MARKET AND GOVERNMENT FAILURES RELATED TO THE INTRODUCTION OF TAX INCENTIVES REGIME

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olena SOKOLOVSKA

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The paper deals with problem of effectiveness of tax incentive regimes. The main purpose of this paper is to define causes, factors and measures aimed to prevent and neutralize failures of introduction of tax incentives. In order to examine the behavior of economic agents we used game theory tools, notably the “principal-agent” model, similar to the Allingham-Sandmo model. To solve a problem of inefficient interaction, when investors unreasonably pretend on tax incentives and government ignore that by granting them incentives, we proposed to use Nash-equilibrium in pure strategies. Finally we defined factors of improvement of efficiency of tax incentive regimes, particularly mechanisms of their implementation and termination.

The effective use of property tax incentives for economic development

OpenAIRE

Daphne A. Kenyon; Adam H. Langley; Bethany P. Paquin

2013-01-01

To make property-tax incentives for business more effective, do not approve every incentive request, target use of incentives, avoid incentive wars, cooperate with surrounding localities, and conduct regular evaluations.

Tax incentive as a catalyst for economic development in Nigeria ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

An empirical study using a well structured questionnaire survey, the work assesses the relationship that exists between tax incentive and economic development in Nigeria. This study was undertaken primarily to evaluate the effectiveness of tax incentive in developing the Nigerian economy. One hundred and twenty ...

The Impact of Tax Incentives on Research and Development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Petr Svoboda

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The goal of this article is to analyze the impact of tax incentives on research and development and compare its effectiveness to direct government support of research and development. The analysis is based on regression analysis, which compares effect of tax incentives for research and development and direct government support (as percentage of GDP in 28 countries of OECD in 2013 on innovative effectiveness of these countries measured by number of registered triadic patent families per billion GDP in the same year. Results suggest that tax incentives are more effective form of research and development support than direct government funding. Research also revealed interesting case of Switzerland’s research and development performance backed by almost none government support, which should be subject to future study.

Assessing the Efficiency of Tax Incentives in the System for Managing Regional Finances

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Igonina Lyudmila Lazarevna

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The paper analyzes existing techniques for assessing the effectiveness of tax incentives in the system for managing regional finances and reveals their advantages and disadvantages. It points out major conditions that determine the effectiveness of tax incentives at the regional level. The authors prove that assessing the effectiveness of tax incentives should focus, first, on identifying the relationship between the amounts of falling-out incomes and real economic benefits to the state and taxpayers that they entail; second, on determining the degree of correlation for this relationship; third, on adopting the decisions proceeding from the analysis of decisions concerning the extension of the incentive and its adjustment or possible abolition. The paper substantiates the conclusion that the effectiveness of tax incentives should be evaluated on the basis of three criteria: fiscal, economic and social. At that, the effectiveness of tax incentives at the regional level should be analyzed in several stages: calculation of budgetary, economic and social efficiency ratios; definition of the integral coefficient reflecting the total assessment of tax incentives efficiency; adoption of the decision about the appropriateness of introducing or further using the incentive, the decision being based on the calculations carried out previously. On the basis of the research the authors put forward a methodology for assessing the effectiveness of tax incentives based on the systematization of the totality of indicators in the context of structural determinants and calculation of the integral coefficient, which in contrast to existing techniques helps give an integrated assessment of the effectiveness of tax incentives at the subnational level, the assessment being structured by key blocks; the authors’ methodology also helps identify budgetary, economic and social implications of providing tax incentives. Moreover, the proposed methodology helps evaluate the

Commercialization of biomass energy projects: Outline for maximizing use of valuable tax credits and incentives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanderson, G.A.

1994-01-01

The Federal Government offers a number of incentives designed specifically to promote biomass energy. These incentives include various tax credits, deductions and exemptions, as well as direct subsidy payments and grants. Additionally, equipment manufacturers and project developers may find several other tax provisions useful, including tax incentives for exporting U.S. good and engineering services, as well as incentives for the development of new technologies. This paper outlines the available incentives, and also addresses ways to coordinate the use of tax breaks with government grants and tax-free bond financing in order to maximize benefits for biomass energy projects

Tax Incentives, Global Tax Fairness and the Development of Tax Law in Developed and Developing Countries: A Multi-Way Flow of Concepts

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Burgers, Irene; Weber, Dennis

2017-01-01

This contribution seeks answers to the following three questions: 1. What does history teach us about the international governance tools regarding tax incentives and about soft or hard law used by supranational organizations in respect of tax incentives? Is there a multi-way flow of concepts,

Tax issues and incentives for biomass projects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martin, K.

1993-01-01

The federal government offers a number of tax incentives to developers of biomass projects. This paper describes each tax benefit, explains what conditions must be met before the benefit is available, and offers practical insights gained from working for over 10 years in the field. Understanding what tax benefits are available is important because the more tax benefits a developer can qualify for in connection with his project, the less expensive the project will be to build and operate and the easier it will be to arrange financing because there will be higher returns in the project for potential investors

Focus Tax Incentives on the Students Who Need Them

Science.gov (United States)

Dynarski, Susan M.

2007-01-01

In 1997 Congress crafted an ambitious set of higher-education tax incentives that the House of Representatives and Senate are now revisiting. Millions of students each year receive the Hope tax credit and the Lifetime Learning tax credit. They are now firmly planted in the college-finance landscape. But according to the author, higher-education…

Reforestation tax incentives under the American jobs creation act of 2004

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas J. Straka; John L. Greene

2007-01-01

The American jobs creation act of 2004 made significant changes in the reforestation tax incentives available to private forest owners. Owners can now deduct outright reforestation costs up to $10,000 per year for each qualifying timber property and amortize any additional amount over 8 tax years. to assess the financial benefit the new incentives provide to forest...

The effects of the Employment Tax Incentive on South African employment

OpenAIRE

Ebrahim, Amina; Leibbrandt, Murray; Ranchhod, Vimal

2017-01-01

South Africa's Employment Tax Incentive, launched in 2014, aimed to address low youth employment by reducing the cost of hiring young workers. We make use of anonymized tax administrative data from the 2012-2015 tax years to examine the effect of the Incentive on youth employment. We match firms claiming the subsidy with similar firms not claiming the subsidy and observe their hiring behaviour before and after the implementation of the policy. We find no statistically significant impact on yo...

41 CFR 302-14.7 - Are there tax consequences when I receive a home marketing incentive payment?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 14-HOME MARKETING INCENTIVE PAYMENTS Payment of Incentive to the Employee § 302-14.7 Are there tax..., on the home marketing incentive payment. You will not, however, receive a withholding tax allowance... taxes on the incentive payment. ...

Federal Tax Incentives for Energy Storage Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anderson, Katherine H [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Elgqvist, Emma M [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Settle, Donald E [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2018-01-16

Investments in renewable energy are more attractive due to the contribution of two key federal tax incentives. The investment tax credit (ITC) and the Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System (MACRS) depreciation deduction may apply to energy storage systems such as batteries depending on who owns the battery and how the battery is used. The guidelines in this fact sheet apply to energy storage systems installed at the same time as the renewable energy system.

Health spending, illicit financial flows and tax incentives in Malawi.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Hare, B; Curtis, M

2014-12-01

This analysis examines the gaps in health care financing in Malawi and how foregone taxes could fill these gaps. It begins with an assessment of the disease burden and government health expenditure. Then it analyses the tax revenues foregone by the government of Malawi by two main routes: Illicit financial flows (IFF) from the country, Tax incentives. We find that there are significant financing gaps in the health sector; for example, government expenditure is United States Dollars (USD) 177 million for 2013/2014 while projected donor contribution in 2013/2014 is USD 207 million and the total cost for the minimal health package is USD 535 million. Thus the funding gap between the government budget for health and the required spending to provide the minimal package for 2013/2014 is USD 358 million. On the other hand we estimate that almost USD 400 million is lost through IFF and corporate utilization of tax incentives each year. The revenues foregone plus the current government health spending would be sufficient to cover the minimal public health package for all Malawians and would help tackle Malawi's disease burden. Every effort must be made, including improving transparency and revising laws, to curtail IFF and moderate tax incentives.

Health spending, illicit financial flows and tax incentives in Malawi ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Health spending, illicit financial flows and tax incentives in Malawi. B O'Hare, M Curtis. Abstract. This analysis examines the gaps in health care financing in Malawi and how foregone taxes could fill these gaps. It begins with an assessment of the disease burden and government health expenditure. Then it analyses the tax ...

Tax incentives and the demand for private health insurance.

Science.gov (United States)

Stavrunova, Olena; Yerokhin, Oleg

2014-03-01

We analyze the effect of an individual insurance mandate (Medicare Levy Surcharge) on the demand for private health insurance (PHI) in Australia. With administrative income tax return data, we show that the mandate has several distinct effects on taxpayers' behavior. First, despite the large tax penalty for not having PHI coverage relative to the cost of the cheapest eligible insurance policy, compliance with mandate is relatively low: the proportion of the population with PHI coverage increases by 6.5 percentage points (15.6%) at the income threshold where the tax penalty starts to apply. This effect is most pronounced for young taxpayers, while the middle aged seem to be least responsive to this specific tax incentive. Second, the discontinuous increase in the average tax rate at the income threshold created by the policy generates a strong incentive for tax avoidance which manifests itself through bunching in the taxable income distribution below the threshold. Finally, after imposing some plausible assumptions, we extrapolate the effect of the policy to other income levels and show that this policy has not had a significant impact on the overall demand for private health insurance in Australia. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

75 FR 63428 - Historic Preservation Certifications for Federal Income Tax Incentives

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-15

... Preservation Certifications for Federal Income Tax Incentives AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior. ACTION... corporations must obtain these certifications to be eligible for tax credits from the Internal Revenue Service... containing the requirements for obtaining a tax credit; replaces references to NPS's regional offices with...

Investment Incentives and Effective Tax Rates in the Philippines; A Comparison With Neighboring Countries

OpenAIRE

Alexander D Klemm; Dennis P Botman; Reza Baqir

2008-01-01

We compare the general tax provisions and investment incentives in the Philippines to six other east-Asian economies-Malaysia, Indonesia, Lao, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand. We calculate effective tax rates and find that general effective tax rates are relatively high in the Philippines, while investment incentives are comparable to those in neighboring countries. Tax holidays are most attractive for very profitable firms, creating redundancy, and for investment in short-lived assets. We al...

A Theory of Tax Avoidance - Managerial Incentives for Tax Planning in a Multi-Task Principal-Agent Model

OpenAIRE

Ewert, Ralf; Niemann, Rainer

2014-01-01

We derive determinants of tax avoidance by means of a multi-task principal-agent model. We extend prevailing models by integrating both corporate and individual income taxation as well as by including tax planning effort in the agent’s action portfolio. Our model shows novel and apparently paradoxical results regarding the impact of increased tax rates on efforts, risks, and incentive schemes. First, the principal’s after-tax profit can increase with a higher corporate tax rate. Second, t...

Evaluation of state taxes and tax incentives and their impact on the development of geothermal energy in western states

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bronder, L.D.; Meyer, R.T.

1981-01-01

The economic impact of existing and prospective state taxes and tax incentives on direct thermal applications of geothermal energy are evaluated. Study area is twelve western states which have existing and potential geothermal activities. Economic models representing the geothermal producer and business enterprise phases of four industrial/commercial uses of geothermal energy are synthesized and then placed in the existing tax structures of each state for evaluation. The four enterprises are a commercial greenhouse (low temperature process heat), apartment complex (low temperature space heat), food processor (moderate temperature process heat), and small scale energy system (electrical and direct thermal energy for a small industrial park). The effects of the state taxations on net profits and tax revenues are determined. Tax incentives to accelerate geothermal development are also examined. The magnitudes of total state and local tax collections vary considerably from state to state, which implies that geothermal producers and energy-using businesses may be selective in expanding or locating their geothermal operations.

Policy recommendations on tacing and reducing program mismatch and perverse incentives present in earmarking sin tax to tobacco growing areas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Madeiline Joy Aloria

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Background Recognizing that the Philippine 1991 tobacco tax sharing law favoured the development of tobacco, the Sin Tax Law, a separate law on restructuring cigarette tax, expanded the use of such to also cover shifting farmers to viable alternative livelihood. Aside from health-driven supply reduction objectives, this is crucial as evidence shows that tobacco production is continuously declining starting decades ago, requiring to actively shift farmers. Methods Data on tobacco excise tax earmarking and utilization, farmers´ production and shifting behaviours, labor improvement and poverty alleviation indicators, and LGU capacity were analysed to determine potential program mismatches and perverse incentives. Supporting qualitative data were used to identify policy and structural gaps to address these. Results Financing livelihood projects becomes the least priority (only 6% average share i funds, as a result of LGU´s final allocation being determined by their share in total tobacco leaf production, which actually put pressure on their farmers to increase production volume. Meanwhile, infrastructure continue to get bulk of sin tax earmarking and are linked to its political benefits. Last, the provision of cooperative and agro-industrial projects in selected areas were shifting behaviour is heavy can still be improved. Conclusions As the two tobacco tax sharing laws fund both programs to develop tobacco and to shift tobacco farmers to other livelihood, a schizophrenic management exists. Key structural and policy ingredients have to be present to reverse this. First is the need to establish institutional support to manage alternative livelihood funds, in order to balance the powers of National Tobacco Administration over tobacco growing areas. Allocation should not be based on production volume but rather on a systemic or comprehensive welfare assessment of shifted farmers. As livelihood programs are most commonly coursed through civil society

Tax Incentives for Industry Synergy in Nigeria: A Pragmatic ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

gold

2012-07-26

Jul 26, 2012 ... the impact of tax incentives on corporate financial performance in Nigeria. The specific ..... many contemporary researchers in the field of financial/taxation accounting. .... The Principle of Personal Income Taxation in Nigeria.

The Unintended Consequences of Property Tax Relief: New York's STAR Program

Science.gov (United States)

Eom, Tae Ho; Duncombe, William; Nguyen-Hoang, Phuong; Yinger, John

2014-01-01

New York's School Tax Relief Program, STAR, provides state-funded property tax relief for homeowners. Like a matching grant, STAR changes the price of education, thereby altering the incentives of voters and school officials and leading to unintended consequences. Using data for New York State school districts before and after STAR was…

Waiting for tax credits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sheinkopf, K.

1992-01-01

This article examines the effect of tax credits and related legislation under consideration by Congress on the economics of the renewable energy industry. The topics discussed in the article include conflicting industry opinion on financial incentives, the effectiveness of current incentives, and alternative approaches. The article also includes a sidebar on tax incentives offered by state programs

Cost-benefit of tax incentives and performance indicators: a case study in the company GRENDENE S/A

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Josiane Marostica

2017-09-01

Full Text Available This study aimed to analyze the cost/benefit of tax incentives and performance indicators of Grendene S/A footwear company in the period of 2010 to 2014. The research is justified by the importance of companies seeking techniques and methodologies that are more advantageous corporately to achieve better performance. In this sense, the accounting is shown as an important tool, acting as a source of information for decision-making and wealth measurement of their investors. The methodology will be through case study in a company in the footwear sector, listed on the BM & FBovespa, with data in the periods of 2010 to 2014 available at the base of Economatica and the Financial Statements. Having the data has been identified, the modalities of tax incentives that the company benefited during the study, as well as the traditional performance indicators. To analyze the cost/benefit of tax incentives was used data from DVA and tax subsidies provided in the notes to DFPs. The results show that the company needs a constant and effective monitoring of the costs and benefits of tax waiver. Also identifies that the value of tax incentives received does not equal proportion the generation of net wealth. The results of this study confirm the theoretical basis that the benefits brought by tax incentives outnumber the costs of tax waiver, but may represent a dangerous dependence as to jeopardize the continuity of the company if they were removed.

Will the use of a carbon tax for revenue generation produce an incentive to continue carbon emissions?

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Rong; Moreno-Cruz, Juan; Caldeira, Ken

2017-05-01

Integrated assessment models are commonly used to generate optimal carbon prices based on an objective function that maximizes social welfare. Such models typically project an initially low carbon price that increases with time. This framework does not reflect the incentives of decision makers who are responsible for generating tax revenue. If a rising carbon price is to result in near-zero emissions, it must ultimately result in near-zero carbon tax revenue. That means that at some point, policy makers will be asked to increase the tax rate on carbon emissions to such an extent that carbon tax revenue will fall. Therefore, there is a risk that the use of a carbon tax to generate revenue could eventually create a perverse incentive to continue carbon emissions in order to provide a continued stream of carbon tax revenue. Using the Dynamic Integrated Climate Economy (DICE) model, we provide evidence that this risk is not a concern for the immediate future but that a revenue-generating carbon tax could create this perverse incentive as time goes on. This incentive becomes perverse at about year 2085 under the default configuration of DICE, but the timing depends on a range of factors including the cost of climate damages and the cost of decarbonizing the global energy system. While our study is based on a schematic model, it highlights the importance of considering a broader spectrum of incentives in studies using more comprehensive integrated assessment models. Our study demonstrates that the use of a carbon tax for revenue generation could potentially motivate implementation of such a tax today, but this source of revenue generation risks motivating continued carbon emissions far into the future.

Income tax credits and incentives available for producing energy from biomass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanderson, G.A.

1993-01-01

In the 1970's the US became interested in the development of energy from biomass and other alternative sources. While this interest was stimulated primarily by the oil embargoes of the 1970's, the need for environmentally friendly alternative fuels was also enhanced by the Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act, two prominent pieces of environmental legislation. As a result, Congress created several tax benefits and subsidies for the production of energy for biomass. Congress enacted biomass energy incentives in 1978 with the creation of excise tax exemptions for alcohol fuels, in 1980 with the enactment of the IRC section 29 nonconventional fuel credit provisions and the IRC section 40 alcohol fuel credits, and recently with the addition of favorable biomass energy provisions as part of the Comprehensive National energy Policy Act of 1992. This article focuses on the following specific tax credits, tax benefits and subsidies for biomass energy: (1) IRC section 29 credit for producing gas from biomass, (2) IRC section 45 credit for producing electricity from biomass, (3) Incentive payments for electricity produced from biomass, (4) Excise tax exemptions for alcohol fuels, (5) IRC section 40 alcohol fuels credits, and (6) IRC section 179A special deduction for alcohol fuels property

State property tax programs promoting sustainable forests in the United States: A review of program structure and administration

Science.gov (United States)

Michael Kilgore; Paul Ellefson; Travis Funk; Gregory E. Frey

2018-01-01

Financial incentives offered by state property tax programs are a means of promoting goods and services from private forestland. Identified by a 50-state review in 2014–2015, these incentives often require adherence to several conditions including valid ownership and use of forestland, correct size of parcel and suitable forest...

Tax incentives and Made in Nigeria goods | Somorin | Economic and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Made in Nigeria” concept and Companies that engage in made in Nigeria goods. It will explore how tax incentives can accelerate the growth of companies engaged in manufacturing of such made in Nigeria goods. From this paper, written ...

State property tax incentives for promoting ecosystem goods and services from private forest land in the United States: a review and analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Michael A. Kilgore; Paul B. Ellefson; Travis J. Funk; Gregory E. Frey

2017-01-01

Financial incentives provided by State property tax programs are a means of promoting ecosystem services from private forest land. Identified by this 50-State 2015 review, categories of ecosystem services frequently promoted by such programs are open space and scenic resources, conservation of...

How tax incentives affect the economics of solar energy equipment in the state of North Carolina

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McGuffey, B.; Brooks, B.; Shirley, L.

1998-01-01

To promote and encourage the use of solar energy, the state of North Carolina has put in place one of the most favorable corporate energy tax credit packages in the country. The capital cost of solar energy systems can be reduced 50 to 70% by state and federal tax incentives. The available incentives for solar equipment installation are (1) a 35% state tax credit, up to a one year maximum of $25,000, from North Carolina; (2) a 10% unlimited federal tax credit; and (3) a 5-year federal accelerated depreciation schedule. To promote residential solar systems, the state has provided a residential credit of 40% up to a one year maximum of $1,500

How unconventional gas prospers without tax incentives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuuskraa, V.A.; Stevens, S.H.

1995-01-01

It was widely believed that the development of unconventional natural gas (coalbed methane, gas shales, and tight gas) would die once US Sec. 29 credits stopped. Quieter voices countered, and hoped, that technology advances would keep these large but difficult to produce gas resources alive and maybe even healthy. Sec. 29 tax credits for new unconventional gas development stopped at the end of 1992. Now, nearly three years later, who was right and what has happened? There is no doubt that Sec. 29 tax credits stimulated the development of coalbed methane, gas shales, and tight gas. What is less known is that the tax credits helped spawn and push into use an entire new set of exploration, completion, and production technologies founded on improved understanding of unconventional gas reservoirs. As set forth below, while the incentives inherent in Sec. 29 provided the spark, it has been the base of science and technology that has maintained the vitality of these gas sources. The paper discusses the current status; resource development; technology; unusual production, proven reserves, and well completions if coalbed methane, gas shales, and tight gas; and international aspects

MONETARY AND NON-MONETARY INCENTIVES TO BOOST TAX PAYMENT A CONTROLLED EXPERIMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Victoria, Giarrizzo

2012-01-01

Full Text Available After centuries in which control and punishment formed the basis of policies designed to combat tax evasion, the results in many world economies are far from expected. Paying taxes is a resisted action, a few people are predisposed to do so voluntarily and that bias is reduced if people perceive inefficiencies from the State. When that happens, controls and penalties, although necessary, become insufficient and it is necessary to create parallel incentives. This research shows evidence of the usefulness of positive incentives and the need to replace the traditional control scheme and penalties for a control scheme, punishments and rewards. Supported by a controlled experiment contrasts the results of the allocation of awards for a good contributor, showing some advantages of non-cash prizes on the prize money.

Health spending, illicit financial flows and tax incentives in Malawi

African Journals Online (AJOL)

financing of health care services and a weak health system. Malawi is one of the ... and two-thirds of adults, who need antiretroviral treatment for HIV are ... health service delivery”4. There are two ... estimated the cost for the provision of minimal services .... However, the key issue is to differentiate between tax incentives that.

Tax incentives as a solution to the uninsured: evidence from the self-employed.

Science.gov (United States)

Gumus, Gulcin; Regan, Tracy L

2013-11-01

Between 1996 and 2003, a series of amendments were made to the Tax Reform Act of 1986 that gradually increased the tax deduction for health insurance purchases by the self-employed (SE) from 25 to 100 percent. We study how these changes have influenced the likelihood that a SE person has health insurance coverage as the policyholder. The Current Population Survey is used to construct a data set corresponding to 1995-2005. Both the difference-in-differences and price elasticity of demand estimates suggest that the series of tax deductions did not provide sufficient incentives for the SE to obtain health insurance coverage. © The Author(s) 2014.

Public Incentives for Hiring and Training Employees: An Employer's Guide. Workforce Brief #8.

Science.gov (United States)

Bergman, Terri

The six sections of this brief provide the following information: (1) the types of public incentives available to employers for hiring and training of employees, including increasing economic activity and increasing labor market supply; (2) federally operated incentive programs (Welfare-to-Work Tax Credit, Work Opportunity Tax Credit, Employee…

How effective are energy-efficiency incentive programs? Evidence from Italian homeowners

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alberini, Anna; Bigano, Andrea

2015-01-01

We evaluate incentives for residential energy upgrades in Italy using data from an original survey of Italian homeowners. In this paper, attention is restricted to heating system replacements, and to the effect of monetary and non-monetary incentives on the propensity to replace the heating equipment with a more efficient one. To get around adverse selection and free riding issues, we ask stated preference questions to those who weren't planning energy efficiency upgrades any time soon. We argue that these persons are not affected by these behaviors. We use their responses to fit an energy-efficiency renovations curve that predicts the share of the population that will undertake these improvements for any given incentive level. This curve is used to estimate the CO_2 emissions saved and their cost-effectiveness. Respondents are more likely to agree to a replacement when the savings on the energy bills are larger and experienced over a longer horizon, and when rebates are offered to them. Reminding the respondents about possible CO_2 emissions reductions (our non-monetary incentive) had little effect. Even under optimistic assumptions, monetary incentives similar to those in the Italian tax credit program are generally not cost-effective.

Tax incentives and firm size : effects on private R&D investment in Spain

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Labeaga Azcona, J.; Martínez-Ros, E.; Mohnen, P.

2014-01-01

The use of fiscal policy instruments to stimulate private R&D is widespread and important in some countries like Spain. In this paper we explore the effectiveness of R&D tax incentives on knowledge capital accumulation in Spanish manufacturing firms using an unbalanced panel and compare the

THE INDIANA ENTERPRISE ZONE PROGRAM: FISCAL IMPACT OF A JOB CREATION TAX CREDIT

OpenAIRE

Low, Sarah A.

2004-01-01

This paper estimated the fiscal impact of a job creation tax credit, a proposed incentive for establishments participating in the Indiana enterprise zone program. State unemployment insurance files were utilized with GIS to obtain enterprise zone data. Labor demand and labor supply were estimated. Job creation due to the credit was calculated from empirical results.

Tax Incentives for Retirement Savings: Macro and Welfare Effects in an OLG-GE Model with Liquidity Constraints and Heterogeneous Consumers.

OpenAIRE

Rodrigo Cifuentes

2003-01-01

This paper uses an Overlapping Generations-General Equilibrium model to study the impact of the introduction of tax incentives to voluntary savings for retirement in Chile. The paper analyzes the macro impact of the reform, driven mainly by its effect on savings and capital accumulation, and its effect on welfare. A setting with heterogeneous consumers is considered where agents differ in their income levels, and therefore on the relevance that tax-incentives have for them. Both the transitio...

Tax Incentives and Borrowing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Alan, Sule; Leth-Petersen, Søren; Munk-Nielsen, Anders

2016-01-01

We estimate the effect of a Danish 1987 tax reform, which reduced the tax rate applied to interest deductions from 73% to 50% for households with high incomes, but less for households with middle or low incomes. Using high quality panel data we find that households responded to the reduced tax su...... subsidy by lowering interest payments and we find that the responsiveness to the tax subsidy varies by the initial level of interest payments....

Tax policy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1990-07-01

This report contains information on the effects of additional tax incentives for the petroleum production industry. It considers the effects of additional incentives on petroleum production and federal revenues, the federal tax burden on new domestic petroleum production investments under current law, and the comparative tax treatment of petroleum production investments in the United States and other nations

Tax Incentives for Education. Hearing before the Committee on Finance. United States Senate, One Hundredth Congress, Second Session.

Science.gov (United States)

Congress of the U.S., Washington, DC. Senate Committee on Finance.

