| CODE | ECN2332 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Economics of Taxation | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Economics | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit builds on the foundations laid in the Economics of the Public Sector and presents the theoretical and conceptual framework of taxation. This study-unit is about the study of government revenue raised through taxation. It presents students with the general theory of taxation. It sets out the general principles of taxation examining who bears the burden of taxation and exploring the effects of taxation on economic efficiency. It shows how equity and efficiency considerations may be balanced off against each other. This study-unit also examines one of the most important problems of tax design: how to tax the returns to capital. In sum, this study-unit presents students with both the theory of taxation as well as a detailed examination of the design and implementation of taxation. Study-Unit Aims: - The aim of this study-unit is to provide students with a unifying conceptual framework for examing taxation and to use this framework for analyzing current tax policy and proposals for reform. The focus of this study-unit is on evaluating the impact of taxation on the allocation of resources and the distribution of income; - More specifically, this study-unit aims to provide an insight into taxation policy, its design and administration; a deeper understanding of taxation and how markets respond and a good grasp of the equity implications of taxation and its effciency costs. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - understand the taxation concepts and theoretical models that form the basis of current research in economics of taxation; - identify the key attributes that a good tax system should have; - understand and explain the various ways in which tax systems affect economic efficiency; - identify and understand the difficulties in determining what is a 'fair' tax system; - examine the factors that determine the incidence of taxation; - analyze the determinants of welfare loss from a tax; - describe the basic priniciples of optimal taxation; - understand and explain the empirical issues and policy implications associated with topics related to the economics of taxation; - know, summarize and assess recent contributions to the economics of taxation literature. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - analyze and synthesize information relevant to the study-unit; - apply appropriate research methodologies in the construction of a coherent and logical argument; - apply critical analysis to tax-related issues; - evaluate critically and apply appropriate theoretical knowledge and skills; - contextualise taxation within its social and economic arenas; - critically appraise taxation theories and practices; - analyse real data in both quantitative and descriptive forms. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Public Finance and Public Policy by Gruber Jonathon. Publisher: Worth Publishers - Economics of the Public Sector by J. Stiglitz and J. Rosengard. Publisher: W. W. Norton and Company Inc. - The Economics of Taxation by Bernard Salanie. Publisher: the MIT Press - The Theory of Taxation and Public Economics by Louis Kaplow. Publisher: Princeton University Press. Supplementary Readings: - Supplementary readings consist of research papers, summaries and journal articles. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Charmaine Portelli |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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