has done much to educate tax theorists and those implementing policy, and considered by many to be this generation's leading figure in Australian public finance.

This book explains the theoretical and policy issues associated with the taxation of financial services and includes a jurisdictional overview that illustrates alternative policy choices and the legal consequences of those choices . The book addresses the question: how can financial services in an increasingly globalized market best be taxed through VAT while avoiding economic distortions? It supports the discussion of the key practical problems that have arisen from the particular complexity of the application of VAT to financial services, and allows for the evaluation of best practice by comparing the major current reform models now being implemented.

This book explains the theoretical and policy issues associated with the taxation of financial services and includes a jurisdictional overview that illustrates alternative policy choices and the legal consequences of those choices . The book addresses the question: how can financial services in an increasingly globalized market best be taxed through VAT while avoiding economic distortions? It supports the discussion of the key practical problems that have arisen from the particular complexity of the application of VAT to financial services, and allows for the evaluation of best practice by comparing the major current reform models now being implemented.

With the globalization of the world's economies, the elimination of barriers to mobility within trade blocks, and the growth of consolidated multinational businesses, the movement of employees and independent contractors is an obvious feature of modern commercial life. While labour mobility may not yet be as free as capital mobility, the ground is closing. A logical response to the increased mobility of labour would be a gradual convergence of different countries' tax rules applying to expatriates, as nations seek to grapple with the same problem, and a growing harmonization of rules to prevent overlaps and double taxation while closing the lacunae which allow taxpayers to escape taxation completely. As the papers in this volume show, however, the legislatures responsible for drafting tax laws and the tax authorities responsible for administering them are many steps behind commercial developments. Indeed, if anything, the gap is widening. As the papers in this volume examine every aspect of the topic, different, sometimes dramatically different, approaches between jurisdictions are revealed. It is, therefore, to be hoped that governments turn their attention to the problems raised in this volume and explore appropriate paths for unilateral or multilateral resolution of these issues.