The transcript of a hearing before the Senate Committee on Finance concerning tax incentives for education is presented. The statements of committee members and public witnesses testimony, both oral and written, are provided, as well as letters of support. Current tax expenditures for financial aid to college students, including student loan…

Analysis of tax incentives for energy-efficient durables in the EU

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Markandya, Anil; Ortiz, Ramon Arigoni; Mudgal, Shailendra; Tinetti, Benoit

2009-01-01

Climate change is one of the most significant challenges faced by societies this century. Energy consumption is directly associated with CO 2 emissions and climate change. The European Commission has set out emission reduction targets that require a great deal of energy consumption savings in the next 10 years in European countries. This paper presents the results of an analysis of the potential cost-effectiveness of different policy options aimed to foster the production and consumption of energy-efficient appliances in different European countries. Our results suggest that incentives to promote the use of energy-efficient appliances can be cost-effective, but whether or not they are depends on the particular country and the options under consideration. From the cases considered, tax credits on boilers appear to be a cost-effective option in Denmark and Italy, while subsidies on CFLi bulbs in France and Poland are cost-effective in terms of Euro /ton of CO 2 abated. Comparing the subsidies against the energy tax options, we find that the subsidies are in most cases less cost-effective than the energy tax.

Incentives for solar energy in industry

Science.gov (United States)

Bergeron, K. D.

1981-05-01

Several issues are analyzed on the effects that government subsidies and other incentives have on the use of solar energy in industry, as well as on other capital-intensive alternative energy supplies. Discounted cash flow analysis is used to compare tax deductions for fuel expenses with tax credits for capital investments for energy. The result is a simple expression for tax equity. The effects that market penetration of solar energy has on conventional energy prices are analyzed with a free market model. It is shown that net costs of a subsidy program to the society can be significantly reduced by price. Several government loan guarantee concepts are evaluated as incentives that may not require direct outlays of government funds; their relative effectiveness in achieving loan leverage through project financing, and their cost and practicality, are discussed.

Tax Incentive, Public Share Proportion, and Firm Performance: Evidence from Indonesian Capital Market

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vierly Ananta Upa

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Indonesian government has changed the taxation law in 2007. The regulation revealed thatcompanies listed on capital market can obtain reduced income tax rate by 5 percent. Decrease inincome tax rates is granted to domestic corporate taxpayers listed on capital market that have publicownership over 40 percent of the total paid shares and the shares owned by at least 300 parties. Thepurpose of this research is to analyze the effectiveness of government regulation (PP No. 81 of 2007.This research used companies listed on Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX which have right offeringin 2009-2010 as a sample. Sample selection is performed based on purposive sampling method. Theresult indicates that government regulation related to tax incentives, which was aimed to increasethe proportion of public ownership, is still less effective. In addition, this study also showed that theproportion of public ownership has no significant effect on firm performance

Evaluating input- and stock-based tax incentives to reduce and reallocate phosphor application across farm types

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Line Block; Hasler, Berit; Thorsen, Bo Jellesmark

addresses all P sources at the farm, including the soil P content, whereas a mineral-fertilizer P tax addresses only the fertilizer input. Taking the temporal and spatial dynamics of a catchment area into account, this paper focuses on how the two economic instruments can be used to improve the interactions......A non-linear agricultural optimisation model for a water catchment area is constructed and used to analyse the effect on agricultural soil-P accumulation from implementation of two tax systems. Regulation of P in the agricultural sector is central to reduce the risk of damaging aquatic eco......-system. The two systems considered are: a P surplus tax, which depend on soil P stock, and a tax on mineral-fertilizer P. Analysis shows, that the two tax systems creates different incentives for the utilisation of P between farm types as they address the application of P in different ways. A P surplus tax...

Do Tax Incentives for Saving in Pension Accounts Cause Debt Accumulation?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yde Andersen, Henrik

2018-01-01

This paper applies a quasi-experimental research design on a Danish 2010 policy that reduced tax incentives for saving in annuity pension schemes to show significant substitution of savings from retirement accounts to gross debt repayments. We find that for every 1 Danish currency unit reduction...... in retirement savings 31 cents goes to debt repayments. Taking into account all types of savings, we find full crowding-out. Consistent with previous findings, we document that the effect is driven by a minority, about 23 percent, who actively rebalance their savings....

Survey of state approaches to solar energy incentives

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Johnson, S. B.

1979-07-01

A comprehensive survey is presented of state statutes designed to encourage the application of solar technology. A large majority of the states have enacted financial incentives designed to stimulate solar energy use. Commonly, these incentives include preferential property tax treatment of solar systems, and income tax benefits to solar users. There are a wide variety of other tax breaks as well, including excise and franchise tax incentives. Some states have recently developed loan or grant programs for solar installations. Other states have addressed aspects of real property and land-use planning law, which have served as barriers to either the installation of solar technology or access to sunlight. In addition to removing such obstacles as restrictive convenants and zoning limitations, the legislation of several states provides affirmative recognition of the potential of real property law to serve as a spur to solar development, through solar easements, planning and zoning, and public nuisance. A small number of states have legislated in the field of utility regulation, addressing important questions of (1) nondiscriminatory rates for utility backup to solar systems and public utility commissions, and (2) utility involvement in solar energy applicatons.

Changes in the demand for private medical insurance following a shift in tax incentives.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodríguez, Marisol; Stoyanova, Alexandrina

2008-02-01

The 1998 Spanish reform of the Personal Income Tax eliminated the 15% deduction for private medical expenditures including payments on private health insurance (PHI) policies. To avoid an undesired increase in the demand for publicly funded health care, tax incentives to buy PHI were not completely removed but basically shifted from individual to group employer-paid policies. In a unique fiscal experiment, at the same time that the tax relief for individually purchased policies was abolished, the government provided for tax allowances on policies taken out through employment. Using a bivariate probit model on data from National Health Surveys, we estimate the impact of said reform on the demand for PHI and the changes occurred within it. Our findings indicate that the total probability of buying PHI was not significantly affected by the reform. Indeed, the fall in the demand for individual policies (by 10% between 1997 and 2001) was offset by an increase in the demand for group employer-paid ones. We also briefly discuss the welfare effects on the state budget, the industry and society at large.

Consumer responses towards home energy financial incentives: A survey-based study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao Tingting; Bell, Lindsey; Horner, Mark W.; Sulik, John; Zhang Jinfeng

2012-01-01

Residential energy-efficient and renewable energy (EERE) products play an important role in energy conservation and carbon emissions reduction. Various financial incentive programs have been developed to promote the adoption of these products. However, their effectiveness in attracting consumers is not very well understood. In this study, we investigated impacts of financial incentives on homeowner's decision making towards six EERE products. Two forms of incentives, tax credits and interest-free loans, were examined through a household mailing survey in Florida, the United States. Results showed that, although half of the respondents were interested in EERE products, the high investment cost was a major concern that hindered their purchase activities. Homeowners were attracted to financial incentives and valued tax credits much higher than interest-free loans. The current federal home energy tax credit levels were found to attract only 2–12 percent of homeowners to buy EERE products. The willingness of participation was especially low for the costly products (such as solar panels). The participation rate was also very low for lower income (i.e., annual household income below $50,000) families living in older residences. This study contributes to the understanding of economic and social aspects of consumer decision making on energy efficiency and alternative energy. - Highlights: ► We investigated consumer responses to energy efficiency incentives. ► These included tax credits and interest-free loans for six types of energy products. ► We found that tax credits are more effective than interest-free loans. ► The current tax credit rates are insufficient for expensive products (e.g., solar panels). ► A higher amount of incentives is required for the lower-income (<$50 K/yr) households.

Funding Charities Through Tax Law: When Should a Donation Qualify for Donation Incentives?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adam Parachin

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Canadian income tax law provides incentives for taxpayers to make charitable donations. Since only those donations to charities qualifying as charitable “gifts” are eligible for donation incentives, the definition of gift bodes significant revenue implications for charities and government alike. The Income Tax Act does not, however, define the term gift. The tests applied by courts and regulators to identify gifts in the absence of a statutory definition are contradictory, unnecessarily restrictive, and inconsistent with the tax policy behind donation incentives. The recent attempt to improve the law through the proposed “split-receipting” rules has achieved little in the way of meaningful reform. The ideal solution is to adopt a statutory definition of “charitable donation” that will both broaden and clarify the range of eligible donations. / La loi canadienne de l’impôt sur le revenu prévoit des incitatifs visant à encourager les contribuables à faire des dons. Étant donné que seuls les dons faits aux oeuvres de bienfaisance qui se qualifient en tant que « dons » de bienfaisance peuvent donner droit à ces incitatifs, la définition du terme « don » est porteuse d’importantes répercussions fiscales, tant pour les organisations caritatives que pour le gouvernement. Toutefois, la Loi de l’impôt sur le revenu ne définit pas le terme « don ». Les critères appliqués par les cours et les autorités de réglementation pour identifier ce qui constitue un don, en l’absence d’une définition établie par la loi, sont contradictoires, inutilement restrictives et incohérentes avec la politique fiscale concernant les incitatifs accordés au titre des dons de bienfaisance. La récente tentative d’améliorer la loi avec les règles proposées sur le fractionnement des reçus n’a eu que peu de résultats pour mener à une réforme significative. La solution idéale est d’adopter une définition législative du

The effect of fossil energy and other environmental taxes on profit incentives for change in an open economy: Evidence from the UK

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Webster, Allan; Ayatakshi, Sukanya

2013-01-01

This paper argues that the underlying supply and demand analysis of fossil energy and other environmental taxes needs further elaboration when a country (a) introduces national fossil energy or environmental taxes and (b) is open to international trade at given world prices. We provide evidence that such conditions are plausible for many sectors in the UK. A key implication is that the short run effects of such taxes should not be felt in final good prices, since these are determined in world markets, but in terms of underlying profitability. These changes in underlying profits provide two key incentives for producers—to change to more environmentally friendly production techniques and to switch resources to production of less environmentally harmful goods. Using input—output techniques we provide evidence for the UK to show how existing fossil energy and other “green” taxes have affected underlying profitability. The evidence shows quite strong profit incentives to shift resources from a small number of energy intensive industries to others. - Highlights: • Energy taxes affect profits more than prices for sectors trading at world prices. • This study suggests that many sectors in the UK satisfy these conditions. • Our evidence suggests that few sectors are strongly affected by energy taxes. • Energy taxes have a strong effect relative to other possible environmental taxes

Replacing Churches and Mason Lodges? Tax Exemptions and Rural Development

OpenAIRE

Behaghel, Luc; Lorenceau, Adrien; Quantin, Simon

2013-01-01

This paper uses regression discontinuity design to provide quasi-experimental estimates of the impact of a tax credit program targeted at rural areas in France, including corporate and payroll tax exemptions. We find no impact of the program on total employment or the number of businesses, and no impact of the different program components on targeted subsets of firms. Comparison with a contemporaneous urban scheme suggests ways the incentives of the rural program could be targeted more effect...

Tax incentives in fiscal federalism

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kelders, Christian; Köthenbürger, Marko

2010-01-01

Models of fiscal federalism rarely account for the efficiency implications of intergovernmental fiscal ties for federal tax policy. This paper shows that fiscal institutions such that federal tax deductibility, vertical revenue-sharing, and fiscal equalization (being common features of existing...

Governmental tax breaks to biofuels production; Incentivos governamentais na producao do biodiesel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Munch, Marcelo Guimaraes; Costa, Fabio Carbalho [Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. (PETROBRAS), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

2012-07-01

Given the introduction of biodiesel as an energy source ecologically correct, it will seek to do an analysis on the taxation of biodiesel in Brazil. It should also be assessed to tax biodiesel from the viewpoint of the Principle of Neutrality and the character stimulating function of taxation. Although there is no legal incidence of the CIDE (Contribution in Economic Policy) on biodiesel, the laws relating to taxation of biodiesel refers to the IPI (Tax on Industrialized Products) and social contributions for PIS (Social Integration Program) and Cofins (Contribution to Social Security Financing), while taxes of competence of the Union. When we talk about state taxation, some states have maintained the policy of tax incentives biodiesel but we do not have a policy of tax incentives across the country. (author)

Reform of Kosovo Tax System after independence and its key functions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dr.Sc. Bedri Peci

2013-12-01

However, policy and tax system of Kosovo should be more in function of economic development by achieving equilibrium between direct and indirect taxes, increasing efficiency of public expenditures and to offer more tax incentives. Designers’ preliminary requirement is to analyze fiscal, economic, etc., effects of each tax form which aims to apply in accordance with tax policy objectives and to analyze the role and effects of tax incentives to each tax form. Taking into account that Kosovo regarding the application of tax incentives of CIT, compared with other countries is the last, designers by using the experiences of other countries should apply more tax incentives in order that tax policy to be more in function for economic development

Economic Savings from Using Economic Incentives for Environmental Pollution Control (1999)

Science.gov (United States)

Economic incentives, such as emission taxes, effluent trading, deposit refund systems, information reporting requirements, liability for harm caused by pollution, and voluntary programs have the potential to achieve environmental objectives at lower cost.

Financial Recruitment Incentive Programs for Nursing Personnel in Canada.

Science.gov (United States)

Mathews, Maria; Ryan, Dana

2015-03-01

Financial incentives are increasingly offered to recruit nursing personnel to work in underserved communities. The authors describe and compare the characteristics of federal, provincial and territorial financial recruitment incentive programs for registered nurses (RNs), nurse practitioners (NPs), licensed practical nurses (LPNs), registered practical nurses or registered psychiatric nurses. The authors identified incentive programs from government, health ministry and student aid websites and by contacting program officials. Only government-funded recruitment programs providing funding beyond the normal employee wages and benefits and requiring a service commitment were included. The authors excluded programs offered by hospitals, regional or private firms, and programs that rewarded retention. All provinces and territories except QC and NB offer financial recruitment incentive programs for RNs; six provinces (BC, AB, SK, ON, QC and NL) offer programs for NPs, and NL offers a program for LPNs. Programs include student loan forgiveness, tuition forgiveness, education bursaries, signing bonuses and relocation expenses. Programs target trainees, recent graduates and new hires. Funding and service requirements vary by program, and service requirements are not always commensurate with funding levels. This snapshot of government-funded recruitment incentives provides program managers with data to compare and improve nursing workforce recruitment initiatives. Copyright © 2015 Longwoods Publishing.

Small Business Taxation: Revamping Incentives to Encourage Growth

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Duanjie Chen

2011-05-01

Full Text Available This study adopts a new approach in assessing the impact of taxes on small business growth and suggests the need to consider new incentives that would be more effective in encouraging small business growth and would also improve the neutrality of the existing tax system. In recent years, federal and provincial governments have provided various corporate tax incentives to small businesses with the aim of helping them grow. While it is commonly believed that small businesses are responsible for most job creation, unfortunately the only study available has shown that while many small businesses are created, few grow. Yet many governments believe that the incentives are important even though little evidence supports the effectiveness of small business corporate concessions. Some provinces have actually eliminated corporate taxes on small businesses or reduced such taxes to a symbolic level (e.g., one to two percent without there being any empirical support in favour of the effectiveness of such actions. In contradiction to the widely held view that small business tax concessions encourage growth, such small business tax relief could actually be antithetical to growth by creating a “taxation wall.” First, it could result in the breakup of companies into smaller, less efficient-sized units in order to take advantage of tax benefits even if there are economic gains to growing in size. Second, it could encourage individuals to create small corporations in order to reduce their personal tax liabilities rather than grow companies. And third, it could lead to a “threshold effect” that holds back small business from growing beyond the official definition of “smallness,” regardless of the criteria for measuring size (e.g., the size of revenue or assets, or the number of employees. In this paper, we evaluate the impact of both corporate and personal taxes on the growth of small business and we focus in particular on the likely consequences of the

Incentive and insurance effects of income taxation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Torben M.

2015-01-01

the sensitivity of labour supply to taxes, which tends to reduce tax distortions and lower the marginal costs of public funds. The relation between incentives and insurance and thus efficiency and equity is flattened by the insurance effect and it may even be non-monotone. However, the optimal utilitarian policy......Tax distortions cause a trade-off between efficiency and equity. However, taxes not only affect incentives; they also provide implicit insurance, and this may critically affect the efficiency–equity relationship. For a standard labour supply problem it is shown that the insurance effect mutes...

Indonesian And Australian Tax Policy Implementation In Food And Agriculture Industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hanggoro Pamungkas

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Tax policy is one of the most important policy in consideration of investment development in certain industry. Research by Newlon (1987, Swenson (1994 and Hines (1996 concluded that tax rate is one of the most important thing considered by investors in a foreign direct investment. One of tax policy could be used to attract foreign direct investment is income tax incentives. The attractiveness of income tax incentives to a foreign direct investment is as much as the attractiveness to a domestic investment (Anwar and Mulyadi, 2012. In this paper, we have conducted a study of income tax incentives in food and agriculture industry; where we conduct a thorough study of income tax incentives and corporate performance in Indonesian and Australian food and agriculture industry. Our research show that there is a significant influence of income tax incentives to corporate performance. Based on our study, we conclude that the significant influence of income tax incentives to Indonesian corporate performance somewhat in a higher degree than the Australian peers. We have also concluded that Indonesian government provide a relatively more interesting income tax incentives compare to Australian government. However, an average method of net income –a method applied in Australia– could be considered by Indonesian government to avoid a market price fluctuation in this industry. 

Commercial Midstream Energy Efficiency Incentive Programs: Guidelines for Future Program Design, Implementation, and Evaluation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Milostan, Catharina [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Levin, Todd [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Muehleisen, Ralph T. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Guzowski, Leah Bellah B. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

2017-01-01

Many electric utilities operate energy efficiency incentive programs that encourage increased dissemination and use of energy-efficient (EE) products in their service territories. The programs can be segmented into three broad categories—downstream incentive programs target product end users, midstream programs target product distributors, and upstream programs target product manufacturers. Traditional downstream programs have had difficulty engaging Small Business/Small Portfolio (SBSP) audiences, and an opportunity exists to expand Commercial Midstream Incentive Programs (CMIPs) to reach this market segment instead.

The role of taxation policy and incentives in wind-based distributed generation projects viability. Ontario case study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Albadi, M.H.; El-Saadany, E.F.

2009-01-01

Taxation policy and incentives play a vital role in wind-based distributed generation projects viability. In this paper, a thorough techno-economical evaluation of wind-based distributed generation projects is conducted to investigate the effect of taxes and incentives in the economic viability of investments in this sector. This paper considers the effects of Provincial income taxes, capital cost allowance (CCA), property taxes, and wind power production Federal incentives. The case study is conducted for different wind turbines and wind speed scenarios. Given turbine and wind speed data, the Capacity Factor (CF) of each turbine and wind speed scenario was calculated. Net Present Value (NPV) and Internal Rate of Return (IRR) for different scenarios were then used to assess the project's viability considering Ontario Standard Offer Program (SOP) for wind power. (author)

Bureaucratic Tax-Seeking: The Danish Waste Tax

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christoffersen, Henrik; Svendsen, Gert Tinggaard

2002-01-01

model. These suggestions are confirmed by the case of the Danish waste tax with its fixed price approach and perverse incentives compared to that of achieving environmental target levels in a cost-minimising way. Thus, we recommend that bureaucratic institutions should coordinate their tax......-seeking efforts to maximise budgets in the long run and that the ministries that collect green tax revenues should not be allowed to control these revenues. Furthermore, our results dictate that postulated effects from green tax intervention need to be demonstrated....

78 FR 25013 - Medicare Program; Requirements for the Medicare Incentive Reward Program and Provider Enrollment

Science.gov (United States)

2013-04-29

.... ACTION: Proposed rule. SUMMARY: This proposed rule would revise the Incentive Reward Program provisions... significant of these revisions include: changing the Incentive Reward Program potential reward amount for... related to the Incentive Reward Program. Frank Whelan, (410) 786-1302, for issues related to provider...

Management compensation, monitoring and aggressive corporate tax planning

OpenAIRE

Steinhoff, Melanie

2015-01-01

The empirical literature shows that management incentives often reduce corporate tax aggressiveness. Focussing on the riskiness of tax aggressiveness this paper offers one explanation for the observed negative relation. Using an agency framework, I analyze the manager's choice of effort dedication in other tasks and her explicit choice of the firm's tax risk. I show that corporate tax aggressiveness may decrease with compensation incentives. By choosing the tax risk, the manager (partly) dete...

North America markets for alcohol and alcohol-derived motor fuels and need for tax incentives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haigwood, B.

1991-01-01

The U.S. fuel alcohol and ether industry has grown from its infancy in 1979 to approximately 2.9 billion gallons of production capacity in 1991. With the emphasis on clean air, the uncertainties in the Middle East, and fluctuating oil prices, IRI believes the demand for alcohol-derived motor fuels is poised to begin a second phase of expansion. Historically, the two primary alcohol-derived motor fuels sold in the U.S. have been methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) and ethanol. There is also a limited but growing use of methanol as 85% blendstock for gasoline. Since 1978, fuel ethanol has provided the U.S. petroleum industry with an additional source of supply, octane, and profit. Its price was based on the price of wholesale gasoline plus available federal and state tax incentives. These incentives allowed ethanol, with production costs of $1.00 to $1.25 per gallon, to compete with gasoline at prices of 40 to 65 per gallon. Without the federal and state tax incentives, it would not be economically feasible to sell or manufacture fuel ethanol. On the other hand, the largest consumption of methanol has been as a feedstock for the production of MTBE, the world's fastest growing chemical over the past seven years. MTBE prices are based on the cost of raising the octane level of gasoline, and this commodity does not receive subsidies. Beginning in 1992, IRI predicts the price relationship between ethanol, MTBE, and gasoline will change as U.S. refiners and marketers are required to include oxygenated fuels (alcohol-derived) in their gasoline. In total, over 60 billion gallons of gasoline will need to be reformulated by the year 2000. The increased demand for oxygen will result in a 2.5-billion gallon deficit of MTBE and 1.2-billion gallon deficit of ethanol by the year 2000. 2 tabs

Beyond Widgets -- Systems Incentive Programs for Utilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Regnier, Cindy [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Mathew, Paul [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Robinson, Alastair [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Schwartz, Peter [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Walter, Travis [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

2017-08-15

Utility incentive programs remain one of the most significant means of deploying commercialized, but underutilized building technologies to scale. However, these programs have been largely limited to component-based products (e.g., lamps, RTUs). While some utilities do provide ‘custom’ incentive programs with whole building and system level technical assistance, these programs require deeper levels of analysis, resulting in higher program costs. This results in custom programs being restricted to utilities with greater resources, and are typically applied mainly to large or energy-intensive facilities, leaving much of the market without cost effective access and incentives for these solutions. In addition, with increasingly stringent energy codes, cost effective component-based solutions that achieve significant savings are dwindling. Building systems (e.g., integrated façade, HVAC and/or lighting solutions) can deliver higher savings that translate into large sector-wide savings if deployed at the scale of these programs. However, systems application poses a number of challenges – baseline energy use must be defined and measured; the metrics for energy and performance must be defined and tested against; in addition, system savings must be validated under well understood conditions. This paper presents a sample of findings of a project to develop validated utility incentive program packages for three specific integrated building systems, in collaboration with Xcel Energy (CO, MN), ComEd, and a consortium of California Public Owned Utilities (CA POUs) (Northern California Power Agency(NCPA) and the Southern California Public Power Authority(SCPPA)). Furthermore, these program packages consist of system specifications, system performance, M&V protocols, streamlined assessment methods, market assessment and implementation guidance.

Options for Low Income Countries Effective and Efficient Use of Tax Incentives for Investment : A Report to the G-20 Development Working Group by the IMF, OECD, UN and World Bank

OpenAIRE

International Monetary Fund; OECD; United Nations; World Bank

2015-01-01

Experience shows that there is often ample room for more effective and efficient use of investment tax incentives in low-income countries. Tax incentives generally rank low in investment climate surveys in low-income countries, and there are many examples in which they are reported to be redundant, that is, investment will have been undertaken even without them. And their fiscal cost can b...

Design of incentive programs for accelerating penetration of energy-efficient appliances

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rue du Can de la, Stephane; Leventis, Greg; Phadke, Amol; Gopal, Anand

2014-01-01

Incentives are policy tools that sway purchase, retail stocking, and production decisions toward energy-efficient products. Incentives complement mandatory standards and labeling policies by accelerating market penetration of products that are more energy efficient than required by existing standards and by preparing the market for more stringent future mandatory requirements. Incentives can be directed at different points in the appliance's supply chain; one point may be more effective than another depending on the technology's maturity and market penetration. This paper seeks to inform future policy and program design by categorizing the main elements of incentive programs from around the world. We identify advantages and disadvantages of program designs through a qualitative overview of incentive programs worldwide. We find that financial incentive programs have greater impact when they target highly efficient technologies with a small market share, and that program designs depend on the market barriers addressed, the target equipment, and the local market context. No program design is inherently superior to another. The key to successful program design and implementation is a thorough understanding of the market and identification of the most important local obstacles to the penetration of energy-efficient technologies. - Highlights: • We researched incentive programs design and implementation worldwide. • This paper seeks to inform future policy and program design. • We identify design and identify advantages and disadvantages. • We find that incentive programs have greater impact when they target highly efficient products. • Program designs depend on the market barriers addressed and the local market context

Tuition Tax Credits. Issuegram 19.

Science.gov (United States)

Augenblick, John; McGuire, Kent

Approaches for using the federal income tax system to aid families of pupils attending private schools include: tax credits, tax deductions, tax deferrals, and education savings incentives. Tax credit structures can be made refundable and made sensitive to taxpayers' income levels, the level of education expenditures, and designated costs.…

Petroleum tax and financial decisions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stensland, G.; Sunnevaag, K.

1993-03-01

The work presented in this report focuses on tax motivated financial incentives in the Norwegian petroleum tax system. Of particular concern is the effects of the reserve fund requirement in the Joint Stock Companies Act. Our prime concern is the Norwegian petroleum tax system as applicable from January 1992, but for the sake of comparison, we have also examined the ''old'' Norwegian petroleum tax system. The findings presented in this report can be divided in two parts. Based on an overview over the development in debt and equity for the major part of companies operating on the Norwegian continental shelf it seems reasonable to divide the companies in three groups. The first group is companies which is not in a tax paying position, both ''foreign'' and domestic. These companies seem to use debt as their most important capital source. The second group is Norwegian companies in a tax paying position. These companies also seem to use debt as the most important capital source. The last group is ''foreign'' companies in a tax paying position. This is a group of companies that mainly use equity to finance their investments in the offshore sector. The second part of the report tries to explain these observations. In the report we compare the incentive effects in the new petroleum tax system to the old tax system. The incentives to finance investments with debt is stronger in the new tax system. Several explanations emerge. Firstly, in the old tax system the investor got an effective tax deduction of 12.8% for dividends. This is removed in the new system. Secondly, in the new system 78% tax is included in the financial statements after tax profit calculation and the maximum dividend calculation, while in the old tax system the withholding tax was excluded. 31 refs., 13 figs. 2 tabs

Shaping the tax agenda: Public engagement, lobbying and tax reform in Tanzania

OpenAIRE

Fjeldstad, Odd-Helge; Ngowi, Prosper; Rakner, Lise

2015-01-01

Tax reforms are no longer the exclusive domain of the International Monetary Fund, external experts, and the Ministry of Finance. Increasingly, interest groups across Africa shape the tax agenda. Business associations and other lobbying groups join in alliance with multinational companies to get tax exemptions even though they admit that tax incentives are not of major importance for their decision to invest or not.A high occurrence of tax exemptions reduces the tax base, creates room for bri...

