TY  - JOUR
AU  - Frenkel,Jacob A.
AU  - Razin,Assaf
AU  - Symansky,Steve
TI  - International VAT Harmonization: Economic Effects
JF  - National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series
VL  - No. 3656
PY  - 1991
Y2  - March 1991
UR  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w3656
L1  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w3656.pdf
N1  - Author contact info:
Jacob Frenkel
Dr. Jacob A. Frenkel
Chairman, JPMorgan Chase International
270 Park Ave 46th floor
New York, NY 10017
Tel: +1 212 270 2393
Fax: +1 212 270 2397
E-Mail: jacob.frenkel@jpmchase.com

Assaf Razin
Department of Economics
Cornell University
Uris 422
Ithaca, NY 14853
Tel: 607/255-9625
Fax: 607/255-2818
E-Mail: ar256@cornell.edu
AB  - This paper highlights macroeconomic issues pertinent to the understanding of the international and domestic effects of international VAT harmonization. It outlines elements of the policies of VAT harmonization envisaged for Europe of 1992, and develops a basic tax model which is suitable for the analysis of the incentive effects of various tax policies and their welfare implications. The model emphasizes the effects of changes in the time profile of the various taxes on the intertemporal allocations of savings, investment, and labor. Dynamic simulations reveal that the macroeconomic and welfare implications of VAT harmonization depend critically on the tax system and on the degree of substitution governing temporal and intertemporal allocations. In this context we consider several forms of income (cash flow, labor income, and capital income taxes) as well as tax systems embodying various saving and investment incentives. The simulations also reveal the potential conflicts of interest, within each country and between countries, that can arise from VAT harmonization.
ER  -