Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Place: IMF Headquarters, Events Hall
(HQ1-01-704), 720 19th St,
NW, Washington, DC 20431
The Mirrlees review has already become a landmark in thinking about tax reform in advanced economies.
It presents recommendations for tax reform by a group of the world’s leading public finance economists which, while shaped for the U.K., have wider relevance to all advanced economies—including very prominently the U.S.—needing to address deep fiscal challenges while supporting growth and meeting wider social goals.
The event will present, and provide an opportunity to discuss, the Review's new ideas on corporate and international taxation, the structure of the tax-benefits systems, VAT and environmental taxes, and a wide range of other tax issues.
Link
Tax by Design presents a picture of coherent tax reform whose aim is to identify the characteristics of a good tax system for any open developed economy, to assess the extent to which the UK tax system conforms to these ideals, and to recommend how it might realistically be reformed in that direction. Drawing on the expert evidence in Dimensions of Tax Design, it provides an integrated view of tax reform.
The volume was written by James Mirrlees (Cambridge University and the Chinese University of Hong Kong), Stuart Adam (IFS), Tim Besley (Bank of England and the London School of Economics), Richard Blundell (IFS and University College London), Stephen Bond (Oxford University), Robert Chote (Office for Budget Responsibility and former IFS Director), Malcolm Gammie QC (One Essex Court and the IFS Tax Law Review Committee), Paul Johnson (Director, IFS), Gareth Myles (Exeter University), and James Poterba (US National Bureau of Economic Research and the National Tax Association).
'Whatever view you take of tax reform, you will need to read this volume in order to participate in the debate.' Mervyn King, Governor, Bank of England
'Theory and practice rarely are brought together effectively. This volume is the best public economics has to offer. It should be read by anyone who cares about the future of taxation - that is anyone who cares about the future of government.' Lawrence Summers, Charles W. Eliot University Professor of Harvard University
'a fundamental review of British taxes by the Institute for Fiscal Studies, the first such exercise for more than 30 years. The results are a bracing blast of fresh air, which deserves to scour away some of the tax junk that has accreted over the decades.' Tim Harford, Financial Times
'a worthy successor to the 1978 Meade Review of taxation ... The Review is a terrific achievement ... the most thorough and clear-sighted assessment of the UK tax system we have seen for decades.' Diane Coyle,
The Enlightened Economist
'The report was compiled by some of the world's finest economic brains...' Peter Wilby, New Statesman
Contents and Preface
1. Introduction
2. The economic approach to tax design
3. The taxation of labour earnings
4. Reforming the taxation of earnings in the UK
5. Integrating personal taxes and benefits
6. Taxing goods and services
7. Implementation of VAT
8. VAT and financial services
9. Broadening the VAT base
10. Environmental taxation
11. Tax and climate change
12. Taxes on motoring
13. The taxation of household savings
14. Reforming the taxation of savings
15. Taxes on wealth transfers
16. The taxation of land and property
17. Taxing corporate income
18. Corporate taxation in an international context
19. Small business taxation
20. Conclusions and recommendations for reform
References and Index
Download the full report [3,057 KB]