Wellness Programs With Financial Incentives Through Disparities Lens.

Science.gov (United States)

Cuellar, Alison; LoSasso, Anthony T; Shah, Mona; Atwood, Alicia; Lewis-Walls, Tanya R

2018-02-01

To examine wellness programs with financial incentives and their effect on disparities in preventive care. Financial incentives were introduced by 15 large employers, from 2010 to 2013. Fifteen private employers. A total of 299 436 employees and adult dependents. Preventive services and participation in financial incentives. Multivariate linear regression. Disparities in preventive services widened after introduction of financial incentives. Asians were 3% more likely and African Americans were 3% less likely to receive wellness rewards than whites and non-Hispanics, controlling for other factors. Federal law limits targeting of wellness financial incentives by subgroups; thus, employers should consider outreach and culturally appropriate messaging.

7 CFR 636.4 - Program requirements.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... AGRICULTURE LONG TERM CONTRACTING WILDLIFE HABITAT INCENTIVES PROGRAM § 636.4 Program requirements. (a) To... members' tax identification numbers and percentage interest in the entity. Where applicable, American... individuals and payments made, by tax identification number or other unique identification number, during the...

Review of Tax Policy and Reform Issues.

Science.gov (United States)

MacPhail-Wilcox, Bettye

1982-01-01

Summarizes the activities of the 97th Congress on taxes. Reviews 1981 enactments and 1982 proposals regarding tax cuts, tax increases, indexing of tax brackets, interest earnings, depreciation, and business incentives. Examines tax administration problems and flat-rate tax proposals and discusses the progressive income tax. (Author/RW)

Refunded emission taxes: A resolution to the cap-versus-tax dilemma for greenhouse gas regulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, Kenneth C.

2007-01-01

Regulatory instruments for greenhouse gas control present a policy dilemma: Market-based instruments such as cap and trade function to reduce regulatory costs; but because they provide no guarantee that costs will be reduced to acceptable levels it is infeasible to set caps at sustainable levels. Emission taxes provide cost certainty, but their comparatively high cost makes it infeasible to set tax rates at levels commensurate with sustainability goals. However, there is a straightforward solution to this dilemma: Just as cap and trade uses free allowance allocation to minimize regulatory costs, an emission tax's cost can be mitigated by refunding tax revenue in such a way that emission reduction becomes profitable. A refunded tax, like cap and trade with free allocation, would be revenue-neutral within the regulated industry. Marginal competitive incentives for commercializing emission-reducing technologies would not be diminished by the refund, and the refund could actually make it politically and economically feasible to increase the incentives by an order of magnitude. Whereas cap and trade merely caps emissions at an unsustainable level while subjecting the economy to extreme price volatility, refunded emission taxes could create a stable investment environment with sustained incentives for emission reduction over a long-term investment horizon

Issues in the Design of Saving and Investment Incentives

OpenAIRE

David F. Bradford

1981-01-01

This paper examines the characteristics of and interactions among measures to effect saving and investment incentives ("S-I incentives")in the context of an income tax system that is inadequately indexed for inflation. Examples are proposals for more rapid depreciation of buildings and equipment and proposals to exempt larger amounts of interest income. SI incentives are classified into "consumption tax" and "direct grant" types, and it is shown that these differ in their influence on portfol...

Estimating the short run effects of South Africa's Employment Tax Incentive on youth employment probabilities using a difference-in-differences approach

OpenAIRE

Vimal Ranchhod; Arden Finn

2014-01-01

What effect did the introduction of the Employment Tax Incentive (ETI) have on youth employment probabilities in South Africa in the short run? The ETI came into effect on the 1st of January 2014. Its purpose is to stimulate youth employment levels and ease the challenges that many youth experience in finding their first jobs. Under the ETI, firms that employ youth are eligible to claim a deduction from their taxes due, for the portion of their wage bill that is paid to certain groups of yout...

Tax Credits and the Use of Medical Care

OpenAIRE

Michael Smart; Mark Stabile

2003-01-01

Several recent proposals have advocated using the income tax system to collect user fees to help fund the health care system. While there is a considerable amount of research investigating both how individuals respond to tax incentives for employer provided health insurance and on the effects of user fees payable at the point of service on the use of health care services, there is limited evidence on how individuals respond to tax incentives when these are not realized until taxes are paid. T...

Distributed Solar Incentive Programs: Recent Experience and Best Practices for Design and Implementation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bird, L.; Reger, A.; Heeter, J.

2012-12-01

Based on lessons from recent program experience, this report explores best practices for designing and implementing incentives for small and mid-sized residential and commercial distributed solar energy projects. The findings of this paper are relevant to both new incentive programs as well as those undergoing modifications. The report covers factors to consider in setting and modifying incentive levels over time, differentiating incentives to encourage various market segments, administrative issues such as providing equitable access to incentives and customer protection. It also explores how incentive programs can be designed to respond to changing market conditions while attempting to provide a longer-term and stable environment for the solar industry. The findings are based on interviews with program administrators, regulators, and industry representatives as well as data from numerous incentive programs nationally, particularly the largest and longest-running programs. These best practices consider the perspectives of various stakeholders and the broad objectives of reducing solar costs, encouraging long-term market viability, minimizing ratepayer costs, and protecting consumers.

Tax Planning by Mutual Funds: Evidence From Changes in the Capital Gains Tax Rate

OpenAIRE

Chen, Feng; Kraft, Arthur; Weiss, Ira

2011-01-01

We investigate whether mutual funds engage in tax planning by testing how they respond to changes in the capital gains tax rates. While previous evidence suggests that individual investors time capital gains realizations, mutual fund managers may not tax plan like individuals because fund managers have incentives to consider the tax liability of both current and potential investors. Our analysis spans over 44 years and six major tax changes, allowing us to examine the effects of both tax rate...

Designing PV Incentive Programs to Promote Performance: A Reviewof Current Practice

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barbose, Galen; Wiser, Ryan; Bolinger, Mark

2007-06-01

Increasing levels of financial support for customer-sited photovoltaic (PV) systems, provided through publicly-funded incentive programs, has heightened concerns about the long-term performance of these systems. Given the barriers that customers face to ensuring that their PV systems perform well, and the responsibility that PV incentive programs bear to ensure that public funds are prudently spent, these programs should, and often do, play a critical role in ensuring that PV systems receiving incentives perform well. To provide a point of reference for assessing the current state of the art, and to inform program design efforts going forward, we examine the approaches to encouraging PV system performance used by 32 prominent PV incentive programs in the U.S. We identify eight general strategies or groups of related strategies that these programs have used to address performance issues, and highlight important differences in the implementation of these strategies among programs.

Who participates in tax avoidance?

OpenAIRE

Alstadsæter, Annette; Jacob, Martin

2013-01-01

This paper analyzes the sources of heterogeneity in legal tax avoidance strategies across individuals. Three conditions are required for a taxpayer to participate in tax avoidance: incentive, access, and awareness. Using rich Swedish administrative panel data with a unique link between corporate and individual tax returns, we analyze individual participation in legal tax planning around the 2006 Swedish tax reform. Our results suggest that closely held corporations are utilized to facilitate ...

Tax planning strategies for physicians.

Science.gov (United States)

Pope, Thomas R; Schwartz, Richard W

2002-07-01

The development of tax reduction strategies is a critical aspect of both corporate and personal financial planning because taxes represent the largest annual expenditure for the majority of Americans. The categories of tax reduction strategies discussed include charitable-giving techniques, ways to maximize business deductions, shifting income to family members, education tax incentives, retirement planning, and small business tax considerations. One use for these tax savings is the enhancement of a corporation's capabilities to provide services to patients.

Costs and results of federal incentives for commercial nuclear energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bezdek, R.H.; Wendling, R.M.

1991-01-01

This paper (1) estimates the total costs of federal expenditures in support of incentives for the development of commercial nuclear energy through 1988, and (2) analyzes the results and benefits to the nation of this federal investment. The federal incentives analyzed include research and development, regulation of commercial nuclear energy, tax incentives, waste management and disposal, enrichment plants, liability insurance, the uranium mining industry, and all other federal support activities. The authors estimate that net federal incentives totaled about $45-50 billion (1988 dollars). They estimate the results of the federal incentives, focusing on six categories, namely, electric energy produced, the total (direct plus indirect) economic benefits of the industry created, R and D program benefits, value of energy imports displaced, environmental effects, and health, safety, and risk effects. The results total $1.9 trillion, with approximately $250-300 billion identified as net benefits. The authors conclude that the high return on the investment justified federal incentives for nuclear energy development over the past four decades and that the federal government and the nation have received a significant return on the incentives investment

Incentives for industrial R&D: The Australian experience

OpenAIRE

Peter Hall

1996-01-01

The effects of Australian measures to influence investment in industrial R&D (IRD) are anafysed. Australian experience tends to suggest that, while selective schemes have performed a little better than a tax concession alone, the advantage to selectivity would look less pronounced if general incentives were extended at an appropriate rate to firms in tax loss. Even with relatively low inducement rates, such incentives appear to have the advantage, from an evolutionary perspective, of encourag...

Introducing Family Tax Splitting in Germany: How Would It Affect the Income Distribution, Work Incentives and Household Welfare?

OpenAIRE

Viktor Steiner; Katharina Wrohlich

2007-01-01

We analyze the effects of three alternative proposals to reform the taxation of families relative to the current German system of joint taxation of couples and child allowances: a French-type family splitting and two full family splitting proposals. The empirical analysis of the effects of these proposals on the income distribution and on work incentives is based on a behavioral micro-simulation model which integrates an empirical household labor supply model into a detailed tax-benefit model...

Slovenian income taxes and analysis of their tax expenditure in 2006-2010

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maja Klun

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Tax expenditure analyses have been an important element in the supervision of reform processes linked to implementing different kinds of tax incentive and the management of a correct tax policy. The paper provides an evaluation of tax expenditure in Slovenia relating to personal income tax and corporate income tax. Four consecutive tax years were selected for the calculation of the tax expenditure on personal income tax (2006-09, while three consecutive years were selected for the corporate income tax calculation (2008-10. The tax expenditure calculated for personal income tax was highest in 2006 and reached 5.2% of GDP. After several changes in personal income tax, expenditures decreased to around 3% of GDP in the following three years. The tax expenditure calculated for corporate income tax was much lower as compared to GDP than for personal income tax, reaching around 0.2% of GDP.

Incentive Pass-through for Residential Solar Systems in California

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dong, C. G. [Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States); Wiser, Ryan [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Rai, Varun [Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States)

2014-10-01

The deployment of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems has grown rapidly over the last decade, partly because of various government incentives. In the United States, among the largest and longest-running incentives have been those established in California. Building on past research, this report addresses the still-unanswered question: to what degree have the direct PV incentives in California been passed through from installers to consumers? This report helps address this question by carefully examining the residential PV market in California (excluding a certain class of third-party-owned PV systems) and applying both a structural-modeling approach and a reduced-form regression analysis to estimate the incentive pass-through rate. The results suggest an average pass-through rate of direct incentives of nearly 100%, though with regional differences among California counties. While these results could have multiple explanations, they suggest a relatively competitive market and well-functioning subsidy program. Further analysis is required to determine whether similar results broadly apply to other states, to other customer segments, to all third-party-owned PV systems, or to all forms of financial incentives for solar (considering not only direct state subsidies, but also utility electric bill savings and federal tax incentives).

78 FR 40084 - Proposed Requirement-Migrant Education Program Consortium Incentive Grant Program

Science.gov (United States)

2013-07-03

... DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 34 CFR Chapter II Proposed Requirement--Migrant Education Program... educational agencies (SEAs) under the Migrant Education Program (MEP) Consortium Incentive Grant (CIG) Program... the interstate or intrastate coordination of migrant education programs by addressing key needs of...

A taxing environment: evaluating the multiple objectives of environmental taxes.

Science.gov (United States)

Miranda, Marie Lynn; Hale, Brack W

2002-12-15

Environmental taxes have attracted attention in recent years as a tool to internalize environmental externalities. This paper evaluates Sweden's experience with environmental taxes in the energy sector by examining how environmental taxes compare with estimated environmental externalities associated with the use of oil, coal, natural gas, and forest residue fuels. We also analyze how environmental taxes influence fuel choices in the energy sector by comparing the production, environmental, and tax costs for the same fuels. We find that (i) the Swedish environmental taxes correspond imperfectly with environmental costs; (ii) the Swedish tax and subsidy system introduces changes in fuel choice decisions; (iii) the energy users are responding to the incentives created by the tax and subsidy systems in ways that are consistent with economic theory; and (iv) the Swedish experience with environmental taxes and subsidies bears directly on wider evaluations of energy policy approaches internationally.

Participant Satisfaction with a Food Benefit Program with Restrictions and Incentives.

Science.gov (United States)

Rydell, Sarah A; Turner, Rachael M; Lasswell, Tessa A; French, Simone A; Oakes, J Michael; Elbel, Brian; Harnack, Lisa J

2018-02-01

Policy makers are considering changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Proposed changes include financially incentivizing the purchase of healthier foods and prohibiting the use of funds for purchasing foods high in added sugars. SNAP participant perspectives may be useful in understanding the consequences of these proposed changes. To determine whether food restrictions and/or incentives are acceptable to food benefit program participants. Data were collected as part of an experimental trial in which lower-income adults were randomly assigned to one of four financial food benefit conditions: (1) Incentive: 30% financial incentive on eligible fruits and vegetables purchased using food benefits; (2) Restriction: not allowed to buy sugar-sweetened beverages, sweet baked goods, or candies with food benefits; (3) Incentive plus Restriction; or (4) Control: no incentive/restriction. Participants completed closed- and open-ended questions about their perceptions on completion of the 12-week program. Adults eligible or nearly eligible for SNAP were recruited between 2013 and 2015 by means of events or flyers in the Minneapolis/St Paul, MN, metropolitan area. Of the 279 individuals who completed baseline measures, 265 completed follow-up measures and are included in these analyses. χ 2 analyses were conducted to assess differences in program satisfaction. Responses to open-ended questions were qualitatively analyzed using principles of content analysis. There were no statistically significant or meaningful differences between experimental groups in satisfaction with the program elements evaluated in the study. Most participants in all conditions found the food program helpful in buying nutritious foods (94.1% to 98.5%) and in buying the kinds of foods they wanted (85.9% to 95.6%). Qualitative data suggested that most were supportive of restrictions, although a few were dissatisfied. Participants were uniformly supportive of incentives. Findings

State Enterprise Zone Programs: Have They Worked?

Science.gov (United States)

Peters, Alan H.; Fisher, Peter S.

The effectiveness of state enterprise zone programs was examined by using a hypothetical-firm model called the Tax and Incentives Model-Enterprise Zones (TAIM-ez) model to analyze the value of enterprise zone incentives to businesses across the United States and especially in the 13 states that had substantial enterprise zone programs by 1990. The…

Corporate tax structure and production

OpenAIRE

Bernstein, Jeffrey; Shah, Anwar

1993-01-01

The authors provide an empirical framework for assessing the effects of tax policy on an array of producer decisions about output supplies and input demands in Mexico, Pakistan, and Turkey. They specify and estimate a dynamic production structure model with imperfect competition for selected industries in these countries. The model results suggest that tax policy affected production and investment and further that selective tax incentives such as investment tax credits, investment allowances,...

Using the tax system to promote physical activity: critical analysis of Canadian initiatives.

Science.gov (United States)

von Tigerstrom, Barbara; Larre, Tamara; Sauder, Joanne

2011-08-01

In Canada, tax incentives have been recently introduced to promote physical activity and reduce rates of obesity. The most prominent of these is the federal government's Children's Fitness Tax Credit, which came into effect in 2007. We critically assess the potential benefits and limitations of using tax measures to promote physical activity. Careful design could make these measures more effective, but any tax-based measures have inherent limitations, and the costs of such programs are substantial. Therefore, it is important to consider whether public funds are better spent on other strategies that could instead provide direct public funding to address environmental and systemic factors.

26 CFR 1.422-4 - $100,000 limitation for incentive stock options.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... pursuant to the exercise of an incentive stock option by issuing a separate certificate (or certificates... 26 Internal Revenue 5 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false $100,000 limitation for incentive stock options... (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES Certain Stock Options § 1.422-4 $100,000 limitation for...

Some remarks with regard to international tax planning, tax risk management and tax strategy

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Adema, Raymond

2017-01-01

The recent state aid investigations may be an incentive for the corporate boards and senior management of companies to have a closer look at their tax strategy and its implementation in the company's business and organization to avoid unexpected outcomes.

Program evaluation and incentives for administrators of energy-efficiency programs: Can evaluation solve the principal/agent problem?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blumstein, Carl, E-mail: blumstei@berkeley.ed [University of California Energy Institute, 2547 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States)

2010-10-15

This paper addresses the nexus between evaluation of energy-efficiency programs and incentive payments based on performance for program administrators in California. The paper describes the problems that arise when evaluators are asked to measure program performance by answering the counterfactual question-what would have happened in the absence of the program? Then the paper examines some ways of addressing these problems. Key conclusions are (1) program evaluation cannot precisely and accurately determine the counterfactual, there will always be substantial uncertainty, (2) given the current state of knowledge, the decision to tie all incentives to program outcomes is misguided, and (3) incentive programs should be regularly reviewed and revised so that they can be adapted to new conditions.

Program evaluation and incentives for administrators of energy-efficiency programs. Can evaluation solve the principal/agent problem?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blumstein, Carl [University of California Energy Institute, 2547 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States)

2010-10-15

This paper addresses the nexus between evaluation of energy-efficiency programs and incentive payments based on performance for program administrators in California. The paper describes the problems that arise when evaluators are asked to measure program performance by answering the counterfactual question - what would have happened in the absence of the program? Then the paper examines some ways of addressing these problems. Key conclusions are (1) program evaluation cannot precisely and accurately determine the counterfactual, there will always be substantial uncertainty, (2) given the current state of knowledge, the decision to tie all incentives to program outcomes is misguided, and (3) incentive programs should be regularly reviewed and revised so that they can be adapted to new conditions. (author)

Program evaluation and incentives for administrators of energy-efficiency programs: Can evaluation solve the principal/agent problem?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blumstein, Carl

2010-01-01

This paper addresses the nexus between evaluation of energy-efficiency programs and incentive payments based on performance for program administrators in California. The paper describes the problems that arise when evaluators are asked to measure program performance by answering the counterfactual question-what would have happened in the absence of the program? Then the paper examines some ways of addressing these problems. Key conclusions are (1) program evaluation cannot precisely and accurately determine the counterfactual, there will always be substantial uncertainty, (2) given the current state of knowledge, the decision to tie all incentives to program outcomes is misguided, and (3) incentive programs should be regularly reviewed and revised so that they can be adapted to new conditions.

Financial Decisions, Tax Effect and Investment Performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yasemin COSKUN

2018-04-01

Full Text Available The aim of the study is to measure influence of taxation while making financial decisions and predict it with the general application in Turkey. Except for equity returns of financial and negative capital institutions registered in Borsa Istanbul between 2000 and 2012, those of all other businesses were calculated. In order to measure cost of capital, Capital Assets Pricing Model(CAPM was employed. Businesses were divided into for regions as stated in Tax Incentive Law according to the study. As stated in Tax Incentive Law, the businesses whose costs of capital were divided into six regions where statistical analysis was made to determine whether taxation influenced financial decisions of the related businesses based on Tax Incentive Law or not. Assessment of the findings within the study determined that businesses in 1 st, 2 nd and 3 rd regions were affected by taxation 5,69, 2,75 and 1,39 as means between 2007 and 2012, respectively. Accordingly taxation load of businesses in 1 st region provinces was found to be heavier than those of businesses in other regions. Considering the Tax Incentive Law, it was found to be statistically important that taxation load of the related region should be taken into account in making any financial decisions. In this respect, there is an impact of tax when one makes financial decisions. However, other relevant factors should also be considered.

The Impact of Policy Incentives on Long-Term Care Insurance and Medicaid Costs: Does Underwriting Matter?

Science.gov (United States)

Cornell, Portia Y; Grabowski, David C

2018-05-16

To test whether underwriting modifies the effect of state-based incentives on individuals' purchase of long-term care insurance. Health and Retirement Study (HRS), 1996-2012. We estimated difference-in-difference regression models with an interaction of state policy indicators with individuals' probabilities of being approved for long-term care insurance. We imputed probabilities of underwriting approval for respondents in the HRS using a model developed with underwriting decisions from two U.S. insurance firms. We measured the elasticity response to long-term care insurance price using changes in simulated after-tax price as an instrumental variable for premium price. Tax incentives and Partnership programs increased insurance purchase by 3.62 percentage points and 1.8 percentage points, respectively, among those with the lowest risk (highest approval probability). Neither had any statistically significant effects among the highest risk individuals. We show that ignoring the effects of underwriting may lead to biased estimates of the potential state budget savings of long-term care insurance tax incentives. If the private market is to play a role in financing long-term care, policies need to address the underlying adverse selection problems. © Health Research and Educational Trust.

When are enhanced relationship tax compliance programs mutually beneficial?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

De Simone, L.; Sansing, R.; Seidman, J.K.

2013-01-01

This study investigates the circumstances under which “enhanced relationship” tax-compliance programs are mutually beneficial to taxpayers and tax authorities, as well as how these benefits are shared. We develop a model of taxpayer and tax authority behavior inside and outside of an enhanced

Corporate Social Responsibility and Tax Planning : Rules and Principles

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gribnau, Hans; Salter, David; Oats, Lynne

2016-01-01

Taxpayers have to plan their tax affairs to plan their life or develop their business strategy. Often tax planning is encouraged and intended by tax legislation. Tax incentives are often used to steer (corporate) citizens’ behaviour to achieve all kind of policy goals. In this way, the tax

Evaluating the impact of three incentive programs on the economics of cofiring willow biomass with coal in New York State

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tharakan, P.J.; Volk, T.A.; Lindsey, C.A.; Abrahamson, L.P.; White, E.H.

2005-01-01

Plantations of fast-growing willow shrubs are being promoted as a source quality biomass feedstock for bioenergy and bioproducts in New York State (NY). In the near-term, cofiring of the feedstock--in combination with other woody biomass--with coal in existing utility power boilers is considered to be the most promising conversion method for energy generation. Despite the clear technological viability and associated environmental benefits, cofiring of willow has not been widely adopted. The relatively high production cost of the willow feedstock, which is over twice that of coal, is the primary reason for this lack of interest. Taxes that account for some of the social costs of using coal and/or incentives that appropriate value for some of the social benefits of using willow are essential for eliminating most or the entire current price differential. This paper presents an integrated analysis of the economics of power generation from cofiring willow biomass feedstock with coal, from the perspective of the grower, aggregator and the power plant. Emphasis is placed on analyzing the relative impact of a green premium price, a closed-loop biomass tax credit, and payments to growers under the proposed Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) harvesting exemption policy. The CRP payments reduced the delivered cost of willow by 36-35%, to $1.90 GJ -1 and $1.70 GJ -1 , under current and increased yield conditions, respectively. These prices are still high, relative to coal. Other incentives are required to ensure commercial viability. The required levels of green premium price (0.4-1.0 cents kWh -1 ) and biomass tax credit (0.75-2.4 cents kWh -1 ) vary depending on whether the incentives were being applied by themselves or in combination, and whether current yield or potential increased yields were being considered. In the near term, cofiring willow biomass and coal can be an economically viable option for power generation in NY if the expected overall beneficial effects

Physician practice responses to financial incentive programs: exploring the concept of implementation mechanisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, Genna R; Erb, Natalie; Lemak, Christy Harris

2012-01-01

To develop a framework for studying financial incentive program implementation mechanisms, the means by which physician practices and physicians translate incentive program goals into their specific office setting. Understanding how new financial incentives fit with the structure of physician practices and individual providers' work may shed some insight on the variable effects of physician incentives documented in numerous reviews and meta-analyses. Reviewing select articles on pay-for-performance evaluations to identify and characterize the presence of implementation mechanisms for designing, communicating, implementing, and maintaining financial incentive programs as well as recognizing participants' success and effects on patient care. Although uncommonly included in evaluations, evidence from 26 articles reveals financial incentive program sponsors and participants utilized a variety of strategies to facilitate communication about program goals and intentions, to provide feedback about participants' progress, and to assist-practices in providing recommended services. Despite diversity in programs' geographic locations, clinical targets, scope, and market context, sponsors and participants deployed common strategies. While these methods largely pertained to communication between program sponsors and participants and the provision of information about performance through reports and registries, they also included other activities such as efforts to engage patients and ways to change staff roles. This review covers a limited body of research to develop a conceptual framework for future research; it did not exhaustively search for new articles and cannot definitively link particular implementation mechanisms to outcomes. Our results underscore the effects implementation mechanisms may have on how practices incorporate new programs into existing systems of care which implicates both the potential rewards from small changes as well as the resources which may be

The Economic Effects of the Corporate Income Tax: Changing Revenues and Changing Views

OpenAIRE

Alan J. Auerbach

1984-01-01

This paper reviews recent empirical research studying the impact of the U.S. corporate income tax on the behavior of firms. Four areas are discussed:(1) The extent to which dividend taxation imposes a "double tax" on corporate source earnings;(2) The historical impact of tax incentives on the incentives to investand the value of corporate equity;(3) The effects of limited loss offset provisions on the incentives to invest in risky assets; and(4) The determinants of corporate leverage.

Impact of financial incentives on behavior change program participation and risk reduction in worksite health promotion.

Science.gov (United States)

Gingerich, Stefan B; Anderson, David R; Koland, Heidi

2012-01-01

To examine the impact of financial incentives on behavior change program registration, completion, and risk improvement rates. Retrospective cohort study conducted to observe the relationship between financial incentives and behavior change program registration, completion, and risk improvement rates. Large public- or private-sector employers. Twenty-four organizations (n = 511,060 eligible employees) that offered comprehensive worksite health promotion (WHP) programs. Financial incentives offered for completion of a behavior change program as part of a WHP program. Behavior change program registration and completion data were obtained from standard reports. Company-level risk change was calculated from the average per-person number of risks on baseline and follow-up health risk assessments. Incentive design was determined from questionnaires completed by WHP program managers. Average registration rates, program completion rates, and risk improvement rates were compared using t-tests for companies that did versus did not offer incentives. Comparisons were also made between companies with incentives of less than $100 and those with incentives of $100 or more. Correlations between incentive value and outcome variables were assessed using Pearson correlations. Companies that offered incentives had significantly higher health coaching completion rates than companies not offering an incentive (82.9% vs. 76.4%, respectively, p = .017) but there was no significant association with registration (p = .384) or risk improvement rates (p = .242). Incentive values were not significantly associated with risk improvement rates (p = .240). Offering incentives for completing behavior change programs may increase completion rates, but increased health improvement does not necessarily follow.

Program evaluation and incentives for administrators of energy efficiency programs: can evaluation solve the principal/agent problem?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blumstein, Carl (Univ. of California, Energy Institute (United States))

2009-07-01

This paper addresses the nexus between the evaluation of energy-efficiency programs and incentive payments based on performance for program administrators in California. The paper describes problems that arise when evaluators are asked to measure program performance by answering the counterfactual question, what would have happened in the absence of the program? Then some ways of addressing these problems are examined. Key conclusions are that 1) program evaluation cannot precisely and accurately determine the counterfactual, there will always be substantial uncertainty, 2) given the current state of knowledge, the decision to tie all of the incentive to program outcomes is misguided, and 3) incentive programs should be regularly reviewed and revised so that they can be adapted to new conditions.

Marketing to Nurses through an Incentive Program.

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, Jeanne Phillips; Williams, Trudy

1983-01-01

Describes the Incentive Career Mobility Plan, a program for improving employee morale and retention by rewarding self-improvement. Discusses its use by nurse administrators for marketing their institutions to current and potential employees. (JOW)

Pension saving responses to anticipated tax changes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kreiner, Claus Thustrup; Leth-Petersen, Søren; Skov, Peer

2017-01-01

A Danish tax reform, passed in May 2009 and taking effect from the beginning of 2010, lowered the marginal tax rate on top bracket taxable income from 63% to 56%. Because contributions to pension accounts are tax deductible, the reform provided an incentive to increase pension contributions before...

The international experience of using tax initiatives as the mechanism to stimulate employers to invest in employees’ education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I.V. Voinalovych

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The role of the taxation instrument as the mechanism to encourage employers to participate in education and vocational training to facilitate the accumulation of human capital and Ukraine’s economy innovation development are defined. The international experiences in the use of tax incentives for encouraging employers’ investment in the education of employees and training staff are researched. The variety of tax incentives (tax allowance, tax exemption, tax credit, tax relief, tax deferral and the features of their applying in European countries are considered. The author defines the benefits and disadvantages of implementation of tax incentives that should be taken into account in determining the perspectives for their use in vocational education and training in Ukraine. It is determined that increasing the efficiency of taxation is provided by the combination of various tax incentives and economic instruments, aimed at enhancing both employers’ and individuals’ participation in lifelong learning.

The Russian petroleum tax system: evolution, effects and prospects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kemp, A.G.

1996-01-01

The investment climate in the Russian petroleum industry was the subject of this discourse. Legal uncertainties, particularly in taxation, have been identified as having had an inhibiting effect on investment incentives for all enterprises, domestic and foreign. For example, until recently taxes have been based on gross production revenues rather than on profits. Extensive and frequent changes in recent years have been moving towards a more profit related structure, with marked effect on investment incentives for both domestic and foreign companies. Passing of the Law on Production Sharing, and amendments to the Tax Code proposed in 1996, which are aimed at encouraging investment, were described. Further changes to make the Law on Production Sharing and the Tax Code more consistent with each other, and most of all, greater tax stability, were suggested as the most effective incentives to creating an improved investment climate. 1 ref., 1 tab., 30 figs

Tax Salience, Voting, and Deliberation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sausgruber, Rupert; Tyran, Jean-Robert

Tax incentives can be more or less salient, i.e. noticeable or cognitively easy to process. Our hypothesis is that taxes on consumers are more salient to consumers than equivalent taxes on sellers because consumers underestimate the extent of tax shifting in the market. We show that tax salience...... biases consumers' voting on tax regimes, and that experience is an effective de-biasing mechanism in the experimental laboratory. Pre-vote deliberation makes initially held opinions more extreme rather than correct and does not eliminate the bias in the typical committee. Yet, if voters can discuss...... their experience with the tax regimes they are less likely to be biased....

PROGRAM OF MANUFACTURED PRODUCTION AND TAX AREA BY MÉXICO

OpenAIRE

María Guadalupe Naranjo-Cantabrana; Misael Ruiz-Viramontes

2015-01-01

Enterprises gathered in the Manufacturing Industry Program, Maquila and Export Services (IMMEX), by presidential decree published on November 1st, 2006 in the Official Federal Newspaper, enjoyed tax benefits through December 2013: exemption of the payment of IVA tax, temporary tax import into goods for maquila operation, partial exemption of ISR tax and IETU tax; tax exemption of permanent establishment. Since January 1st. 2014, their fiscal environment has changed. At work its being reflecte...

On Supplementing “Foot in the Door” Incentives for eHealth Program Engagement

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Financial health incentives, such as paying people to lose weight, are being widely implemented by Western nations and large corporations. A growing number of studies have tested the impact of incentives on health behaviors, though few have evaluated the approach on a population-scale. In this issue of the Journal of Medical Internet Research, Liu et al add to the evidence-base by examining whether a single incentive can motivate enrollment and engagement in a preventive eHealth program in a sample of 142,726 Canadian adults. While the incentives increased enrollment significantly (by a factor of about 28), a very high level of program attrition was noted (90%). The “foot in the door” incentive technique employed was insufficient; enrollees received incentives for signing-up for, but not for engaging with, the eHealth program. To supplement this technique and drive sustained behavior change, several theoretically- and empirically-based strategies are proposed. Specifically, incentives indexed to behavioral achievements over time are highlighted as one approach to boost engagement in this population in the future. PMID:25092221

Effects of Monetary Incentives on Engagement in the PACE Parenting Program

Science.gov (United States)

Dumas, Jean E.; Begle, Angela Moreland; French, Brian; Pearl, Amanda

2010-01-01

This study evaluated parental engagement in an 8-week parenting program offered through daycare centers that were randomly assigned to a monetary incentive or nonincentive condition. Of an initial sample of 1,050 parents who rated their intent to enroll in the program, 610 went on to enroll--319 in the incentive and 291 in the nonincentive…

Raising money with tax incentives: an overview of how U.S. tax credits are marketed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rotroff, A.S.; Sanderson, G.A.

1997-01-01

This article outlines a method for using certain U.S. income tax credits to raise investment capital. With proper structuring, these tax credits can essentially be ''sold'' to outside investors. A project which may not have sufficient income to take advantage of tax benefits, such as the 29 alternative fuel credit, may sell an interest in the project to commercial investors who can use tax credits. The investors provide cash for the project in return for the tax credits, as well as a portion of the income generated by the project. This article outlines how this type of arrangement can be structured and which tax credits are available for ''sale''. It also identifies possible sources of investment money, issues that an investor will likely consider before investing in such a project, and the potential pitfalls of such a project. (author)

Determining Safety Inspection Thresholds for Employee Incentives Programs on Construction Sites.

Science.gov (United States)

Sparer, Emily; Dennerlein, Jack

2013-01-01

The goal of this project was to evaluate approaches of determining the numerical value of a safety inspection score that would activate a reward in an employee safety incentive program. Safety inspections are a reflection of the physical working conditions at a construction site and provide a safety score that can be used in incentive programs to reward workers. Yet it is unclear what level of safety should be used when implementing this kind of program. This study explored five ways of grouping safety inspection data collected during 19 months at Harvard University-owned construction projects. Each approach grouped the data by one of the following: owner, general contractor, project, trade, or subcontractor. The median value for each grouping provided the threshold score. These five approaches were then applied to data from a completed project in order to calculate the frequency and distribution of rewards in a monthly safety incentive program. The application of each approach was evaluated qualitatively for consistency, competitiveness, attainability, and fairness. The owner-specific approach resulted in a threshold score of 96.3% and met all of the qualitative evaluation goals. It had the most competitive reward distribution (only 1/3 of the project duration) yet it was also attainable. By treating all workers equally and maintaining the same value throughout the project duration, this approach was fair and consistent. The owner-based approach for threshold determination can be used by owners or general contractors when creating leading indicator incentives programs and by researchers in future studies on incentive program effectiveness.

Engagement in health and wellness: An online incentive-based program.

Science.gov (United States)

Gibson, Teresa B; Maclean, J Ross; Carls, Ginger S; Moore, Brian J; Ehrlich, Emily D; Fener, Victoria; Goldberg, Jordan; Mechanic, Elaine; Baigel, Colin

2017-09-01

Increasingly, corporate health promotion programs are implementing wellness programs integrating principles of behavioral economics. Employees of a large firm were provided a customized online incentive program to design their own commitments to meet health goals. This study examines patterns of program participation and engagement in health promotion activities. Subjects were US-based employees of a large, nondurable goods manufacturing firm who were enrolled in corporate health benefits in 2010 and 2011. We assessed measures of engagement with the workplace health promotion program (e.g., incentive points earned, weight loss). To further examine behaviors indicating engagement in health promotion activities, we constructed an aggregate, employee-level engagement index. Regression models were employed to assess the association between employee characteristics and the engagement index, and the engagement index and spending. 4220 employees utilized the online program and made 25,716 commitments. Male employees age 18-34 had the highest level of engagement, and male employees age 55-64 had the lowest level of engagement overall. Prior year health status and prior year spending did not show a significant association with the level of engagement with the program ( p  > 0.05). Flexible, incentive-based behavioral health and lifestyle programs may reach the broader workforce including those with chronic conditions and higher levels of health spending.

Efficient progressive taxes and education subsidies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Ewijk, C.; Tang, P.J.G.

2001-01-01

Progressive income taxes moderate wage demands by trade unions and thereby reduce unemployment, but alsothey reduce incentives to acquire skills and lower productivity of workers. The optimal response of the governmentto this dilemma is to choose a system of progressive taxes and to (partly)

Corporate social responsibility and tax planning : Not by rules alone

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gribnau, Hans

2015-01-01

Taxpayers have to plan their tax affairs to plan their life or develop their business strategy. Often tax planning is encouraged and intended by tax legislation, but sometimes it is not. By way of tax incentives the tax legislator often tries to steer citizens’ behaviour to achieve all kind of

75 FR 75693 - Tax Credit Assistance Program-Reallocation of Funds

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-06

... DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT [Docket No. FR-5448-N-01] Tax Credit Assistance... the Reallocation of Tax Credit Assistance Program (TCAP) funds. This funding opportunity makes approximately $16 million available to assist housing projects that received Low Income Housing Tax Credit...

Financial Incentives to Promote Active Travel

OpenAIRE

Martin, Adam; Suhrcke, Marc; Ogilvie, David

2012-01-01

Context Financial incentives, including taxes and subsidies, can be used to encourage behavior change. They are common in transport policy for tackling externalities associated with use of motor vehicles, and in public health for influencing alcohol consumption and smoking behaviors. Financial incentives also offer policymakers a compromise between ?nudging,? which may be insufficient for changing habitual behavior, and regulations that restrict individual choice. Evidence acquisition The lit...

A Comparative Analysis of the Financial Incentives of Two Distinct Experience-Rating Programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Tompa, Emile; McLeod, Chris; Mustard, Cam

2016-07-01

The aim of this study was to compare the association between insurance premium incentives and claim outcomes in two different workers' compensation programs. Regression models were run for claim outcomes using data from two Canadian jurisdictions with different experience-rating programs-one with prospective (British Columbia) and another with retrospective (Ontario) adjustment of premiums. Key explanatory variables were past premium adjustments. For both programs, past premium adjustments were significantly associated with claim outcomes, suggesting adjustments provided incentives for claims reduction. The magnitudes of effects in the prospective program were smaller than the retrospective one, though relative persistence of effects over time was larger. Having large and immediate employer responses to incentives may appear desirable, but insurers should consider the time required for employers to improve and sustain good practices, and create incentives that parallel such time lines.

Market incentives and pharmaceutical innovation.

Science.gov (United States)

Yin, Wesley

2008-07-01

I study the impact of the Orphan Drug Act (ODA), which established tax incentives for rare disease drug development. I examine the flow of new clinical drug trials for a large set of rare diseases. Among more prevalent rare diseases, the ODA led to a significant and sustained increase in new trials. The impact for less prevalent rare diseases was limited to an increase in the stock of drugs. Tax credits can stimulate R & D; yet because they leave revenue margins unaffected, tax credits appear to have a more limited impact on private innovation in markets with smaller revenue potential.

National Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management Program. Use of compensation and incentives in siting Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Facilities. Revision 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1985-10-01

This document was prepared to increase understanding of compensation and incentives as they pertain to the siting of Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Facilities. Compensation and incentives are discussed as methods to facilitate siting Low-Level Radioactive Waste Facilities. Compensations may be in the form of grants to enable host communities to evaluate potential impacts of the proposed facility. Compensations may also include reimbursements to the host community for costs incurred during facility construction, operation and closure. These may include required improvements to local roads, new equipment, and payments for revenue losses in local property taxes when disposal sites are removed from the tax base. Incentives provide benefits to the community beyond the costs directly related to the operation of the facility. Greater local control over waste facilities can be a powerful incentive. Local officials may be more willing to accept a facility if they have some control over the operation and monitoring associated with the facility. Failure to secure new disposal sites may cause such problems as illegal dumping which would create public health hazards. Also, lack of disposal capacity may restrict research and medical use of radioactive materials. The use of compensation and incentives may increase acceptance of communities for hosting a low-level waste disposal facility

The influence of financial incentive programs in promoting sustainable forestry on the nation's family forests

Science.gov (United States)

Michael A. Kilgore; John L. Greene; Michael G. Jacobson; Thomas J. Straka; Steven E. Daniels

2007-01-01

Financial incentive programs were evaluated to assess their contribution to promoting sustainable forestry practices on the nation’s family forests. The evaluation consisted of an extensive review of the literature on financial incentive programs, a mail survey of the lead administrator of financial incentive programs in each state forestry agency, and focus groups...

Engagement in health and wellness: An online incentive-based program

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Teresa B. Gibson

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Increasingly, corporate health promotion programs are implementing wellness programs integrating principles of behavioral economics. Employees of a large firm were provided a customized online incentive program to design their own commitments to meet health goals. This study examines patterns of program participation and engagement in health promotion activities. Subjects were US-based employees of a large, nondurable goods manufacturing firm who were enrolled in corporate health benefits in 2010 and 2011. We assessed measures of engagement with the workplace health promotion program (e.g., incentive points earned, weight loss. To further examine behaviors indicating engagement in health promotion activities, we constructed an aggregate, employee-level engagement index. Regression models were employed to assess the association between employee characteristics and the engagement index, and the engagement index and spending. 4220 employees utilized the online program and made 25,716 commitments. Male employees age 18–34 had the highest level of engagement, and male employees age 55–64 had the lowest level of engagement overall. Prior year health status and prior year spending did not show a significant association with the level of engagement with the program (p > 0.05. Flexible, incentive-based behavioral health and lifestyle programs may reach the broader workforce including those with chronic conditions and higher levels of health spending.

Federal Tax Issues Raised by International Study Abroad Programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Harding, Bertrand M., Jr.

2000-01-01

Identifies and describes tax issues raised by study abroad programs and suggests steps that a college or university can take to minimize or eliminate adverse U.S. and foreign tax exposure to both itself and its employees. (EV)

Issues - III. Renewable energies and financial issues - The organisation of a renewable energy sector: the supply in wood-fuel in Auvergne; profitable ecology: which incentive financial and tax tools in favour of renewable energies?; the mechanism of mandatory purchase of electricity production: a precarious support mechanism

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amblard, Laurence; Taverne, Marie; Guerra, Fabien; Rouge, Sandra; Gelas, Helene

2012-01-01

A first article reports the results of an investigation of the organisation of wood-fuel supply in the French region of Auvergne (presentation of the supply chain analysis, use of the transaction cost theory, factors affecting organisational choices within supply chains). The second article presents and comments the various incentive financial and tax measures in favour of renewable energies (State tax incentives for companies and for individuals, local incentives, and financial incentives). The third article outlines the precarious legal character of the mechanism of mandatory purchase of electricity production, as well as the precarious will of the Government regarding this mandatory purchase

Dissemination of Technology to Evaluate Healthy Food Incentive Programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Freedman, Darcy A; Hunt, Alan R; Merritt, Katie; Shon, En-Jung; Pike, Stephanie N

2017-03-01

Federal policy supports increased implementation of monetary incentive interventions for chronic disease prevention among low-income populations. This study describes how a Prevention Research Center, working with a dissemination partner, developed and distributed technology to support nationwide implementation and evaluation of healthy food incentive programming focused on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients. FM Tracks, an iOS-based application and website, was developed to standardize evaluation methods for healthy food incentive program implementation at direct-to-consumer markets. This evaluation examined diffusion and adoption of the technology over 9 months (July 2015-March 2016). Data were analyzed in 2016. FM Tracks was disseminated to 273 markets affiliated with 37 regional networks in 18 states and Washington, DC. All markets adopted the sales transaction data collection feature, with nearly all recording at least one Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (99.3%) and healthy food incentive (97.1%) transaction. A total of 43,493 sales transactions were recorded. By the ninth month of technology dissemination, markets were entering individual sales transactions using the application (34.5%) and website (29.9%) and aggregated transactions via website (35.6%) at similar rates. Use of optional evaluation features like recording a customer ID with individual transactions increased successively with a low of 22.2% during the first month to a high of 69.2% in the ninth month. Systematic and widely used evaluation technology creates possibilities for pragmatic research embedded within ongoing, real-world implementation of food access interventions. Technology dissemination requires supportive technical assistance and continuous refinement that can be advanced through academic-practitioner partnerships. Copyright © 2016 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Effects of Financial Incentives on Retirement Decisions:

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Søgaard, Jakob Egholt; Anton Schultz, Esben; Schaarup, Jonas Zielke

2013-01-01

We exploit a temporary tax rebate introduced in Denmark in 2008 to estimate the effect of financial incentives on retirement decisions. The scheme offered individuals in a limited number of cohorts a tax rebate of up to 100,000 DKK (approximately $20,000) if they stayed on the labor market until...

An International Comparison of Tax Assistance for R&D: 2017 Update and Extension to Patent Boxes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John Lester

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Business investment in research and development (R&D is widely recognized as providing benefits to the broader economy that exceed the benefits to the firms that perform the R&D. As a result of this externality or spillover, most governments provide support for R&D in order to encourage more of it. In 2017, 29 of the 35 members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD provided tax incentives for spending on R&D. That’s up slightly since 2014, when we last prepared an international comparison of tax assistance for R&D. On the other hand, average support levels edged down from 2014 to 2017. In addition to these expenditure-based measures, 15 OECD countries provide preferential tax treatment for the income generated by commercializing R&D and other innovative activities. These income-based measures are often described as patent boxes, since they first applied to income realized from patented products and processes. In most cases, the qualifying patents did not have to be based on R&D performed in the country offering the incentive, so patent boxes were criticized for creating an incentive to shift taxable income without encouraging additional R&D. Recently, however, most countries have accepted the OECD recommendation that both the R&D and the income from its commercialization must be located in the same jurisdiction before an income-based incentive can be provided. With this linkage, income-based incentives can be a useful policy tool, particularly for large firms. Income- and expenditure-based incentives are likely to have similar impacts on the amount of R&D undertaken by large firms, but income-based measures have the advantage of providing a greater incentive to commercialize R&D in the implementing jurisdiction. They also blunt the incentive to shift the taxable income generated by commercializing R&D to lower-tax jurisdictions. However, smaller firms, who are more likely to be cashflow constrained, will respond

Why are U.S.-Owned Foreign Subsidiaries Not Tax Aggressive?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

S. Kohlhase (Saskia); J. Pierk (Jochen)

2016-01-01

textabstractThis paper empirically tests a theory laid out in Scholes et al. (2015, p. 315) that the U.S. worldwide tax system reduces the incentive of U.S. parent companies to be tax aggressive in their foreign subsidiaries. Investors subject to a worldwide tax system pay taxes on their worldwide

The mechanism of tax administration and the priorities of tax reform in the context of business environment improvement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Parsadanyan T.S.

2017-11-01

Full Text Available in the XXIst century the role of tax administration is becoming more and more important in the increasingly stiff competition and economic reforms in the World Economy. The article has studied the human factor regarding it as an inseparable part of tax administration. The article also investigates the following issues tax administration faces: provision of new tax privileges for imported goods, provision of favorable tax incentives for local goods in case of joining the Eurasian Economic Union, repression of tax/GDP correlation, etc. Imperfections was identified in each field and the ways for their solution have been suggested.

A Global Review of Incentive Programs to Accelerate Energy-Efficient Appliances and Equipment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

de la Rue du Can, Stephane; Phadke, Amol; Leventis, Greg; Gopal, Anand

2013-08-01

Incentive programs are an essential policy tool to move the market toward energy-efficient products. They offer a favorable complement to mandatory standards and labeling policies by accelerating the market penetration of energy-efficient products above equipment standard requirements and by preparing the market for increased future mandatory requirements. They sway purchase decisions and in some cases production decisions and retail stocking decisions toward energy-efficient products. Incentive programs are structured according to their regulatory environment, the way they are financed, by how the incentive is targeted, and by who administers them. This report categorizes the main elements of incentive programs, using case studies from the Major Economies Forum to illustrate their characteristics. To inform future policy and program design, it seeks to recognize design advantages and disadvantages through a qualitative overview of the variety of programs in use around the globe. Examples range from rebate programs administered by utilities under an Energy-Efficiency Resource Standards (EERS) regulatory framework (California, USA) to the distribution of Eco-Points that reward customers for buying efficient appliances under a government recovery program (Japan). We found that evaluations have demonstrated that financial incentives programs have greater impact when they target highly efficient technologies that have a small market share. We also found that the benefits and drawbacks of different program design aspects depend on the market barriers addressed, the target equipment, and the local market context and that no program design surpasses the others. The key to successful program design and implementation is a thorough understanding of the market and effective identification of the most important local factors hindering the penetration of energy-efficient technologies.

The Fiscal Impact of the Kentucky Education Tax Credit Program

Science.gov (United States)

Gottlob, Brian J.

2006-01-01

This study examines the fiscal impact of a proposal to create a personal tax credit for educational expenses and a tax-credit scholarship program in Kentucky. It finds that the actual fiscal impact of the program would be much less than its nominal dollar size, due to the reduced public school costs resulting from migration of students from public…

Design of capacity incentive and energy compensation for demand response programs

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Zhoubin; Cui, Wenqi; Shen, Ran; Hu, Yishuang; Wu, Hui; Ye, Chengjin

2018-02-01

Variability and Uncertainties caused by renewable energy sources have called for large amount of balancing services. Demand side resources (DSRs) can be a good alternative of traditional generating units to provide balancing service. In the areas where the electricity market has not been fully established, e.g., China, DSRs can help balance the power system with incentive-based demand response programs. However, there is a lack of information about the interruption cost of consumers in these areas, making it hard to determine the rational amount of capacity incentive and energy compensation for the participants of demand response programs. This paper proposes an algorithm to calculate the amount of capacity incentive and energy compensation for demand response programs when there lacks the information about interruption cost. Available statistical information of interruption cost in referenced areas is selected as the referenced data. Interruption cost of the targeted area is converted from the referenced area by product per electricity consumption. On this basis, capacity incentive and energy compensation are obtained to minimize the payment to consumers. Moreover, the loss of consumers is guaranteed to be covered by the revenue they earned from load serving entities.

Financial Incentives to Promote Active Travel

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Adam; Suhrcke, Marc; Ogilvie, David

2012-01-01

Context Financial incentives, including taxes and subsidies, can be used to encourage behavior change. They are common in transport policy for tackling externalities associated with use of motor vehicles, and in public health for influencing alcohol consumption and smoking behaviors. Financial incentives also offer policymakers a compromise between “nudging,” which may be insufficient for changing habitual behavior, and regulations that restrict individual choice. Evidence acquisition The literature review identified studies published between January 1997 and January 2012 of financial incentives relating to any mode of travel in which the impact on active travel, physical activity, or obesity levels was reported. It encompassed macroenvironmental schemes, such as gasoline taxes, and microenvironmental schemes, such as employer-subsidized bicycles. Five relevant reviews and 20 primary studies (of which nine were not included in the reviews) were identified. Evidence synthesis The results show that more-robust evidence is required if policymakers are to maximize the health impact of fiscal policy relating to transport schemes of this kind. Conclusions Drawing on a literature review and insights from the SLOTH (sleep, leisure, occupation, transportation, and home-based activities) time-budget model, this paper argues that financial incentives may have a larger role in promoting walking and cycling than is acknowledged generally. PMID:23159264

Funding the heavy oil sector's innovation : maximizing Canada's R and D tax credit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hill, G.S.; Bernard, M.; Cheung, S.

2008-01-01

Canada offers one of the most generous, broadly applicable business tax incentives for eligible research and development projects in the world. The scientific research and experimental development (SR and ED) program is administered by the Canada Revenue Agency and is the single largest federal program, providing over 3 billion dollars in tax assistance to Canadian businesses in 2006. The development of in-situ oil sands recovery technologies such as steam assisted gravity drainage and other techniques have been research-intensive undertakings that have historically benefited from the SR and ED program, many of which are now commercial available technologies. The SR and ED program definition, eligible activities, eligible expenditures, and benefits were described in this paper. These benefits include the ability to deduct qualifying expenditures currently or to defer them indefinitely, as well as investment tax credits that reduce taxes payable on a dollar for dollar basis. Research and development in the heavy oil and oil sands industries was also discussed with reference to platforms for research and development; areas of potential SR and ED. It was concluded that the SR and ED program is a vital source of financing to many Canadian corporations, and could offer significant assistance to companies in the heavy oil and oil sands sector by returning 20-35 per cent of the expenditures back at the federal level as a tax credit. 5 refs

PROGRAM OF MANUFACTURED PRODUCTION AND TAX AREA BY MÉXICO

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

María Guadalupe Naranjo-Cantabrana

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Enterprises gathered in the Manufacturing Industry Program, Maquila and Export Services (IMMEX, by presidential decree published on November 1st, 2006 in the Official Federal Newspaper, enjoyed tax benefits through December 2013: exemption of the payment of IVA tax, temporary tax import into goods for maquila operation, partial exemption of ISR tax and IETU tax; tax exemption of permanent establishment. Since January 1st. 2014, their fiscal environment has changed. At work its being reflected about the new fiscal provisions and their effect on 6825 IMMEX companies in the country, regarding its location, people hired directly and surrogated, paid salaries, social security contributions, days and hours worked.

LURING FISCAL REFUGEES: THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF TAX HAVENS

OpenAIRE

Larissa BATRANCEA

2014-01-01

Created mostly for tax purposes and boasting other financial services like asset protection or financial investments, tax havens have been often associated across time with tax incentives and tax noncompliance (either avoidance or evasion). On the grounds of double tax treatise, banking secrecy and lack of collaboration with international tax authorities, tax havens have succeeded to concentrate over 50% of the world’s financial industry and to manage 32 billion dollars, fuell...

Oil sands tax expenditures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ketchum, K; Lavigne, R.; Plummer, R.

2001-01-01

The oil sands are a strategic Canadian resource for which federal and provincial governments provide financial incentives to develop and exploit. This report describes the Oil Sands Tax Expenditure Model (OSTEM) developed to estimate the size of the federal income tax expenditure attributed to the oil sands industry. Tax expenditures are tax concessions which are used as alternatives to direct government spending for achieving government policy objectives. The OSTEM was developed within the business Income Tax Division of Canada's Department of Finance. Data inputs for the model were obtained from oil sands developers and Natural Resources Canada. OSTEM calculates annual revenues, royalties and federal taxes at project levels using project-level projections of capital investment, operating expenses and production. OSTEM calculates tax expenditures by comparing taxes paid under different tax regimes. The model also estimates the foregone revenue as a percentage of capital investment. Total tax expenditures associated with investment in the oil sands are projected to total $820 million for the period from 1986 to 2030, representing 4.6 per cent of the total investment. 10 refs., 2 tabs., 7 figs

Tax incentives for the economic activity of small businesses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Imanshapieva Mazika Musabekovna

2012-08-01

Full Text Available In article it is shown that the developed structure of the Russian small business doesn't answer problems of modernization of economy, taking into account features of subjects of small business necessity of strengthening of a role of a tax policy for regulation of their activity is given reason. The expediency of introduction in the Tax code of the Russian Federation of concepts «subjects of small business», «the small innovative enterprise» is proved. Necessity of specification of conditions and signs of reference of the organizations to subjects of small-scale business is revealed at application of the simplified system of the taxation. The expediency of change of existing approaches to formation of tax base at application of the general system of the taxation is established and recommendations about tax stimulation of economic activity of subjects of small business are offered.

Essays in financial reporting, tax, and politics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Janssen, W.H.P.

2015-01-01

This dissertation contains three essays on financial reporting, tax, and politics. The first essay explores whether the tax authority is able to generate spillover effects for auditors. The IRS can generate spillover effects for auditors, as a strong IRS increases manager’s incentives to comply with

A human-centered framework for innovation in conservation incentive programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Sorice, Michael G; Donlan, C Josh

2015-12-01

The promise of environmental conservation incentive programs that provide direct payments in exchange for conservation outcomes is that they enhance the value of engaging in stewardship behaviors. An insidious but important concern is that a narrow focus on optimizing payment levels can ultimately suppress program participation and subvert participants' internal motivation to engage in long-term conservation behaviors. Increasing participation and engendering stewardship can be achieved by recognizing that participation is not simply a function of the payment; it is a function of the overall structure and administration of the program. Key to creating innovative and more sustainable programs is fitting them within the existing needs and values of target participants. By focusing on empathy for participants, co-designing program approaches, and learning from the rapid prototyping of program concepts, a human-centered approach to conservation incentive program design enhances the propensity for discovery of novel and innovative solutions to pressing conservation issues.

Oklahoma Cherokee formation study shows benefits of gas tax credits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stanley, B.J.; Cline, S.B.

1994-01-01

To no one's surprise, the administration's recently released energy initiative package does not advocate the use of tax incentives such as the Internal Revenue Code Sec. 29 (tight sand gas) credit that expired Dec. 31, 1992. This is unfortunate since tax credits do stimulate drilling, as the authors' recent study of Oklahoma's Pennsylvanian age Cherokee formation demonstrates. Within this 783,000 acre study area, more than 130 additional wells were drilled between 1991--92 because of tax credit incentives. And such tax credits also increase total federal tax revenues by causing wells to be drilled that would not have been drilled or accelerating the drilling of wells, thereby increasing taxable revenue. In short, tax credits create a win-win situation: they stimulate commerce, increase tax revenues, reduce the outflow of capital to foreign petroleum projects, and add to the nation's natural gas reserve, which is beneficial for national security, balance of payments, the environment, and gas market development. The paper discusses the study assumptions, study results, and the tax credit policy

Optimal Tax-Timing and Asset Allocation when Tax Rebates on Capital Losses are Limited

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Marekwica, Marcel

2012-01-01

to realize capital gains immediately and pay capital gain taxes to regain the option to use potential future losses against a higher tax rate. This incentive adds an entirely new and as yet unstudied dimension to the portfolio problem. It causes risk averse investors to hold more equity and attain higher......This article studies the portfolio problem with realization-based capital gain taxation when limited amounts of losses qualify for tax rebate payments, as is the case under current US tax law. When the tax rate applicable to realized losses exceeds that on realized capital gains, it can be optimal...... welfare levels than is the case when trading under a tax system that seeks to collect the same amount of taxes, but does not allow for tax rebate payments. This is because the benefit to these investors from having their losses subsidized is greater than the suffering from having profits taxed at a higher...

Exploring parent attitudes around using incentives to promote engagement in family-based weight management programs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elizabeth Jacob-Files

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Incentives can promote adult wellness. We sought to examine whether incentives might help overcome barriers to engagement in child weight management programs and the ideal value, type and recipient of incentives. In 2017, we conducted semi-structured phone interviews with parents of children ≤17 years old, formerly or currently affected by obesity, who had (n = 11 or had never (n = 12 participated in family-based behavioral treatment (FBT for obesity. Interviews explored the range and type of incentives families would be willing to accept. Interview transcripts were coded and data were analyzed using a thematic analysis. We found that some parents were skeptical about receiving cash incentives. However, once treatment-related costs were identified, some became more interested in reimbursement for out of pocket expenditures. Most parents felt up to $100/month would be adequate and that incentives should be tied to changing behaviors, not BMI. Some interviewees expressed preferences for non-cash incentives (e.g. a gift card over cash incentives. Parents were willing to share incentives with adolescents, up to $50/month, but there was concern about incentives affecting a child's intrinsic motivation for behavior change. All parents acknowledged that moderate incentives alone couldn't overcome the realities of structural and familial barriers to engaging in weight management programs. In summary, we identified aspects of an incentive program to promote engagement in FBT that would be desirable and feasible to implement. Future quantitative work can reveal the value and structure of incentives that are effective for improving obesogenic health behaviors and outcomes. Keywords: Behavioral economics, Family-based treatment, Financial incentives, Health incentives, Childhood obesity

The voluntary fulfillment of the taxes payment as reformative institution of Venezuelan tax system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jose Guillermo Garcia

2007-07-01

Full Text Available A consensus between the reformers of the public administration exists on a matter that changes are not decreed, but that these require, for their effective fulfillment of certain conditions, like stimulation of actors affected by the reforms, to recognize the new scenario like favorable and therefore, to act in its name. Under this premise, this paper analyzes the voluntary fulfillment of the taxes payment as reformative institution of the Venezuelan tax system, which has implied the development of a formal incentives structure promoting the initiative of conscious tax payment.

Relief for marginal wells is better than energy tax

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Swords, J.; Wilson, D.

1993-01-01

By increasing production costs and reducing petroleum prices, President Bill Clinton's proposed energy tax would increase marginal well abandonments and hasten the decline of the US oil and gas industry. Instead, the US needs tax law changes to help counteract the increasing number of oil and gas well abandonments in the lower 48 states. The proposed tax would create potential difficulties, while three incentives could be introduced to reduce abandonments and at the same time preserve US government tax revenues that otherwise would be lost. Eliminating the net income limitation on percentage depletion allowances on wells that would otherwise be abandoned would be a great help for marginal well operators. Extended enhanced oil recovery (EOR) credits and broader investment tax credits could also serve the dual purpose of keeping marginal wells operating longer and generating more federal tax revenues. A marginal well investment tax credit should be provided that is not just a credit for incremented investments that exceed investment in prior years. An investment tax credit based on out-of-pocket costs of production, targeted for marginal wells, would be an important incentive to invest in, and continue to maintain, these properties. (author)

Itemised Deductions : A Device to Reduce Tax Evasion

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Piolatto, A.

2010-01-01

Direct incentives and punishments are the most common instruments to fight tax evasion. The theoretical literature disregarded indirect schemes, such as itemised deductions, in which an agent has an interest in that other agents declare their revenue. Itemised deductions provide an incentive for

Equity Incentives: Aligning The Interests Of Employees And Owners ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This paper reviews how to align the interests of employees and of owners of businesses and directs attention to policy issues that are critical to the attainment of this noble objective. It demonstrates that Tax Incentives and Reforms are necessary and offers recommendations on how to promote equity incentives in Nigeria.

Reduction of the renewable energy incentives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rigaud, Ch.

2010-01-01

In order to reduce the state deficit the French government plans to reduce the financial incentives in all sectors and particularly in the sector of renewable energies. The photovoltaic sector is the most hit with a tax credit rate dropping from 50% (in 2009) to 22.5% (in 2011). For the other renewable energy sectors the tax credit rate will be reduced by 10% in 2011. The French government wants the cost of the tax credit on the renewable energies to drop from 2.8*10 9 euros in 2009 to 2.0*10 9 euros in 2011. (A.C.)

Effect of taxes and financial incentives on family-owned forest land

Science.gov (United States)

John L. Greene; Thomas J. Straka; Tamara L. Cushing

2013-01-01

Key FindingsFederal and State taxes reduce the pre-tax value of family-owned forest land in the South by amounts ranging from little more than one-quarter to nearly half, with the greatest share of the reduction attributable to the Federal income tax and State property taxes.Most family forest owners are aware of some general...

77 FR 23193 - Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Electronic Health Record Incentive Program-Stage 2; Corrections

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-18

..., 413, and 495 [CMS-0044-CN] RIN 0938-AQ84 Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Electronic Health Record... proposed rule entitled ``Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Electronic Health Record Incentive Program--Stage... (77 FR 13698), the proposed rule entitled ``Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Electronic Health Record...

Pengaruh Pajak, Tunneling Incentive dan Mekanisme Bonus Terhadap Keputusan Transfer Pricing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mispiyanti Mispiyanti

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The aim of the research is to find empirical effidence of tax, tunneling incentive and bonus mecahnism toward transfer pricing decision taken by manufacturing companies listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange. The research population are manufacturing companies listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange arround 2010 to 2013. The samples were taken using purposive sampling method. The research results show that tax and bonus mechanism do not have effect toward companies’ transfer pricing decision. While, tunneling incentive has effect toward companies’transfer pricing decision.

Designing PV Incentive Programs to Promote Performance: A Reviewof Current Practice in the U.S.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barbose, Galen; Wiser, Ryan; Bolinger, Mark

2006-10-06

In the U.S., the increasing financial support for customer-sited photovoltaic (PV) systems provided through publicly-funded incentive programs has heightened concerns about the long-term performance of these systems. Given the barriers that customers face to ensuring that their PV systems perform well, and the responsibility that PV incentive programs bear to ensure that public funds are prudently spent, these programs should, and often do, play a critical role in addressing PV system performance. To provide a point of reference for assessing the current state of the art, and to inform program design efforts going forward, we examine the approaches to encouraging PV system performance used by 32 prominent PV incentive programs in the U.S. We identify eight general strategies or groups of related strategies that these programs have used to address factors that affect performance, and describe key implementation details. Based on this review, we then offer recommendations for how PV incentive programs can be effectively designed to mitigate potential performance issues.

TAX COMPONENT OF FISCAL POLICY OF INCREASE COMPETITIVENESS OF NATIONAL ECONOMICS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Danilov

2013-08-01

Full Text Available The article is devoted to the problems of using fiscal levers to regulate the national economy competitiveness. What kind of tax levers should be used in order to increase the competitiveness of the national economy is justified. Taxes are the main source of fiscal revenue of the country, which depends on the inherent principles of optimizing the tax system, determined Ukraine's withdrawal from the crisis and raising the country's competitiveness. It is proposed differentiation in income tax rates, depending on whether the company is engaged in innovation and investment activity or not. Changing the rate of value added tax in a downward will reduce the revenue of the country. For enterprises that are not exporting products to decrease the amount of working capital for a certain period Fiscal policy that promotes the removal of the country's financial and economic crisis and the increasing competitiveness of the state, should be challenging. In order to implement incentive effects of taxes set forth in the tax code, we propose a linear programming model of the budget (revenue and expenditure . Building the economic and mathematical optimization model with possible actions challenging the tax factors of individual taxes and the possibilities of using the proceeds of certain taxes on certain items of expenditure budget.

Study of the Incentive Program for Washington's National Board Certified Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Plecki, Margaret L.; Elfers, Ana M.; St. John, Elise; Finster, Matthew; Emry, Terese; Nishida, Nasue; Harmon, Jeanne

2010-01-01

This study examines the impact of Washington state's incentives for teachers to attain National Board Certification and to work in challenging schools. Using surveys and secondary analyses of state databases, we examine the workforce both prior to and following recent changes in the incentive program. The study considers the nature of National…

An alternate property tax program requiring a forest management plan and scheduled harvesting

Science.gov (United States)

D.F. Dennis; P.E. Sendak

1991-01-01

Vermont's Use Value Appraisal property tax program, designed to address problems such as tax inequity and forced development caused by taxing agricultural and forest land based on speculative values, requires a forest management plan and scheduled harvests. A probit analysis of enrollment provides evidence of the program's success in attracting large parcels...

Motivation for Participating in a Weight Loss Program and Financial Incentives: An Analysis from a Randomized Trial

Science.gov (United States)

Crane, Melissa M.; Tate, Deborah F.; Finkelstein, Eric A.; Linnan, Laura A.

2012-01-01

This analysis investigated if changes in autonomous or controlled motivation for participation in a weight loss program differed between individuals offered a financial incentive for weight loss compared to individuals not offered an incentive. Additionally, the same relationships were tested among those who lost weight and either received or did not receive an incentive. This analysis used data from a year-long randomized worksite weight loss program that randomly assigned employees in each worksite to either a low-intensity weight loss program or the same program plus small financial incentives for weight loss ($5.00 per percentage of initial weight lost). There were no differences in changes between groups on motivation during the study, however, increases in autonomous motivation were consistently associated with greater weight losses. This suggests that the small incentives used in this program did not lead to increases in controlled motivation nor did they undermine autonomous motivation. Future studies are needed to evaluate the magnitude and timing of incentives to more fully understand the relationship between incentives and motivation. PMID:22577524

A Simulation Modeling Framework to Optimize Programs Using Financial Incentives to Motivate Health Behavior Change.

Science.gov (United States)

Basu, Sanjay; Kiernan, Michaela

2016-01-01

While increasingly popular among mid- to large-size employers, using financial incentives to induce health behavior change among employees has been controversial, in part due to poor quality and generalizability of studies to date. Thus, fundamental questions have been left unanswered: To generate positive economic returns on investment, what level of incentive should be offered for any given type of incentive program and among which employees? We constructed a novel modeling framework that systematically identifies how to optimize marginal return on investment from programs incentivizing behavior change by integrating commonly collected data on health behaviors and associated costs. We integrated "demand curves" capturing individual differences in response to any given incentive with employee demographic and risk factor data. We also estimated the degree of self-selection that could be tolerated: that is, the maximum percentage of already-healthy employees who could enroll in a wellness program while still maintaining positive absolute return on investment. In a demonstration analysis, the modeling framework was applied to data from 3000 worksite physical activity programs across the nation. For physical activity programs, the incentive levels that would optimize marginal return on investment ($367/employee/year) were higher than average incentive levels currently offered ($143/employee/year). Yet a high degree of self-selection could undermine the economic benefits of the program; if more than 17% of participants came from the top 10% of the physical activity distribution, the cost of the program would be expected to always be greater than its benefits. Our generalizable framework integrates individual differences in behavior and risk to systematically estimate the incentive level that optimizes marginal return on investment. © The Author(s) 2015.

Cultural Norms, the Persistence of Tax Evasion, and Economic Growth

OpenAIRE

Dimitrios Varvarigos

2015-01-01

I study the effects of tax evasion on economic growth by focusing on the cultural aspects of tax compliance and their effect on the extensive margin of tax evasion. A cultural norm that determines the contemptibility of tax dodging practices links the past incidence of tax evasion with the tax payers’ current incentives to conceal sources of income. This dynamic complementarity may lead to multiple equilibria in the evolution of tax evasion. Due to the latter’s effect on capital accumulation,...

Understanding the Relationship Between Incentive Design and Participation in U.S. Workplace Wellness Programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Batorsky, Benjamin; Taylor, Erin; Huang, Crystal; Liu, Hangsheng; Mattke, Soeren

2016-01-01

We aimed to understand how employer characteristics relate to the use of incentives to promote participation in wellness programs and to explore the relationship between incentive type and participation rates. A cross-sectional analysis of nationally representative survey data combined with an administrative business database was employed. Random sampling of U.S. companies within strata based on industry and number of employees was used to determine a final sample of 3000 companies. Of these, 19% returned completed surveys. The survey asked about employee participation rate, incentive type, and gender composition of employees. Incentive types included any incentives, high-value rewards, and rewards plus penalties. Logistic regressions of incentive type on employer characteristics were used to determine what types of employers are more likely to offer which type of incentives. A generalized linear model of participation rate was used to determine the relationship between incentive type and participation. Employers located in the Northeast were 5 to 10 times more likely to offer incentives. Employers with a large number of employees, particularly female employees, were up to 1.25 times more likely to use penalties. Penalty and high-value incentives were associated with participation rates of 68% and 52%, respectively. Industry or regional characteristics are likely determinants of incentive use for wellness programs. Penalties appear to be effective, but attention should be paid to what types of employees they affect.

TAX PLANNING: OPTIMIZATION TOOL OF DEBTS TOWARDS THE BUDGET

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anatol GRAUR

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Tax planning is complex of measures,consisting in the reduction of tax payments under the law. Tax planning at the enterprise starts from the initial structuring of businesses and activities and can be carried out both at entity level (corporate and the individual (individual. Compared to tax evasion, tax planning is performed only under the law by avoiding taxes. Avoiding or reducing taxes is possible by organizing activities in such a way that the law allows reducing the tax base or tax rate. Optimization of tax payments is possible by organizing the work in such a way, so as the legislation avoids or reduces the tax base,tax rates and tax incentives application.

Designing PV Incentive Programs to Promote System Performance: AReview of Current Practice

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barbose, Galen; Wiser, Ryan; Bolinger, Mark

2006-11-12

Some stakeholders continue to voice concerns about the performance of customer-sited photovoltaic (PV) systems, particularly because these systems typically receive financial support through ratepayer- or publicly-funded programs. Although much remains to be understood about the extent and specific causes of poor PV system performance, several studies of the larger programs and markets have shed some light on the issue. An evaluation of the California Energy Commission (CEC)'s Emerging Renewables Program, for example, found that 7% of systems, in a sample of 95, had lower-than-expected power output due to shading or soiling (KEMA 2005). About 3% of a larger sample of 140 systems were not operating at all or were operating well below expected output, due to failed equipment, faulty installation workmanship, and/or a lack of basic maintenance. In a recent evaluation of the other statewide PV incentive program in California, the Self-Generation Incentive Program, 9 of 52 projects sampled were found to have annual capacity factors less than 14.5%, although reasons for these low capacity factors generally were not identified (Itron 2005). Studies of PV systems in Germany and Japan, the two largest PV markets worldwide, have also revealed some performance problems associated with issues such as shading, equipment and installation defects, inverter failure, and deviations from module manufacturers' specifications (Otani et al. 2004, Jahn & Nasse 2004). Although owners of PV systems have an inherent incentive to ensure that their systems perform well, many homeowners and building operators may lack the necessary information and expertise to carry out this task effectively. Given this barrier, and the responsibility of PV incentive programs to ensure that public funds are prudently spent, these programs should (and often do) play a critical role in promoting PV system performance. Performance-based incentives (PBIs), which are based on actual energy production

Sick of Taxes?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ljunge, Jan Martin

I estimate a price elasticity of sickness absence. Sick leave is an intensive margin of labor supply where individuals are free to adjust. I exploit variation in tax rates over two decades, which provide thousands of differential incentives across time and space, to estimate the price responsiven...... of sick leave, -0.7, with respect to the net of tax rate. Though large relative to traditional labor supply elasticities, Swedes are half as price elastic as bike messengers, and just as elastic as stadium vendors on the margin which they can adjust freely....

Foreign Direct Investments and Tax Correlation: Some of EU Countries and Turkey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali YAVUZ

2010-06-01

Full Text Available In the globalizing world; individuals, markets and capital are more mobile than the past for that reason countries are in cutthroat competition for attract the direct and indirect investments. Especially, developing countries overview their own tax policy and perform incentive measures including tax incentives to attract the direct investments which have a positive effect of production and employment level. In this process, some countries achieve their goals and some are not. The purpose of this study evaluate the difference of tax policies in Turkey which in EU candidacy process and some old central, east Europe countries which are in EU and the main rival of Turkey to attracting direct investments. In this evaluation process, changing income tax, corporate tax, value added tax and performance of attracking the direct investments which was performed in selected countries, were evaluated by comparative

78 FR 23775 - Notice of Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request: Tax Credit Assistance Program (TCAP)

Science.gov (United States)

2013-04-22

... Information Collection; Comment Request: Tax Credit Assistance Program (TCAP) AGENCY: Office of the Chief... information: Title of Proposed: Tax Credit Assistance Program (TCAP). OMB Approval Number: 2506-0181. Form Numbers: None. Description of the need for the information and proposed use: Tax Credit Assistance Program...

Does Dividend Tax Impede Competition for Corporate Charters?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lai, Tat-kei; Ng, Travis

High dividend income tax in the U.S. can impede state competition in the market for corporate charters. We offer a model to formalize the mechanism through which dividend tax lowers the incentives for a state legislator to refrain from enacting takeover regulations. We test a key driver within...... the model, that dividend tax exacerbates agency conflicts between management and shareholders, making takeover regulations less consequential to the corporations that have their shareholders subject to the tax. The implication, that under a dividend tax cut, firms governed by fewer anti-takeover provisions...

Tax Responses in Platform Industries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kind, Hans Jarle; Köthenbürger, Marko; Schjelderup, Guttorm

that a higher ad valorem tax may undermine a firm's incentive to differentiate its product from that of its competitors. Finally, we demonstrate that the effects of increasing specific taxes may be the opposite of those of increasing value added taxes....... price and thus buy less of the good. The present paper shows that this result need not hold in a two-sided market. On the contrary, a higher ad valorem tax may lower end-user prices and spur sales. Thus, two-sided platform firms may not at all engage in tax shifting via price increases. We further show......Two-sided platform firms serve distinct customer groups that are connected through interdependent demand, and include major businesses such as the media industry, banking, and the software industry. A well known result of tax incidence is that consumers of a more heavily taxed good pay a higher...

The Burden and Disincentive Effects of Hungarian Personal Taxes 1988-96

OpenAIRE

Newbery, David M G; Revesz, Tamas

1997-01-01

The paper analyses the revenue-raising, distributional and incentive effects of the personal tax system in Hungary from the start of the transitional tax reforms of 1988, and develops methods for estimating marginal indirect taxes. It evaluates the distributional impact of revenue-neutral equivalent indirect tax changes that have occurred since 1988, and shows them to have been regressive.

Long-term care financing through Federal tax incentives.

Science.gov (United States)

Moran, D W; Weingart, J M

1988-12-01

Congress and the Administration are currently exploring various methods of promoting access to long-term care. In this article, an inventory of recent legislative proposals for using the Federal tax code to expand access to long-term care services is provided. Proposals are arrayed along a functional typology that includes tax mechanisms to encourage accumulation of funds, promote purchase of long-term care insurance, or induce the diversion of funds accumulated for another purpose (such as individual retirement accounts). The proposals are evaluated against the public policy objective of encouraging risk pooling to minimize social cost.

The use of tax expenditures in times of fiscal consolidation

OpenAIRE

Lovise Bauger

2014-01-01

Against the background of recovering growth and remaining fiscal consolidation needs, reforming tax expenditures may offer a promising avenue to raise revenue and, at the same time, improve efficiency of the tax systems. The workshop, held by DG ECFIN on 23 October 2013, addressed the economic and budgetary aspects of tax expenditures, including reporting practices, and discussed the rationale for business tax incentives and the distributional effects of tax reliefs in personal income taxatio...

A work-site weight control program using financial incentives collected through payroll deduction.

Science.gov (United States)

Forster, J L; Jeffery, R W; Sullivan, S; Snell, M K

1985-11-01

In a work-site weight control program using a self-motivational program of financial incentives implemented through payroll deduction, 131 university employees chose weight loss goals (0 to 60 lb) and incentives (+5 to +30) to be deducted from each paycheck for six months. Return of incentive money was contingent on progress toward weight goals. Participants were assigned randomly to one of four protocols, involving group educational sessions v self-instruction only and required v optional attendance at weigh-ins and sessions. Overall, dropout rates (21.4%) and mean weight loss (12.2 lb) were encouraging, especially compared with those of other work-site programs. Weight loss was positively associated with attendance at weigh-ins and educational sessions. However, requiring attendance did not increase program effectiveness and seemed also to discourage enrollment among men. The weight control program was equally effective when offered with professionally led educational sessions or when accompanied by self-instructional materials only.

Reducing Food Insecurity and Improving Fruit and Vegetable Intake Among Farmers' Market Incentive Program Participants.

Science.gov (United States)

Savoie-Roskos, Mateja; Durward, Carrie; Jeweks, Melanie; LeBlanc, Heidi

2016-01-01

To determine whether participation in a farmers' market incentive pilot program had an impact on food security and fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake of participants. Participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program were eligible to receive a dollar-per-dollar match up to $10/wk in farmers' market incentives. The researchers used a pretest-posttest design to measure F&V intake and food security status of 54 adult participants before and after receiving farmers' market incentives. The 6-item Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System questionnaire and US Household Food Security Survey Module were used to measure F&V intake and food security, respectively. Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare scores of F&V intake. After receiving incentives, fewer individuals reported experiencing food insecurity-related behaviors. A significantly increased intake (P market incentive program was positively related to greater food security and intake of select vegetables among participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Copyright © 2016 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Tax Governance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Boll, Karen; Brehm Johansen, Mette

to wider international trends within tax administration, especially concerning the development of risk assessments and internal control in the corporations and a greater focus on monitoring of these elements by the tax authorities. Overall, the working paper concludes that Tax Governance as a model......This working paper presents an analysis of the experiences of Cooperative Compliance in Denmark. Cooperative Compliance denotes a specific kind of collaborative program for the regulation of large corporate taxpayers by the tax authorities. Cooperative Compliance programs have been implemented...... in several countries worldwide. In Denmark the program is called Tax Governance. Tax Governance has been studied using qualitative method and the analyses of the working paper build on an extensive base of in-depth interviews – primarily with tax directors from corporations participating in the program...

Designing Green Taxes in a Political Context: From Optimal to Feasible Environmental Regulation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Daugbjerg, Carsten; Svendsen, Gert Tinggaard

2003-01-01

How should green taxation be designed? We argue that to design green taxes which are high enough to have the desired incentive effects, tax revenues must be reimbursed, either by earmarking them for environmental subsidies or by reducing other taxes directed at industry. If green tax schemes can...... be designed this way, industry will have little incentive to mobilise strong opposition to green taxation. However, in practice, the requirement of reimbursement may be difficult to fulfil because, with few exceptions, polluting industries are not homogeneous. This means that reimbursement will redistribute...... financial resources within industry and thus create winners and losers. Still, we demonstrate how green taxation can be used in heterogeneous industries which can be created by operating separate tax schemes for each branch of industry....

33 CFR 402.5 - New Business Incentive Program

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... Business. (c) A commodity/origin/destination combination that qualifies as New Business after the 30th day... navigation seasons; and (d) A commodity/origin/destination combination that qualifies as New Business after... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false New Business Incentive Program...

Cigarette tax avoidance and evasion.

Science.gov (United States)

Stehr, Mark

2005-03-01

Variation in state cigarette taxes provides incentives for tax avoidance through smuggling, legal border crossing to low tax jurisdictions, or Internet purchasing. When taxes rise, tax paid sales of cigarettes will decline both because consumption will decrease and because tax avoidance will increase. The key innovation of this paper is to compare cigarette sales data to cigarette consumption data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). I show that after subtracting percent changes in consumption, residual percent changes in sales are associated with state cigarette tax changes implying the existence of tax avoidance. I estimate that the tax avoidance response to tax changes is at least twice the consumption response and that tax avoidance accounted for up to 9.6% of sales between 1985 and 2001. Because of the increase in tax avoidance, tax paid sales data understate the level of smoking and overstate the drop in smoking. I also find that the level of legal border crossing was very low relative to other forms of tax avoidance. If states have strong preferences for smoking control, they must pair high cigarette taxes with effective policies to curb smuggling and other forms of tax avoidance or employ alternative policies such as counter-advertising and smoking restrictions.

Small sustainable monetary incentives versus charitable donations to promote exercise: Rationale, design, and baseline data from a randomized pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, David M; Lee, Harold H; Connell, Lauren; Boyle, Holly; Emerson, Jessica; Strohacker, Kelley; Galárraga, Omar

2018-03-01

Regular physical activity (PA) enhances weight-loss and reduces risk of chronic disease. However, as few as 10% of U.S. adults engage in regular PA. Incentive programs to promote PA have shown some promise, but have typically used incentives that are too large to sustain over time and have not demonstrated habit formation or been tested in community settings. This report presents the rationale and design of a randomized pilot study testing the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of small monetary incentives for PA (n=25) versus charitable donations in the same amount (n=25) versus control (n=25) over 12months among 75 low-active but otherwise healthy adults at a local YMCA. Incentives are based on YMCA attendance, which is verified by electronic swipe card data and is the primary study outcome, with self-reported minutes/week of PA assessed as a secondary outcome. Incentives are intentionally small enough-$1/session, maximum of $5/week-such that they could be indefinitely sustained by community organizations, privately-owned health clubs, healthcare organizations, or employers (e.g., employer fitness facilities). Costs of the incentive program for the sponsoring organization may be partially offset by increases in membership resulting from the appeal of the program. Moreover, if efficacious, the charitable donation incentive program may have the added benefit of building social capital for the sponsoring organization and potentially serving as a tax write-off, thus further offsetting the cost of the incentives. Findings will also have implications for the use of financially sustainable community-based incentive programs for other health-related behaviors (e.g., weight loss, smoking). Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review of financial incentive, low-income, elderly and multifamily residential conservation programs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berry, L.; Hubbard, M.; White, D.

1986-09-01

This report describes thirty-nine utility-sponsored residential conservation programs for four types of markets. The program types considered are: (1) financial incentive programs for the general residential market, (2) programs for low-income households, (3) programs for the elderly, and (4) programs for the multifamily market. Each program description contains information on incentive terms, eligibility, conservation measures, program history, design and marketing, and the utility/agency motivation for operating the program. The names, addresses and phone numbers of contact persons also are included. Two methods were used to select the programs to be described. First, nominations of successful programs of each type were solicited from experts on residential energy conservation. Second, managers of the programs on this initial list were asked to describe their programs and to suggest other successful programs that should be included in the sample. Because of the selection process used, this report covers mainly the best known and most frequently studied programs that are aimed at the four market types.

Comparison of energy efficiency incentive programs: Rebates and white certificates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Transue, Morghan; Felder, Frank A. [Center for Energy, Economic, and Environmental Policy, Rutgers the State University of New Jersey, Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, 33 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901 (United States)

2010-06-15

With increased interest in energy efficiency in recent years, energy efficiency portfolio standards (EEPS) have gained popularity in state policymaking. This analysis employed New Jersey specific data to compare two incentive based approaches to EEPS implementation: rebates and white certificates. Quantitative modeling suggests that white certificate approaches that depend on market-clearing prices generate much larger upfront incentive outlays than rebate programs. They do not however increase societal burden. Both programs overcome high upfront efficiency measure costs and both recoup the expenses over the long run. Administration costs and participation rates can affect this dynamic however and require additional research to determine which approaches are most cost effective for various energy efficiency measures. (author)

Federal tax effects on the financial attractiveness of renewable versus conventional power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hill, L.J.; Hadley, S.W.

1995-01-01

In this paper, we examine the effects of federal tax laws on the financial attractiveness of seven renewable and four conventional electric power generating technologies adopted by investor owned utilities (IOUs) and non-utility electricity generators (NUGs). The results show that federal income tax laws applicable to renewable generating technologies generally provide very attractive financial incentives for the adoption of these technologies by IOUs and NUGs. If an IOU and NUG is subject to the alternative minimum tax, however, it may not be able to take full advantage of these financial incentives. (author)

An Empirical Evaluation of the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program. School Choice Issues in the State

Science.gov (United States)

Forster, Greg; D'Andrea, Christian

2009-01-01

This study examines the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship program, one of the nation's largest school choice programs. It is the first ever completed empirical evaluation of a tax-credit scholarship program, a type of program that creates school choice through the tax code. Earlier reports, including a recent one on the Florida program, have not…

Residential dual energy programs: Tariffs and incentives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doucet, J.A.

1992-01-01

The problem of efficiently pricing electricity has been of concern to economists and policy makers for some time. A natural solution to variable demand is tariffs to smooth demand and reduce the need for excessive reserve margins. An alternative approach is dual energy programs whereby electric space heating systems are equipped with a secondary system (usually oil) which is used during periods of peak demand. Comments are presented on two previous papers (Bergeron and Bernard, 1991; Sollows et al., 1991) published in Energy Studies Review, applying them to Hydro Quebec tariff structure and dual energy programs. The role of tariffs in demand-side management needs to be considered more fully. Hydro-Quebec's bi-energy tariff structure could be modified by using positive incentives to make use of bi-energy attractive below -12 C to give the following benefits. The modified tariff would be easier for consumers to understand, corrects the misallocation problem due to differential pricing in the current tariff, transfers the risk related to price fluctuations of the alternative energy source from the consumer to the utility, and corrects the potential avoidance problem due to the negative incentive of the current tariff. 21 refs

Increasing participation in incentive programs for biodiversity conservation.

Science.gov (United States)

Sorice, Michael G; Oh, Chi-Ok; Gartner, Todd; Snieckus, Mary; Johnson, Rhett; Donlan, C Josh

2013-07-01

Engaging private landowners in conservation activities for imperiled species is critical to maintaining and enhancing biodiversity. Market-based approaches can incentivize conservation behaviors on private lands by shifting the benefit-cost ratio of engaging in activities that result in net conservation benefits for target species. In the United States and elsewhere, voluntary conservation agreements with financial incentives are becoming an increasingly common strategy. While the influence of program design and delivery of voluntary conservation programs is often overlooked, these aspects are critical to achieving the necessary participation to attain landscape-scale outcomes. Using a sample of family-forest landowners in the southeast United States, we show how preferences for participation in a conservation program to protect an at-risk species, the gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus), are related to program structure, delivery, and perceived efficacy. Landowners were most sensitive to programs that are highly controlling, require permanent conservation easements, and put landowners at risk for future regulation. Programs designed with greater levels of compensation and that support landowners' autonomy to make land management decisions can increase participation and increase landowner acceptance of program components that are generally unfavorable, like long-term contracts and permanent easements. There is an inherent trade-off between maximizing participation and maximizing the conservation benefits when designing a conservation incentive program. For conservation programs targeting private lands to achieve landscape-level benefits, they must attract a critical level of participation that creates a connected mosaic of conservation benefits. Yet, programs with attributes that strive to maximize conservation benefits within a single agreement (and reduce risks of failure) are likely to have lower participation, and thus lower landscape benefits. Achieving

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Programs and Taxpayer Actions to Improve Personal Finances

Science.gov (United States)

Bobbitt, Erica; Bowen, Cathy F.; Kuleck, Robin L.; Taverno, Ronald

2012-01-01

The income tax-filing process creates teachable moments for learning about taxes and other financial matters. Educators and volunteers from Penn State Cooperative Extension helped taxpayers file 2008 returns under Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA). Nearly 600 filers (588) completed and simultaneously received educational information…

77 FR 12041 - Applications for New Awards; Migrant Education Program (MEP) Consortium Incentive Grants Program

Science.gov (United States)

2012-02-28

... involvement of migratory parents in the education of migratory students whose education is interrupted... DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Applications for New Awards; Migrant Education Program (MEP) Consortium Incentive Grants Program AGENCY: Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Department of Education...

The effect of stock market pressure on the tradeoff between corporate and shareholders’ tax benefits

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ming-Chin Chen

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The Taiwanese government offers firms that invest in qualified projects in emerging high-tech industries two mutually exclusive tax incentives—a corporate 5-year tax exemption or shareholder investment tax credits. This study examines whether corporate managers take shareholder tax benefits into account in their corporate tax planning. The results show that privately held firms are more likely than listed firms to choose shareholder investment tax credits and forego corporate tax benefits. Listed firms with relatively high earnings response coefficients tend to choose a corporate 5-year tax exemption, as it can enhance reported after-tax earnings. Further, in the 5-year period following their choice of a particular tax incentive, firms choosing a corporate 5-year tax exemption exhibit significantly lower earnings persistence than those choosing shareholder investment tax credits. Taken together, these results suggest that stock market pressure has a significant effect on firms’ choices between corporate and shareholder tax benefits, and that the choice of tax incentives has an effect on future earnings quality.

Absenteeism, efficiency wages, and marginal taxes

OpenAIRE

Dale-Olsen, Harald

2013-01-01

In this paper, I test the argument that increased taxes on earnings correspond to increased incentives to shirk, thus causing an increase in the rate of worker absenteeism. After fixed job effects are taken into account, panel register data on prime-age Norwegian males who work full-time show that a higher marginal net-of-earnings-tax rate reduces the rate of absenteeism. When the net-of-tax rate is increased by 1.0 percent, absenteeism decreases by 0.3−0.5 percent. Injury-related absences ar...

75 FR 1843 - Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Electronic Health Record Incentive Program

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-13

... Payment Calculation for Eligible Hospitals c. Medicare Share d. Charity Care e. Transition Factor f...) and eligible hospitals participating in Medicare and Medicaid programs that adopt and meaningfully use... an EP and eligible hospital must meet in order to qualify for the incentive payment; calculation of...

Foreign Direct Investments and Tax Correlation: Some of EU Countries and Turkey

OpenAIRE

Ali YAVUZ; Serdar ÇİÇEK

2010-01-01

In the globalizing world; individuals, markets and capital are more mobile than the past for that reason countries are in cutthroat competition for attract the direct and indirect investments. Especially, developing countries overview their own tax policy and perform incentive measures including tax incentives to attract the direct investments which have a positive effect of production and employment level. In this process, some countries achieve their goals and some are not. The purpose of t...

Analysis of how changed federal regulations and economic incentives affect financing of geothermal projects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Meyers, D.; Wiseman, E.; Bennett, V.

1980-11-04

The effects of various financial incentives on potential developers of geothermal electric energy are studied and the impact of timing of plant construction costs on geothermal electricity costs is assessed. The effect of the geothermal loan guarantee program on decisions by investor-owned utilities to build geothermal electric power plants was examined. The usefulness of additional investment tax credits was studied as a method for encouraging utilities to invest in geothermal energy. The independent firms which specialize in geothermal resource development are described. The role of municipal and cooperative utilities in geothermal resource development was assessed in detail. Busbar capital costs were calculated for geothermal energy under a variety of ownerships with several assumptions about financial incentives. (MHR)

The Tax Base And The Tax Bill. Tax Implications of Development: A Workbook.

Science.gov (United States)

Brighton, Deb; Northup, Jim

The property tax base in Vermont's towns are overburdened as property taxes are usually the only funding method available to finance schools, police departments, highway work, recreation programs, and government in general. Attempting to offer their citizens a balanced program of services without exorbitant taxes, local officials are striving to…

Financial incentives to promote renewable energy systems in European electricity markets: a survey

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haas, R.; Huber, C.; Wohlgemuth, N.

2001-01-01

Renewable energy systems may contribute to sustainable development. Therefore, one of the challenges for energy policy is to ensure that renewable energy options have a fair opportunity to compete with other supply resources. This paper presents a survey on promotion mechanisms to enhance the market penetration of renewable energies in European electricity markets. Strategies include rebates and tax incentives, regulated rates, system benefit charges, bidding-oriented mechanisms and various types of green pricing programs. The paper concludes that efficient promotion mechanisms should focus on incentives per kWh generated rather than on rebates on the investment in generating capacity (kW), and that there is no one single program type which has the best application to the promotion of all renewable technologies. For example, enhanced buy-back rates work as a dissemination strategy for wind energy but they do not work for photovoltaics. (author)

The role of the incentives in the conservation of the natural forests

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Castellanos N, Yuli; Fetecua S; Oscar Javier

2002-01-01

To use forest incentives for the favorable conservation of forest that is in private properties is a difficult process that has encountered obstacles since the creation itself of the incentives and their conception through their application on part of farmers. In the actuality, exist tax and economic incentives that principally favor landowners and big companies and that in other cases propitiate deforestation of the natural zones. The certificate of forest incentive for conservation (CIF) is the incentive that is nearest to biodiversity protection but in Colombia hasn't been applied. The economic valuation of the benefits provided by the forest (positives externalities), may solve this conflict, if it compensates proprietors as well as the tropical countries. But the absence of volunteer, to pay people and the countries benefits is a link of a chain that it is missing, since this panorama, the small proprietors of natural zones should organize and work to get tax and economic exemptions. This process should accompany research, technical assistance and financing on part of the national government

The Use of Refundable Tax Credits to Increase Low-Income Children's After-School Physical Activity Level.

Science.gov (United States)

Dunton, Genevieve; Ebin, Vicki J; Efrat, Merav W; Efrat, Rafael; Lane, Christianne J; Plunkett, Scott

2015-06-01

The current study investigates the extent to which a refundable tax credit could be used to increase low-income children's after-school physical activity levels. An experimental study was conducted evaluating the effectiveness of an intervention offering a simulated refundable tax credit to parents of elementary-school-age children (n = 130) for enrollment in after-school physical activity programs. A randomized controlled design was used, with data collected at baseline, immediately following the 4-month intervention (postintervention), and 6 weeks after the end of the intervention (follow-up). Evaluation measures included (1) enrollment rate, time spent, weekly participation frequency, duration of enrollment, and long-term enrollment patterns in after-school physical activity programs and (2) moderate to vigorous physical activity. The simulated tax credits did not significantly influence low-income children's rates of enrollment in after-school physical activity programs, frequency of participation, time spent in after-school physical activity programs, and overall moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity at postintervention or follow-up. The use of refundable tax credits as incentives to increase participation in after-school physical activity programs in low-income families may have limited effectiveness. Lawmakers might consider other methods of fiscal policy to promote physical activity such as direct payment to after-school physical activity program providers for enrolling and serving a low-income child in a qualified program, or improvements to programming and infrastructure.

Financial incentives for generic drugs: case study on a reimbursement program

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcos Inocencio

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Objective: To discuss the use of financial incentives in choice of medication and to assess the economic results concerning the use of financial incentives to promote the use of genetic medication in lieu of reference drugs in a company with a reimbursement program. Methods: A case study was carried out in a large supermarket. The data was obtained in the company responsible for managing medication. The study reached 83,625 users between August 2005 and July 2007. The data was submitted to regressions in order to analyze trends and hypothesis tests to assess differences in medication consumption. The results were compared with general data regarding medication consumption of five other organizations and also with data about the national consumption of generic medication in Brazil. Results: The use of financial incentives to replace brand medications for generics, in the company studied, increased the consumption of generic drugs without reducing the company expenses with the reimbursement programs. Conclusions: This study show the occurrence of unplanned results (increase in the consumption of medications and the positive consequences of the reimbursement program concerning access to medication.

41 CFR 302-14.100 - How should we administer our home marketing incentive payment program?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... reduce your overall relocation costs. You must not make a home marketing incentive payment that exceeds... our home marketing incentive payment program? 302-14.100 Section 302-14.100 Public Contracts and... 14-HOME MARKETING INCENTIVE PAYMENTS Agency Responsibilities § 302-14.100 How should we administer...

Tax responses in platform industries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kind, Hans Jarle; Köthenbürger, Marko; Schjelderup, Guttorm

2010-01-01

that a higher ad valorem tax may undermine a firm's incentive to differentiate its product from that of its competitors. Finally, we demonstrate that the effects of increasing specific taxes may be the opposite of those of increasing value added taxes....... price and thus buy less of the good. The present paper shows that this result need not hold in a two-sided market. On the contrary, a higher ad valorem tax may lower end-user prices and spur sales. Thus, two-sided platform firms may not at all engage in tax shifting via price increases. We further show......Two-sided platform firms serve distinct customer groups that are connected through interdependent demand, and include major businesses such as the media industry, banking, and the software industry. A well known result of tax incidence is that consumers of a more heavily taxed good pay a higher...

Monetary incentives to reinforce engagement and achievement in a job-skills training program for homeless, unemployed adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Koffarnus, Mikhail N; Wong, Conrad J; Fingerhood, Michael; Svikis, Dace S; Bigelow, George E; Silverman, Kenneth

2013-01-01

The current study examined whether monetary incentives could increase engagement and achievement in a job-skills training program for unemployed, homeless, alcohol-dependent adults. Participants (n=124) were randomized to a no-reinforcement group (n=39), during which access to the training program was provided but no incentives were given; a training reinforcement group (n=42), during which incentives were contingent on attendance and performance; or an abstinence and training reinforcement group (n=43), during which incentives were contingent on attendance and performance, but access was granted only if participants demonstrated abstinence from alcohol. abstinence and training reinforcement and training reinforcement participants advanced further in training and attended more hours than no-reinforcement participants. Monetary incentives were effective in promoting engagement and achievement in a job-skills training program for individuals who often do not take advantage of training programs. © Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

A dedicated pollution tax: The motor for change

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stoyke, E.; Stoyke, G.

1992-01-01

Carbon taxes coming into effect around the world are predicted to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 1-6%. Using the punitive approach alone, such taxes will not be sufficiently effective in fighting global climate change. A dedicated pollution tax is proposed in which moderate fees on greenhouse gases and other polluting emissions are balanced by financial incentives for energy efficient retrofitting or non-polluting substitutions. These incentives will vastly accelerate conversion to energy efficient technologies by reducing payback periods to acceptable levels and will lead to a 50-80% reduction in fossil fuel consumption at a profit. Estimated environmental costs of pollutant emissions from coal and natural gas are presented, and the internalization of external costs into energy prices is discussed. Demand reduction provides more environmental benefits than scrubbing of fossil emissions, at less cost. Examples of potential lighting savings in a classroom are presented, and simple payback and savings for a variety of lighting energy efficiency measures are tabulated. The effects of different pollution tax levels on Alberta's coal fired electricity generation are tabulated. 5 refs., 6 figs., 4 tabs

Maximizing Energy Savings Reliability in BC Hydro Industrial Demand-side Management Programs: An Assessment of Performance Incentive Models

Science.gov (United States)

Gosman, Nathaniel

For energy utilities faced with expanded jurisdictional energy efficiency requirements and pursuing demand-side management (DSM) incentive programs in the large industrial sector, performance incentive programs can be an effective means to maximize the reliability of planned energy savings. Performance incentive programs balance the objectives of high participation rates with persistent energy savings by: (1) providing financial incentives and resources to minimize constraints to investment in energy efficiency, and (2) requiring that incentive payments be dependent on measured energy savings over time. As BC Hydro increases its DSM initiatives to meet the Clean Energy Act objective to reduce at least 66 per cent of new electricity demand with DSM by 2020, the utility is faced with a higher level of DSM risk, or uncertainties that impact the costeffective acquisition of planned energy savings. For industrial DSM incentive programs, DSM risk can be broken down into project development and project performance risks. Development risk represents the project ramp-up phase and is the risk that planned energy savings do not materialize due to low customer response to program incentives. Performance risk represents the operational phase and is the risk that planned energy savings do not persist over the effective measure life. DSM project development and performance risks are, in turn, a result of industrial economic, technological and organizational conditions, or DSM risk factors. In the BC large industrial sector, and characteristic of large industrial sectors in general, these DSM risk factors include: (1) capital constraints to investment in energy efficiency, (2) commodity price volatility, (3) limited internal staffing resources to deploy towards energy efficiency, (4) variable load, process-based energy saving potential, and (5) a lack of organizational awareness of an operation's energy efficiency over time (energy performance). This research assessed the capacity

Study on the incentive system of charitable donation tax in our country--in the case of corporate donation%我国慈善捐赠的税收激励制度研究--以企业捐赠为例

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

姜幸克

2016-01-01

In our country charitable donation, tax incentive system as a policy tool plays a positive role. In "Enterprise income tax law", the provisions on the pre tax deduction of charitable donation behavior has a certain role in promoting enterprises, there are also some problems, such as the enterprise can not enjoy tax relief to the recipient directly non monetary donations. The relevant views of some scholars of China's charitable donations tax incentive system based on the current enterprise donations tax incentive system problems such as low amount of tax deduction, and puts forward the improvement measures, expect to be able to strengthen our business support for philanthropy, and enable enterprises to maximize tax relief in the donation.%在我国的慈善捐赠中，税收激励制度作为一项政策工具发挥着积极的作用。现行《企业所得税法》中的税前扣除规定对企业的慈善捐赠行为起到了一定的促进作用，同时也存在着诸如企业对受赠人的直接非货币性捐赠不能享受税收减免等问题。本文在我国一些学者对慈善捐赠的税收激励制度相关观点基础上，指出我国现行的企业捐赠税收激励制度存在税前扣除额度偏低等问题并提出改进措施，期望能够加强我国企业对慈善捐赠事业的支持力度，并使企业在公益捐赠中获得最大限度的税收减免。

Stimulation of investment in international energy through Nigerian tax exemption laws

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Osimiri, U.J.

2002-01-01

This article assesses the impact of recent tax exemption legislation as a vehicle for the attraction of investment in the quest for the development of international energy in Nigeria, particularly oil and gas. It seeks to argue that generous tax incentives are the most successful method of inducement of foreign investors, judging from the rising profile in the expansion of investment in the gas sector and the attendant increase in world trade. It attempts to assert that tax incentives alone, without the combination of other favourable factors, like political stability, observance of the rule of law and deregulation or trade liberalisation, cannot produce the desired result of local industrialisation and integration into the world economy. (author)

Structuring economic incentives to reduce emissions from deforestation within Indonesia.

Science.gov (United States)

Busch, Jonah; Lubowski, Ruben N; Godoy, Fabiano; Steininger, Marc; Yusuf, Arief A; Austin, Kemen; Hewson, Jenny; Juhn, Daniel; Farid, Muhammad; Boltz, Frederick

2012-01-24

We estimate and map the impacts that alternative national and subnational economic incentive structures for reducing emissions from deforestation (REDD+) in Indonesia would have had on greenhouse gas emissions and national and local revenue if they had been in place from 2000 to 2005. The impact of carbon payments on deforestation is calibrated econometrically from the pattern of observed deforestation and spatial variation in the benefits and costs of converting land to agriculture over that time period. We estimate that at an international carbon price of $10/tCO(2)e, a "mandatory incentive structure," such as a cap-and-trade or symmetric tax-and-subsidy program, would have reduced emissions by 163-247 MtCO(2)e/y (20-31% below the without-REDD+ reference scenario), while generating a programmatic budget surplus. In contrast, a "basic voluntary incentive structure" modeled after a standard payment-for-environmental-services program would have reduced emissions nationally by only 45-76 MtCO(2)e/y (6-9%), while generating a programmatic budget shortfall. By making four policy improvements--paying for net emission reductions at the scale of an entire district rather than site-by-site; paying for reductions relative to reference levels that match business-as-usual levels; sharing a portion of district-level revenues with the national government; and sharing a portion of the national government's responsibility for costs with districts--an "improved voluntary incentive structure" would have been nearly as effective as a mandatory incentive structure, reducing emissions by 136-207 MtCO(2)e/y (17-26%) and generating a programmatic budget surplus.

Structuring economic incentives to reduce emissions from deforestation within Indonesia

Science.gov (United States)

Busch, Jonah; Lubowski, Ruben N.; Godoy, Fabiano; Steininger, Marc; Yusuf, Arief A.; Austin, Kemen; Hewson, Jenny; Juhn, Daniel; Farid, Muhammad; Boltz, Frederick

2012-01-01

We estimate and map the impacts that alternative national and subnational economic incentive structures for reducing emissions from deforestation (REDD+) in Indonesia would have had on greenhouse gas emissions and national and local revenue if they had been in place from 2000 to 2005. The impact of carbon payments on deforestation is calibrated econometrically from the pattern of observed deforestation and spatial variation in the benefits and costs of converting land to agriculture over that time period. We estimate that at an international carbon price of $10/tCO2e, a “mandatory incentive structure,” such as a cap-and-trade or symmetric tax-and-subsidy program, would have reduced emissions by 163–247 MtCO2e/y (20–31% below the without-REDD+ reference scenario), while generating a programmatic budget surplus. In contrast, a “basic voluntary incentive structure” modeled after a standard payment-for-environmental-services program would have reduced emissions nationally by only 45–76 MtCO2e/y (6–9%), while generating a programmatic budget shortfall. By making four policy improvements—paying for net emission reductions at the scale of an entire district rather than site-by-site; paying for reductions relative to reference levels that match business-as-usual levels; sharing a portion of district-level revenues with the national government; and sharing a portion of the national government's responsibility for costs with districts—an “improved voluntary incentive structure” would have been nearly as effective as a mandatory incentive structure, reducing emissions by 136–207 MtCO2e/y (17–26%) and generating a programmatic budget surplus. PMID:22232665

Designing green taxes in a political context: From optimal to feasible environmental regulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Daugbjerg, C.; Tinggaard Svendsen, G.

2001-01-01

How should green taxation be designed so that it accommodates producer interests? We argue that to design green taxes which are high enough to have the desired incentive effects, tax revenues must be reimbursed, either by earmarking them for environmental subsidies or by reducing other taxes directed at industry. If green tax schemes can be designed this way, industry will have little incentive to mobilise strong opposition to green taxation. However, in practice, the requirement of reimbursement may be difficult to fulfil because, with few exceptions, polluting industries are not homogeneous. This means that reimbursement will redistribute financial resources within industry and thus create winners and losers. Still, green taxes can be used in heterogeneous industries which can be created by operating separate tax schemes for each branch of industry. The Danish case of pesticide taxation demonstrates that relatively high tax levels can be implemented if an equal relationship between the tax object and the object determining the level of refunds exists throughout the sector. This means that revenues can be reimbursed without creating redistribution within producer communities. (au)

Designing green taxes in a political context: From optimal to feasible environmental regulation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Daugbjerg, C; Tinggaard Svendsen, G

2001-07-01

How should green taxation be designed so that it accommodates producer interests? We argue that to design green taxes which are high enough to have the desired incentive effects, tax revenues must be reimbursed, either by earmarking them for environmental subsidies or by reducing other taxes directed at industry. If green tax schemes can be designed this way, industry will have little incentive to mobilise strong opposition to green taxation. However, in practice, the requirement of reimbursement may be difficult to fulfil because, with few exceptions, polluting industries are not homogeneous. This means that reimbursement will redistribute financial resources within industry and thus create winners and losers. Still, green taxes can be used in heterogeneous industries which can be created by operating separate tax schemes for each branch of industry. The Danish case of pesticide taxation demonstrates that relatively high tax levels can be implemented if an equal relationship between the tax object and the object determining the level of refunds exists throughout the sector. This means that revenues can be reimbursed without creating redistribution within producer communities. (au)

Electricity tax in the Nordic countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2000-01-01

The Norwegian power taxation system is different from the taxation systems in the other Nordic countries in that there is a tax on the economic rent in the hydroelectric power generation. Because of this tax Norwegian hydropower producers are facing a higher average tax rate than other hydropower producers. This is important for the accumulation of capital by Norwegian power producers, which in turn affects the companies' ability to finance acquisitions and major investment projects. The tax on the economic rent also affects the need for risk management and the investment incentives for hydropower producers, but it is not possible, as a matter of principle, to prove that these effects have any essential socio-economic significance

Energy efficiency investments in the context of split incentives among French households

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Charlier, Dorothée

2015-01-01

The residential sector offers considerable potential for reducing energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, particularly through energy-efficient renovations. The objective of this study is twofold. First, I aim to provide initial empirical evidence of the extent to which split incentives between landlords and tenants may lead to underinvestment. Second, I investigate the influence of tax credits and energy burdens on energy efficiency expenditures. Given the complexity of studying the decision to invest in energy-saving renovations, I use a bivariate Tobit model to compare decisions about energy-efficient works and repair works, even when the renovation expenditures seem quite similar. The analysis shows that tenants are doubly penalized: they have high energy expenditures due to energy-inefficient building characteristics, and because they are poorer than homeowners, they are unable to invest in energy-saving systems. The results also confirm that tax credits are ineffective in the split incentives context. In terms of public policy, the government should focus on low-income tenants, and mandatory measures such as minimum standards seem appropriate. Financial support from a third-party financer also might be a solution. - Highlights: • I provide empirical evidence of underinvestment due to split incentives. • I investigate the influence of tax credit and energy burden on EE expenditures. • Results show that tax credits are ineffective in a context of split incentives. • Mandatory measures such as minimum standards seem to be appropriate. • Financial support from a third party financer can be also a solution.

Interbudgetary Distribution of Taxes in Russia: Concentration of Power or Management Decentralization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Aleksandrovna Pechenskaya

2016-09-01

Full Text Available For Russia as a democratic federal state, federal relations are basic for the whole social development of the country. In this regard, it is particularly important to strike a balance between centripetal and centrifugal forces. The analysis of budget indicators presented in the article revealed the growing process of centralization, which enabled to conclude the low efficiency of the modern mechanism of tax allocation and its non-compliance to the principles of fiscal federalism. The growing budget crisis of the regions and the long-felt need of the structural reforming of Russian tax system require speedy implementation of internal reserves. Among these provisions, Russian scientists including the Institute of Socio-Economic Development of Territories of the Russian Academy of Sciences see the urgent need of the structural reform of the tax system in the Russian Federation. The results of the scientific search for answers to the questions of how and what it is expedient to amend, supplement, and delete in the Russian tax system are presented. In order to create incentives for the territorial authorities to increase the income, the algorithm of the distribution of tax revenue between the federal and regional budgets is developed on the basis of the estimations of the ratio of the volume of tax revenues collected in the region and received by the federal budget. Experimental calculations on the example of 83 subjects of the Russian Federation have identified the existing provisions of tax revenue growth in 36 subjects that could increase revenues by 2 –12 %. The authors have proposed a set of key measures for optimizing the tax incentive policies, involving the development of selective and differential principles of tax incentives, the introduction of compensatory forms of the loss of income as a result of benefits. The main measures to enhance the collection of regional and local property taxes are systematized.

Relief for marginal wells is better than energy tax. [United States: policy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Swords, J.; Wilson, D. (Coopers and Lybrand (United States))

1993-04-01

By increasing production costs and reducing petroleum prices, President Bill Clinton's proposed energy tax would increase marginal well abandonments and hasten the decline of the US oil and gas industry. Instead, the US needs tax law changes to help counteract the increasing number of oil and gas well abandonments in the lower 48 states. The proposed tax would create potential difficulties, while three incentives could be introduced to reduce abandonments and at the same time preserve US government tax revenues that otherwise would be lost. Eliminating the net income limitation on percentage depletion allowances on wells that would otherwise be abandoned would be a great help for marginal well operators. Extended enhanced oil recovery (EOR) credits and broader investment tax credits could also serve the dual purpose of keeping marginal wells operating longer and generating more federal tax revenues. A marginal well investment tax credit should be provided that is not just a credit for incremented investments that exceed investment in prior years. An investment tax credit based on out-of-pocket costs of production, targeted for marginal wells, would be an important incentive to invest in, and continue to maintain, these properties. (author)

Tax Administration: IRS's Innocent Spouse Program Performance Improved; Balanced Performance Measures Needed

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

2002-01-01

.... Under the Internal Revenue Services (IRS) Innocent Spouse Program, IRS can relieve taxpayers of tax debts on the basis of equity considerations, such as not knowing that their spouse failed to pay taxes due...

Taxation and Skills. OECD Tax Policy Studies. No. 24

Science.gov (United States)

OECD Publishing, 2017

2017-01-01

This Tax Policy Study on Taxation and Skills examines how tax policy can encourage skills development in OECD countries. This study also assesses the returns to tertiary and adult education and examines how these returns are shared between governments and students. The study builds indicators that examine incentives for individuals and governments…

Use green taxes and market instruments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hodgson, G.; Rheaume, G.; Coad, L.

2008-01-01

This briefing is part of the Conference Board of Canada's CanCompete program, which was designed to help leading decision makers advance Canada on a path of national competitiveness. Many members of the scientific community have concluded that anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are responsible for the current pace of global warming. It is widely believed that the changing climate will have a negative impact on the economy and the environment. This briefing considered a set of reforms to the Canadian tax system designed to ensure sustainable growth within a changing climate. The briefing was prepared in response to an earlier paper calling for a market-based policy on climate change. Tax incentives were examined, as well as price signalling systems to ensure successful climate change adjustment for Canadian businesses. It was concluded that a combination of efficient regulations, market forces, and tax measures will be needed to set accurate and effective prices for GHGs. Green taxes and tax credits will also be necessary in order to accelerate technological adaptation to a carbon pricing system, along with a complementary cap and trade system. 1 fig

Tax Policy in Action: 2016 Tax Amnesty Experience of the Republic of Indonesia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emmiryzan Wasrinil Said

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Tax amnesty programs are often used by governments to improve tax compliance and to increase tax revenue. However, the policy choice to provide a tax amnesty often results in adverse consequences, including the violation of other legal rules. For this reason, the policy choice to offer a tax amnesty (‘tax amnesty policy’ is often controversial. The tax amnesty policy and resulting program offered by the Government of Indonesia has been criticized both because it is considered to be unfair and because it favors the perpetrators of tax evasion. In particular, the tax amnesty law offered special treatment to taxpayers who participated in the program, such as no checking of the source of funds, no checking of the financial statements reported by law enforcers, protection from punishment on the financial reports provided to the Director General of Taxation, and the requirement to pay only a small penalty. Tax amnesty programs also provide the potential for money laundering. This is certainly the case in Indonesia. In addition, tax amnesty programs weaken law enforcement in Indonesia; in particular, in the areas of corruption and money laundering. This is because law enforcement officers cannot investigate the perpetrators of white-collar crime that benefit from the tax amnesty program. Under the terms of the tax amnesty program, the financial data is not accessible by them.

Simulation of the impact of financial incentives on solar energy utilization for space conditioning and water heating: 1985

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Petersen, H C

1979-01-01

Financial incentives designed to accelerate the use of solar energy for heating, cooling, and water heating of buildings have been proposed by both state and federal legislative bodies in the U.S.A. Among the most frequently mentioned incentives are sales and property tax exemptions, tax deductions and credits, rapid amortization provisions, and interest rate subsidies. At the present time there is little available information regarding the ability of such incentives to advance the rate of solar energy utilization. This paper describes the derivation and use of a computer simulation model designed to estimate solar energy use for space conditioning and water heating for given economic, climatic, and technological conditions. When applied to data from the Denver, Colorado metropolitan area, the simulation model predicts that sales tax exemptions would have little impact over the next decade, interest rate subsidies could more than double solar energy use, and the other proposed incentives would have an intermediate impact.

Canadian tax policy and renewable energy : are the benefits illusory : a comparison of Canadian and US approaches

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chant, A.

2008-01-01

Tax policies for targeted activities such as wind energy need to be efficient and effective in promoting activities that may not otherwise take place. An efficient tax policy will not have unintended consequences that may lead to tax leakage or benefits outside the targeted activity, and will be consistent with other incentives promoting the target activity. This presentation discussed Canadian tax policies related to wind power and then compared them to tax policies in the United States directed at promoting wind energy development. Benefits and subsidies available to Canadian wind energy producers include the ecoEnergy program, the Canadian Renewable and Conservation Expense (CRCE) program; and Class 43.2 directed at high efficiency and renewable energy generation equipment. The Canadian valuation methodology considers capacity factors; capital costs; leverage; interest rates; corporate tax rates; and required equity. While the ecoEnergy program is valuable as it removes the tax risk for the recipient, the CRCE may be more valuable as it does not expire and is not subject to limitations on amounts deductible. Class 43.2 is valuable but constrained by the limitations of a project's income. The United States has a production tax credit (PTC) for wind developers based on a tax credit of $15 per MWh subject to adjustment, and is available for a 10-year period, is transferable to taxable investors, and has a current value of $20. It was concluded that while Canadian subsidies are the equivalent of $7.15, US subsidies are the equivalent of $17. tabs., figs

Flat-rate tax systems and their effect on labor markets

OpenAIRE

Peichl, Andreas

2014-01-01

The potential economic outcomes resulting from a flat rate of income tax have been the subject of an ongoing academic and political debate. Many observers have suggested that the introduction of a flat tax would be beneficial for a country’s economy, having a positive influence on the labor market and the gross domestic product by enhancing incentives to work, save, invest, and take risks. A flat tax also significantly simplifies income taxation which increases tax compliance and reduces ta...

Photovoltaic Incentive Design Handbook

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoff, T. E.

2006-12-01

Investments in customer-owned grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) energy systems are growing at a steady pace. This is due, in part, to the availability of attractive economic incentives offered by public state agencies and utilities. In the United States, these incentives have largely been upfront lump payments tied to the system capacity rating. While capacity-based ''buydowns'' have stimulated the domestic PV market, they have been criticized for subsidizing systems with potentially poor energy performance. As a result, the industry has been forced to consider alternative incentive structures, particularly ones that pay based on long-term measured performance. The industry, however, lacks consensus in the debate over the tradeoffs between upfront incentive payments versus longer-term payments for energy delivery. This handbook is designed for agencies and utilities that offer or intend to offer incentive programs for customer-owned PV systems. Its purpose is to help select, design, and implement incentive programs that best meet programmatic goals. The handbook begins with a discussion of the various available incentive structures and then provides qualitative and quantitative tools necessary to design the most appropriate incentive structure. It concludes with program administration considerations.

75 FR 25319 - Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) Program Availability of Application Packages; Correction

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-07

... DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Internal Revenue Service Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) Program... the Elderly (TCE) Program Availability of Application Packages, which was published in the Federal... application packages for the 2011 Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) Program. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION...

Tax Incentives to Businesses in the Areas of Special State Concern

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Branimir Marković

2013-07-01

Full Text Available The legal and strategic framework for regional development in the Republic of Croatia, which includes the development of entrepreneurship, was established almost twenty years after Croatia had gained independence. Until then, less developed areas, i.e., areas with a special status in terms of certain reliefs and exemptions granted to citizens and economic entities had been supported through individual laws. Today, government authorities stimulate entrepreneurial activity through individual regulations in force, by corporate income tax exemptions. The state gives back corporate income tax (tax liability not subject to exemptions that taxpayers engaged in entrepreneurial activities had paid up to the state budget, to local self-government units as assistance from the state budget. By doing so, the government aims to reduce the gap between the developed and underdeveloped parts of the Republic of Croatia and encourage entrepreneurial activity in the smaller and less developed regions. The indicators of entrepreneurial activity in the area supported by the state: the number of enterprises, number of employees in an enterprise, the total revenue generated by entrepreneurial activities, profit and loss after tax and net operating profit/loss, provide insight into the performance of enterprises. In view of the above, the authors have analyzed the performance of enterprises entitled to tax relief in the areas of special state concern and provided an overview of financial resources (tax revenue which state authorities have waived to facilitate a more competitive business performance.

Do Tax Incentives for Saving in Pension Accounts Cause Debt Accumulation?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yde Andersen, Henrik

Measuring the effect of an unanticipated reduction in tax credits on pension savings, this paper shows that individuals tend to make extraordinary repayments on their debt when saving in retirement accounts becomes less attractive. We conclude that tax-favoured retirement accounts could affect...... gross debt accumulation. In line with recent studies, we show that tax subsidies for saving in pension accounts only affect total individual savings to a limited extent, but unlike prior research this paper distinguishes between the effects on financial assets and liabilities. As a particular feature...

Estimating profit shifting in South Africa using firm-level tax returns

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wier, Ludvig

2016-01-01

Using the universe of South African corporate tax returns for 2009–14, we estimate profit- and debt-shifting responses in South Africa. We find evidence that South African subsidiaries engage in profit shifting and that profit-shifting responses to tax incentives across all channels...

76 FR 68841 - New Markets Tax Credit Program

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-07

... DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Community Development Financial Institutions Fund New Markets Tax Credit Program AGENCY: Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, U.S. Department of the Treasury... Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). All materials submitted will...

Labour Supply and the Incidence of Income Tax on Wages

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bingley, Paul; Lanot, Gauthier

1999-01-01

worker to employer. Higher marginal tax rates are associated with increases in gross wages and earnings. A traditional estimate of the elasticity of labour supply with respect to the net wage, which assumes no shifting of the burden of income tax, is found to overstate incentive effects by a factor...

EXPORT INCENTIVE PROGRAMS: A STUDY ABOUT BRAZILIAN SME’S FROM SANTA CATARINA STATE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Izabel Regina de Souza

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The reality of the Brazilian economy during the last decade has influenced many companies to get new markets to expand to other parameters of competition. The export incentive programs created by the government, is an example of this, and he has performed positively, strengthening the relationship of resources and capacity to develop sales strategies and relationships with the external market. With the use of financial incentive programs for export, companies can enjoy the competitiveness and advantages related to cost of goods or services, and thus help them achieve a satisfactory goal with the export activity. Careful to promote exports, the Brazilian government creates lines of financial incentives that can meet the needs of Brazilian companies. These floor plane are known as advances on exchange contracts (ACC, Advances on foreign exchange delivered (ACE, Program for Export – (Proex among others. Santa Catarina has been active in the export process of the country, accounting for significant numbers for the trade balance. The target of this study is to understand the reactions of the business of Santa Catarina in the use of financial incentives for export. The research method adopted, as to the purposes of research, the research was exploratory and the means of investigation was a qualitative field research through interviews. The results showed that the reasons these companies entering in the international market, have been opening new markets, new business opportunities and increase the export volume. Financial incentives are most commonly used by companies to Advance on Export Contracts (ACC and Advances on Foreign Exchange Delivered (ACE.

Modify Federal Tax Code to Create Incentives for Individuals to Obtain Coverage.

Science.gov (United States)

McGlynn, Elizabeth A

2011-01-01

This article explores how a refundable tax credit to offset the cost of health insurance premiums would affect health system performance along nine dimensions. A refundable tax credit would produce a slight gain in health as measured by life expectancy; 2.3 to 10 million people would become newly insured under this policy change. It is uncertain how the policy would affect waste or patient experience. Refundable tax credits would have no discernable effect on total health care spending, overall consumer financial risk, reliability of care, or health system capacity. Implementing refundable tax credits would be relatively easy.

Firm strategy and consumer behaviour under a complex tobacco tax system: implications for the effectiveness of taxation on tobacco control.

Science.gov (United States)

Atuk, Oğuz; Özmen, M Utku

2017-05-01

The current tobacco taxation scheme in Turkey, a mix of high ad valorem tax and low specific tax, contains incentives for firms and consumers to change pricing and consumption patterns, respectively. The association between tax structure and price and tax revenue stability has not been studied in detail with micro data containing price segment information. In this study, we analyse whether incentives for firms and consumers undermine the effectiveness of tax policy in reducing consumption. We calculate alternative taxation scheme outcomes using differing ad valorem and specific tax rates through simulation analysis. We also estimate price elasticity of demand using detailed price and volume statistics between segments via regression analysis. A very high ad valorem rate provides strong incentives to firms to reduce prices. Therefore, this sort of tax strategy may induce even more consumption despite its initial aim of discouraging consumption. While higher prices dramatically reduce consumption of economy and medium price segment cigarettes, demand for premium segment cigarettes is found to be highly price-inelastic. The current tax scheme, based on both ad valorem and specific components, introduces various incentives to firms as well as to consumers which reduce the effectiveness of the tax policy. Therefore, on the basis of our theoretical predictions, an appropriate tax scheme should involve a balanced combination of ad valorem and specific rates, away from extreme ( ad valorem or specific dominant) cases to enhance the effectiveness of tax policy for curbing consumption. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

75 FR 25314 - Community Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Matching Grant Program-Availability of...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-07

... correction to a notice of the Community Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Matching Grant Program, which... DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Internal Revenue Service Community Volunteer Income Tax Assistance... notice of the availability of application packages for the 2011 Community Volunteer Income Tax Assistance...

Tuition Fees, as User Prices, and Private Incentives

OpenAIRE

Economides, George; Philippopoulos, Apostolis; Sakkas, Stelios

2016-01-01

This paper studies the aggregate and distributional implications of introducing tuition fees for public education services into a tax system with income and consumption taxes. The setup is a neoclassical growth model where agents differ in capital holdings. We show that the introduction of tuition fees (a) improves individual incentives to work and/or save and (b) can be both efficient and equitable. The focus is on the role of tuition fees as an extra price and how this affects private incen...

Investment incentives, corporate taxation, and efficiency in the allocation of capital

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boadway, R

1978-09-01

The author shows that, within the strict confines of the neoclassical theory of investment, investment allowances and tax credits on gross investment over and above regular depreciation are efficient investment incentives in the sense that they do not distort the allocation of capital over investments of differing durabilities. Initial allowances, tax credits on net investments, tax credits on gross investment which are set against depreciation, and interest subsidies all distort investment decisions in favor of longer-lived investments. Accelerated depreciation schemes are generally distortionary as well, with the nature of the distortion depending upon how the tax depreciation rate is defined.

Financial Incentives, Workplace Wellness Program Participation, and Utilization of Health Care Services and Spending.

Science.gov (United States)

Fronstin, Paul; Roebuck, M Christopher

2015-08-01

This paper analyzes data from a large employer that enhanced financial incentives to encourage participation in its workplace wellness programs. It examines, first, the effect of financial incentives on wellness program participation, and second, it estimates the impact of wellness program participation on utilization of health care services and spending. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA) allows employers to provide financial incentives of as much as 30 percent of the total cost of coverage when tied to participation in a wellness program. Participation in health risk assessments (HRAs) increased by 50 percentage points among members of unions that bargained in the incentive, and increased 22 percentage points among non-union employees. Participation in the biometric screening program increased 55 percentage points when financial incentives were provided. Biometric screenings led to an average increase of 0.31 annual prescription drug fills, with related spending higher by $56 per member per year. Otherwise, no significant effects of participation in HRAs or biometric screenings on utilization of health care services and spending were found. The largest increase in medication utilization as a result of biometric screening was for statins, which are widely used to treat high cholesterol. This therapeutic class accounted for one-sixth of the overall increase in prescription drug utilization. Second were antidepressants, followed by ACE inhibitors (for hypertension), and thyroid hormones (for hypothyroidism). Biometric screening also led to significantly higher utilization of biologic response modifiers and immunosuppressants. These specialty medications are used to treat autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis, and are relatively expensive compared with non-specialty medications. The added spending associated with the combined increase in fills of 0.02 was $27 per member per year--about one-half of the

The Impact of Hybrid Electric Vehicles Incentives on Demand and the Determinants of Hybrid-Vehicle Adoption

Science.gov (United States)

Riggieri, Alison

According to the Energy Information Administration, transportation currently accounts for over 60% of U.S. oil demand (E.I.A. 2010). Improving automobile energy efficiency could therefore reduce oil consumption and the negative environmental effects of automobile use. Subsidies for energy-efficient technologies such as hybrid-electric vehicles have gained political popularity since their introduction into the market and therefore have been implemented with increasing frequency. After the introduction of hybrid-electric vehicles into the U.S. market, the federal government initially implemented a 2000 federal tax deduction for these vehicles (later increased to a 3500 credit). Many states followed, offering various exemptions, such as high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane use, and excise-tax, sales-tax, and income-tax exemptions. Because not all states have implemented these subsidies, this policy topic is an ideal candidate for an outcome evaluation using an observational study postulation. States adopt incentives for different reasons based on factors that make adoption more attractive, however, so it is first necessary to identify these differences that predict policy adoption. This allows for the evaluative work to control for self selection bias. Three classes of internal determinants of policy adoption, political context, problem severity, and institutional support, and one type of external diffusion factor, are tested using logistic regression. Results suggest that the number of neighboring states that have already adopted incentives are consistently a determinant of diffusion for all three types of incentives test, HOV lane exemptions, sales-tax exemptions, and income-tax exemptions. In terms of internal factors, constituent support, a type of political context, predicts, sale-tax, income-tax, and HOV lane exemptions, but that the other two classes of determinants, problem severity and institutional support, were not universally significant across types of

Dedicating new real estate transfer taxes for energy efficiency: A revenue option for scaling up Green Retrofit Programs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lester, T. William

2013-01-01

As the labor market in the U.S. remains weak, with high unemployment and sluggish job growth, policymakers at various levels of government are looking for new ways to support job growth and investment during an increasingly tight fiscal climate. Policies that promote the “Green Economy” in general and energy efficiency in particular remain politically popular as potential win–win solutions that will create jobs and curb greenhouse gas emissions. Yet, efforts to promote energy efficiency in the residential sector through rebates and incentives alone have yet to reach critical mass. This paper outlines a policy option for state and local governments to use real estate transfer taxes to generate stronger incentives for home buyers to undertake significant retrofit projects at the time of sale. The economic impact of the proposed energy efficiency transfer tax (EETT) is then modeled for the State of North Carolina, using standard input–output techniques. Ultimately, based on housing sales figures from 2010, a new EETT of 2.5 percent on home purchases would generate a net positive increase of approximately 3485 direct construction jobs and 5900 annually total jobs for the state. -- Highlights: •Proposes an Energy Efficiency Transfer Tax (EETT) to catalyze residential retrofits. •Models household behavioral response to an EETT. •Estimates induced energy efficiency investment levels in North Carolina. •Calculates net employment impacts of a hypothetical EETT. •Finds net impact of 5900 jobs and over $350 million in additional investment

Economic effects of a carbon tax in Belgium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bossier, F.; De Rous, R.

1992-01-01

This paper proposes to evaluate the consequences of the introduction of a carbon tax for the Belgian economy. To this end, two scenarios are studied. The first scenario introduces a carbon tax of about 23.5 ecus per ton of CO 2 emitted and the second scenario combines the tax with incentives to energy savings investments. The results suggest that the tax, alone, is not sufficient to meet the international requirements as far as a stabilization of CO 2 emissions is required. It is therefore suggested that a policy-mix of pure taxation measures with various forms of subsidies to investments should be achieved. (author)

LURING FISCAL REFUGEES: THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF TAX HAVENS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Larissa BĂTRÂNCEA

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Created mostly for tax purposes and boasting other financial services like asset protection or financial investments, tax havens have been often associated across time with tax incentives and tax noncompliance (either avoidance or evasion. On the grounds of double tax treatise, banking secrecy and lack of collaboration with international tax authorities, tax havens have succeeded to concentrate over 50% of the world’s financial industry and to manage 32 billion dollars, fuelling unfair competition on global market. Lately, due to pressure exerted by international bodies like the OECD, Joint International Tax Shelter Information Center, Seven Country Working Group on Tax Havens, The Leeds Castle Group or the United Nations, many countries have renounced banking secrecy and started to share client details with tax authorities. Amid rapid changes, a new generation of tax havens emerges in the Southern hemisphere.

The Tax Sensitivity of Debt in Multinationals: A Review

OpenAIRE

Schjelderup, Guttorm

2015-01-01

The OECD in its BEPS action plan 4 addresses tax base erosion by profit shifting through the use of tax deductible interest payments. Their main concern is interest deductions between outbound and inbound investment by groups. Studies of multinational firms show that the tax sensitivity of debt is more modest than what one would expect given the incentives for profit shifting. The purpose of this paper is to review existing literature and to add new knowledge on multinational firm behavior th...

Religious Challenges to School Voucher and Tax Benefit/Scholarship Programs

Science.gov (United States)

McCarthy, Martha

2016-01-01

A key component of current school reform efforts focuses on increasing parental choice through voucher systems and programs that provide tax benefits for contributions to scholarship programs for private school tuition. Indeed, proposals to adopt such programs have been or currently are being considered in four-fifths of the states, and about half…

Teacher Incentive Pay Programs in the United States: Union Influence and District Characteristics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guodong Liang

2015-06-01

Full Text Available This study examined the characteristics of teacher incentive pay programs in the United States. Using the 2007–08 SASS data set, it found an inverse relationship between union influence and districts’ incentive pay offerings. Large and ethnically diverse districts in urban areas that did not meet the requirements for Adequate Yearly Progress as defined under the No Child Left Behind Act are more likely to offer a larger number of economic incentives. Although rural districts are likely to reward teachers in hard-to-staff schools, they are not more likely to reward teachers who are certified by the National Board or who teach in the subject areas of shortage, nor are they more likely to offer multiple financial incentives.

The pioneer income tax relief as an investment incentive in Nigeria ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Taxation is one of the major fiscal policy instruments used by government in regulating the economy, boosting investments and regulating inflation. Many developing nations formulate tax policies aimed at stimulating rapid economic growth. One of such policies in Nigeria is the Pioneer Income Tax Relief with the main goal ...

Stricter Employment Protection and Firms' Incentives to Sponsor Training

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Messe, Pierre-Jean; Rouland, Bénédicte

2014-01-01

to the unemployment insurance system, known as the Delalande tax. In 1999, the measure was subjected to a reform that increased the tax, but only for large firms. We find that this exogenous increase substantially raised firms' incentives to train workers aged 45–49 but had no impact on the training rates among...... workers aged over 50. From a simple model with endogenous firing and training decisions, we give a theoretical illustration of these results....

A Peer-to-Peer Mentoring Program for In-Center Hemodialysis: A Patient-Centered Quality Improvement Program.

Science.gov (United States)

St Clair Russell, Jennifer; Southerland, Shiree; Huff, Edwin D; Thomson, Maria; Meyer, Klemens B; Lynch, Janet R

2017-01-01

A patient-centered quality improvement program implemented in one Virginia hemodialysis facility sought to determine if peer-to-peer (P2P) programs can assist patients on in-center hemodialysis with self-management and improve outcomes. Using a single-arm, repeatedmeasurement, quasi-experimental design, 46 patients participated in a four-month P2P intervention. Outcomes include knowledge, self-management behaviors, and psychosocial health indicators: self-efficacy, perceived social support, hemodialysis social support, and healthrelated quality of life (HRQoL). Physiological health indicators included missed and shortened treatments, arteriovenous fistula placement, interdialytic weight gain, serum phosphorus, and hospitalizations. Mentees demonstrated increased knowledge, self-efficacy, perceived social support, hemodialysis social support, and HRQoL. Missed treatments decreased. Mentors experienced increases in knowledge, self-management, and social support. A P2P mentoring program for in-center hemodialysis can benefit both mentees and mentors. Copyright© by the American Nephrology Nurses Association.

Medicaid program; health care-related taxes. Final rule.

Science.gov (United States)

2009-06-30

This rule finalizes our proposal to delay enforcement of certain clarifications regarding standards for determining hold harmless arrangements in the final rule entitled, "Medicaid Program; Health Care-Related Taxes" from the expiration of a Congressional moratorium on enforcement from July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010.

Does Competition Improve Public Schools? New Evidence from the Florida Tax-Credit Scholarship Program

Science.gov (United States)

Figlio, David; Hart, Cassandra M. D.

2011-01-01

Programs that enable students to attend private schools, including both vouchers and scholarships funded with tax credits, have become increasingly common in recent years. This study examines the impact of the nation's largest private school scholarship program on the performance of students who remain in the public schools. The Florida Tax Credit…

TAX ADMINISTRATION: Impact of Compliance and Collection Program Declines on Taxpayers

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

2002-01-01

...) compliance and collection programs. Many view these programs-such as audits to determine whether taxpayers have accurately reported the amount of taxes that they owe and collection follow-up with taxpayers who have not...

Perspectives of tax reforms in Croatia: expert opinion survey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hrvoje Šimović

2014-12-01

Full Text Available In order to shape tax reform it is necessary objectively to assess the current stateof-the-art of and of the outlook for the tax system. After having reviewed all previous reforms in the light of the consumption-based (interest-adjusted concept of direct taxation, which was almost systematically implemented in Croatia in 1994, we present the results of a broad expert opinion survey about the Croatian tax system. The most interesting results suggest the maintenance/(reintroduction of different tax incentives and reduced VAT rates, rejection of a flat tax as well as decrease of tax brackets, an increase in alcohol and tobacco duties, the introduction of a financial activities tax, a further shift from income to consumption, a decrease of the tax share in GDP and a belief in the behavioral responsiveness of tax decreases/exemptions, as well as a firm commitment to the principle of equity. The last three economic views/values are important predictors of other tax attitudes.

Monetary Incentives to Reinforce Engagement and Achievement in a Job-Skills Training Program for Homeless, Unemployed Adults

Science.gov (United States)

Koffarnus, Mikhail N.; Wong, Conrad J.; Fingerhood, Michael; Svikis, Dace S.; Bigelow, George E.; Silverman, Kenneth

2013-01-01

The current study examined whether monetary incentives could increase engagement and achievement in a job-skills training program for unemployed, homeless, alcohol-dependent adults. Participants (n?=?124) were randomized to a no-reinforcement group (n?=?39), during which access to the training program was provided but no incentives were given; a…

A new strategic plan for a carbon tax

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stram, Bruce Nels

2014-01-01

This paper proposes a new Green House Gas policy building upon general consensus in scientific, political and economic communities including: 1.Concern too little progress is being made toward an integrated global approach to controlling CO 2 emissions. 2.Recommendation of a carbon tax. 3.Need for increased R and D for alternative energy sources. 4.Substantially increased research and development expenditures are relatively inexpensive. Here,these elements are woven into a coherent strategy that should be farmore politically acceptable by global governments than currentalternatives. Here are its elements: 1.A small carbon tax whose proceeds are tied exclusively to energy research and development in a dedicated trust fund. 2.Deployment of the fund to demonstrate benefits of the approach and its incentives for other countries to join. 3.The establishment of a commonality of interest among participating nations. 4.Clear incentives for additional nations to participate. The ultimate goal, energy services at lower cost than today with fossil fuels, is appropriately ambitious. The proposed approach is functional, timely and will produce benefits going well beyond simply stemming global warming. It would also tend to obviate the need for implementation policy: economic choice would lead to transition to such new technologies. - Highlights: • International Green House Gas negotiations have foundered on the need to allocate caps. • A small carbon tax is a more achievable policy than the global cooperation needed for caps. • A small carbon tax among cooperating nations can fund much more energy research and development. • Access to advanced technology creates a relatively low cost incentive to cooperate. • Lower cost energy services, if achieved, would improve human welfare

Tax Policy, Venture Capital, and Entrepreneurship

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Keuschnigg, Christian; Nielsen, Søren Bo

The paper studies the effects of tax policy on venture capital activity. Entrepreneurs pursue a single high risk project each but have no own resources. Financiers provide equity finance. They must structure the entrepreneur's profit share and base salary to assure their incentives for full effort...

Incentives – Effectiveness and efficiency

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Björn Hinderlich

2014-03-01

Full Text Available This paper covers the question if and how incentive schemes work evaluated by their impact on company performance (market capitalization and profit before tax. Based on a unique data set for German executive directors of DAX companies it can be proved that neither short (STI nor long term incentives (LTI plans necessarily support the company success. It rather depends on the efficiency of each plan, i. e. on its design. Special attention has to be paid on target setting. Short term focused objectives often miss their targets, whereas long term oriented objectives significantly support the company success. To solve the prisoner’s dilemma between employers and employees by a quasi-endless game, additional measures may be helpful, such as share ownership guidelines.

Do tax incentives affect households' adoption of ‘green’ cars? A panel study of the Stockholm congestion tax

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mannberg, Andrea; Jansson, Johan; Pettersson, Thomas; Brännlund, Runar; Lindgren, Urban

2014-01-01

Policymakers have made several attempts to introduce local and national policies to reduce CO 2 emissions and stimulate the consumer adoption of alternative fuel vehicles (ethanol/E85 cars). The purpose of this paper is to analyze how a local policy measure impacts the composition of the car fleet over time. More specifically, we take advantage of the natural experiment setting caused by the introduction of the Stockholm congestion tax (2006) to analyze how the tax affected purchases of ethanol cars that were exempted from the tax. To estimate effects, we employ a Difference-in-differences methodology. By using a comprehensive database of the car fleet and car owners, sociodemographic and geographic factors are analyzed, which is unique in the existing literature. Our results suggest that the congestion tax had a significant impact on ethanol car purchases although the effect fades away over time. Furthermore, there is a positive relationship between the level of education and ethanol car purchases. Previous adoption of an ethanol car is found to be the strongest predictor of ethanol car purchases. Finally, data indicate that Stockholmers substantially increased purchases of ethanol cars half a year before the introduction of the congestion tax, which we refer to as an anticipation effect. - Highlights: • Uses a database of car owners to analyze impacts of a congestion tax on car fleet. • Results show that the tax had a significant effect on ethanol car purchases. • Prior ownership of ethanol car and education correlates with ethanol car purchases

Pollution taxes - where are we heading?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ritter, W.

1996-01-01

Reshaping the system of taxation towards ecologic objectives by introduction of new, environment-oriented taxes affecting industrial production factors would adversely affect the ecologic and economic progress and in the end would give advocates of this policy the lie. Approaches for amendment of the tax system more strongly implementing environmental policy objectives should rather be based on legal incentives given by the system of taxation for enhanced investments and innovation, as well as pinpointed tax benefits, than on new taxes skimming off the financial means required for investments and innovation. Inudstry has been playing a positive and active part in the efforts for enhanced protection of the environment. Industry's self-commitment programme for greenhouse gas abatement has meant an important step forward. It is now up to the legislator to open up new room for action in support of environmental policy goals, instead of barring the road by new taxes. (orig.) [de

Tax Evasion, an Integral Part of Corruption

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carmen Elena Coca

2014-05-01

Full Text Available State budget is considered to be the instrument of achieving social and economic objectives, with the ability to mediate its subsidies and tax incentives. Lack of funds, which are part of budget income, leads to incapacity of achieving the state duties, and this is the result of taxpayers avoiding to pay taxes. The need for delimitation between unlawful and lawful tax avoidance makes it useful to estimate the size of the phenomenon on its two forms of expression and raise awareness among political and administrative decision makers, in order to search and determine appropriate methods to limit and combat the phenomenon.

The Effect of Political and Economic Factors on Corporate Tax Rates

OpenAIRE

Hansson, Åsa; Porter, Susan; Perry Williams, Susan

2012-01-01

Economists and political scientists have long been interested in factors that affect the statutory tax rate on businesses set by federal governments. In this study, we examine the impact of political and economic factors on several measures of tax rates and tax incentives offered across 19 developed countries for the years 1979 through 2005. Our results indicate that while economic conditions such as openness, strategic interaction, budget constraints, economic downturns and an aging populati...

Marine Corps Pay Incentives

Science.gov (United States)

Marines from 2000 to 2017. The thesis includes a literature review on economic theory related to pay incentives in the Department of Defense, a...The purpose of this thesis to provide the Marine Corps with a comprehensive report on pay incentive programs and special pay that were available to...summarization of pay incentive categories, a data analysis on take-up rates and average annual amounts at the end of each fiscal year, and a program review

Federal tax incentives and disincentives for the adoption of wood-fuel electric-generating technologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hill, L.J.; Hadley, S.W.

1995-01-01

In this paper, we estimate the effects of current federal tax policy on the financial criteria that investor-owned electric utilities (IOUs) and non-utility electricity generators (NUGs) use to evaluate wood-fuel electric-generating technologies, distinguishing between dedicated-plantation and wood-waste fuels. Accelerated tax depreciation, the 1.5 cent/kWh production tax credit for the dedicated-plantation technology, and the alternative minimum tax are the most important tax provisions. The results indicate that federal tax laws have significantly different effects on the evaluation criteria, depending on the plant's ownership (IOU vs NUG) and type of fuel (dedicated-plantation vs wood-waste). (Author)

Predictors of middle school students' interest in participating in an incentive-based tobacco prevention and cessation program in connecticut.

Science.gov (United States)

Morean, Meghan E; Camenga, Deepa R; Kong, Grace; Cavallo, Dana A; Schepis, Ty S; Krishnan-Sarin, Suchitra

2014-01-01

Behavioral incentives have been used to encourage smoking cessation in older adolescents, but the acceptability of incentives to promote a smoke-free lifestyle in younger adolescents is unknown. To inform the development of novel, effective, school-based interventions for youth, we assessed middle school students' interest in participating in an incentive-based tobacco abstinence program. We surveyed 988 students (grades 6-8) attending three Connecticut middle schools to determine whether interest in program participation varied as a function of (1) intrapersonal factors (i.e., demographic characteristics (sex, age, race), smoking history, and trait impulsivity) and/or (2) aspects of program design (i.e., prize type, value, and reward frequency). Primary analyses were conducted using multiple regression. A majority of students (61.8%) reported interest in program participation. Interest did not vary by gender, smoking risk status, or offering cash prizes. However, younger students, non-Caucasian students, behaviorally impulsive students, and students with higher levels of self-regulation were more likely to report interest. Inexpensive awards (e.g., video games) offered monthly motivated program interest. In sum, middle school students reported high levels of interest in an incentive-based program to encourage a tobacco-free lifestyle. These formative data can inform the design of effective, incentive-based smoking cessation and prevention programs in middle schools.

Effects of the petroleum tax reform

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stensland, G.; Sunnevaag, K.; Tennfjord, B.S.

1992-04-01

The report evaluates the effects of the petroleum taxation in Norway. In connection with the general reform of the Norwegian industry taxation, changes are proposed in the petroleum tax law. The report gives a survey of the development in the Norwegian petroleum taxation, and analyses the effects of changing the tax revenue both for the Government and for the companies concerned. The effects of incentives caused by changing the taxation are looked upon. In the appendix the depreciation rules in connection with petroleum taxation are discussed. 18 refs., 17 figs

Designing Green Taxes in a Political Context: From Optimal to Feasible Environmental Regulation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Daugbjerg, Carsten; Svendsen, Gert Tinggaard

2003-01-01

How should green taxation be designed? We argue that to design green taxes which are high enough to have the desired incentive effects, tax revenues must be reimbursed, either by earmarking them for environmental subsidies or by reducing other taxes directed at industry. If green tax schemes can ...... financial resources within industry and thus create winners and losers. Still, we demonstrate how green taxation can be used in heterogeneous industries which can be created by operating separate tax schemes for each branch of industry....

Corporate Tax Stimulus and Investment in Colombia

OpenAIRE

Galindo, Arturo; Melendez, Marcela

2010-01-01

This paper uses a yearly dataset of plant-level investment in Colombian firms during the period 1997 to 2007 to assess the impact of a tax incentive for firms that invest in fixed assets implemented in 2004. A positive and statistically significant correlation is found between the boom observed in investment and the adoption of the tax policy. However, the correlation vanishes when year-specific effects are controlled for. This result is robust to changes in the empirical specification, chang...

Does race matter in landowners' participation in conservation incentive programs?

Science.gov (United States)

Jianbang Gan; Okwuldili O. Onianwa; John Schelhas; Gerald C. Wheelock; Mark R. Dubois

2005-01-01

This study investigated and compared the participation behavior of white and minority small landowners in Alabama in eight conservation incentive programs. Using nonparametric tests and logit modeling, we found both similarities and differences in participation behavior between these two landowner groups. Both white and minority landowners tended not to participate in...

Hybrid carbon incentive mechanisms and political acceptability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vollebergh, H.R.J.; De Vries, J.L.; Koutstaal, P.R.

1997-01-01

In this paper it is analyzed how hybrid systems of carbon taxes and tradeable permits optimize some conflicting dimensions of political acceptability related to the design of these instruments. Pure systems like taxes without exemptions or auctioned tradeable permits cause problems for political acceptability in open economies due to high overall costs (abatement cost plus payments on the tax or auctions) for current polluters. Unfortunately, pure systems based on grandfathering of emission rights across the board do not provide a feasible alternative because of monitoring and enforcement problems. In contrast, consciously designed hybrid systems employ grandfathering of emission rights together with either carbon taxes or auctioned carbon permits in order to overcome acceptability problems of pure systems, while leaving incentives to reduce emissions at the margin untouched. Moreover, monitoring and enforcement costs of the hybrid systems are less due to the lower number of participating agents compared with the pure systems, while opportunities for cost- or burden-sharing exist as well. 3 figs., 4 tabs., 23 refs

77 FR 37708 - Notice of Intent To Modify Schedule of Fees for Reviewing Historic Preservation Certification...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-22

... charges fees for reviewing certification applications for Federal tax incentives contained in Section 47... administering the Historic Preservation Tax Incentives Program. Current fees do not cover the full costs of... application fees charged by State governments under similar State historic preservation tax credit programs...

Income Tax Preparation Assistance Service Learning Program: A Multidimensional Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Aldridge, Richard; Callahan, Richard A.; Chen, Yining; Wade, Stacy R.

2015-01-01

The authors present a multidimensional assessment of the outcomes and benefits of an income tax preparation assistance (ITPA) service learning program. They measure the perceived proximate benefits at the delivery of the service program, the actual learning outcome benefits prior to graduation, and the perceived long-term benefits from a…

The role of environmental tax incentives to promote innovation and improve the management of groundwater: a case study analysis of the unconventional natural gas industry in Alberta

OpenAIRE

Jarvie, Deborah Lynn

2017-01-01

Water accounts for more than seventy percent of the earth’s surface, yet less than three percent of this water is freshwater fit for human use, and of this three percent, less than one percent is readily accessible – most of which is ‘groundwater’. This thesis argues that regulation for the protection of groundwater is long overdue for renewal. Examining the literature and conducting a case study, it assesses whether the greater use of tax incentives (TIs) to encourage environmental te...

The production tax credit for wind turbine powerplants is an ineffective incentive

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kahn, E.; California Univ., Berkeley, CA

1996-01-01

The US Energy Policy Act (EPAct) of 1992 created a production tax credit of 1.5c/kWh available for 10 years to promote certain renewable energy technologies, including wind turbines. This paper argues that the impact of the wind turbine production tax credit will be minimal. The argument depends entirely on the nature of the project finance structure used by the private power industry for wind turbine development. We show that tax credits can only be absorbed by equity investors if there is a large fraction of equity in the project capital structure. This raises the financing cost of wind turbine projects compared to conventional power technology, which relies on a large fraction of low cost debt. If the tax credit were paid as a cash subsidy, the capital structure could be shifted to low cost debt and financing costs could be significantly reduced. (Author)

U.S. Army Incentive Program: Incentives That Motivate Recruiters

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Starkey, Benjamin

1999-01-01

.... Sixty recruiters and staff personnel at the brigade, battalion and company echelons were randomly selected and interviewed on how the various national and local incentives motivate recruiters to meet...

INCREASE TAX BASE AS INDICATOR OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT COMPANIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. Iu. Padalkin

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Summary. The article analyzed the tax burden as an indicator of growth of production and security of financial activity of working capital. The most important duty of the enterprise - the taxpayer in accordance with paragraph 1 of art. 3 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation is the responsibility to pay the legally established taxes and fees. However, according to article 45 of the Tax Code to claim 1 tax liability must be carried out within the period prescribed by law. Under the tax in accordance with paragraph 1 of article 8 of the Tax Code is understood mandatory, individually gratuitous payment collected from organizations and individuals in the form of alienation of their right to property, economic or operational management of funds for financial support of the state and (or municipalities. Tax regulation - measures the indirect impact on the economy of the state, economic and social processes by changing the types of taxes, tax rates, tax incentives to establish, reduce or increase the overall level of tax payments to the budget. So, tax cuts can stimulate production, and raising taxes - to restrain or even suppress some activities.

19 CFR 351.510 - Indirect taxes and import charges (other than export programs).

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... OF COMMERCE ANTIDUMPING AND COUNTERVAILING DUTIES Identification and Measurement of Countervailable Subsidies § 351.510 Indirect taxes and import charges (other than export programs). (a) Benefit—(1... the full or partial exemption or remission of an indirect tax or an import charge, a benefit exists to...

Predictors of Middle School Students’ Interest in Participating in an Incentive-Based Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program in Connecticut

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Meghan E. Morean

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Behavioral incentives have been used to encourage smoking cessation in older adolescents, but the acceptability of incentives to promote a smoke-free lifestyle in younger adolescents is unknown. To inform the development of novel, effective, school-based interventions for youth, we assessed middle school students’ interest in participating in an incentive-based tobacco abstinence program. We surveyed 988 students (grades 6–8 attending three Connecticut middle schools to determine whether interest in program participation varied as a function of (1 intrapersonal factors (i.e., demographic characteristics (sex, age, race, smoking history, and trait impulsivity and/or (2 aspects of program design (i.e., prize type, value, and reward frequency. Primary analyses were conducted using multiple regression. A majority of students (61.8% reported interest in program participation. Interest did not vary by gender, smoking risk status, or offering cash prizes. However, younger students, non-Caucasian students, behaviorally impulsive students, and students with higher levels of self-regulation were more likely to report interest. Inexpensive awards (e.g., video games offered monthly motivated program interest. In sum, middle school students reported high levels of interest in an incentive-based program to encourage a tobacco-free lifestyle. These formative data can inform the design of effective, incentive-based smoking cessation and prevention programs in middle schools.

Tax Policy and Sole Proprietorships: A Closer Look

OpenAIRE

Nelson, Susan C.

2008-01-01

The 21 million sole proprietorship returns filed in 2005 represent a wide variety of economic activity. This paper examines three major tax policy issues related to sole proprietorships—taxpayer compliance, taxpayer burden, and incentives for growth. It uses tax return data to take a closer look at sole proprietorships. It proposes a new taxonomy for describing these returns in an economically meaningful way, based on the principal factors of production that they use: their own labor, hired l...

DSM shareholder incentives: Current designs and economic theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stoft, S.; Eto, J.; Kito, S.

1995-01-01

This report reviews recent DSM shareholder incentive designs and performance at 10 US utilities identifies opportunities for regulators to improve the design of DSM shareholder incentive mechanisms to increase the procurement of cost-effective DSM resources. We develop six recommendations: (1) apply shared-savings incentives to DSM resource programs; (2) use markup incentives for individual programs only when net benefits are difficult to measure, but are known to be positive; (3) set expected incentive payments based on covering a utility's open-quotes hidden costs,close quotes which include some transitional management and risk-adjusted opportunity costs; (4) use higher marginal incentives rates than are currently found in practice, but limit total incentive payments by adding a fixed charge; (5) mitigate risks to regulators and utilities by lowering marginal incentive rates at high and low performance levels; and (6) use an aggregate incentive mechanism for all DSM resource programs, with limited exceptions (e.g., information programs where markups are more appropriate)

The impact of state financial incentives on market deployment of solar technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sarzynski, Andrea; Larrieu, Jeremy; Shrimali, Gireesh

2012-01-01

Many states have adopted financial incentives to encourage market deployment of solar energy technology. This paper employs a cross-sectional time-series approach to evaluate the extent to which state solar financial incentives systematically encouraged market deployment of solar photovoltaic (PV) technology from 1997 to 2009. The results demonstrate that states offering cash incentives such as rebates and grants experienced more extensive and rapid deployment of grid-tied PV technology than states without cash incentives over the study period. The analysis also finds that the presence of state renewable energy portfolio standards and specific solar carve-out provisions within them heavily influenced the market deployment of grid-tied solar PV technology through 2009. - Highlights: ► We evaluate the impact of state financial incentives on solar technology adoption. ► Cash incentives and renewable portfolio standards strongly influenced deployment. ► The impact of cash incentives and RPS grew significantly over time. ► Tax incentives had little systematic effect on solar market deployment.

Small Business Tax Evasion, is There a Case of Internal Finance?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ilirjan Lipi

2017-04-01

Full Text Available As long as there are taxes, the incentive for evasion will exist as well. Studies for tax evasion are of interest in different fields like that of economics, public finance, personal finance, business administration, business finance, financial accounting, in the banking system etc. However, there are only a few studies about the internal causes and financial incentives that oblige decision-makers of small firms towards tax evasion. When we refer to business tax evasion, always brings to mind sensational cases of large businesses that evade taxes, but business tax evasion is a widespread phenomenon even to small firms. To be more competitive, small business must have a consistently entrepreneurial orientation, but limited financing prevents this, therefore the business savings from tax evasion is believed to be an internally funding path. The restrictions on small firms financing often make them orientate more toward internal generation of funds, which also has few alternatives. As a way to internal saving, firms often find tax evasion, which is not only a deviant and unethical behavior, but also puts firms into many difficulties in the long run. Consequently, the study aims to discuss the phenomenon of tax evasion in the managerial practice of small business in an Albanian region, as well as its financial cause as is perceived by the small business. The study findings report that the deviant behavior of businesses from taxes considers the need for internal financing as an important reason. The study concluded that savings from tax evasion is an alternative of internal financing primarily for small and early-staged firms, and that if entrepreneurs are capable of a good business model and competitive strategy, they will not need to make evasion.

76 FR 55946 - Comment Request for Information Collection for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) Program...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-09

... Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) Program: Extension With Non-Substantive Revisions AGENCY: Employment and..., ``Certification Workload and Characteristics of Certified Individuals, Work Opportunity Tax Credit'' and provided... submit this report using the Internet-based Tax Credit Reporting System of the Enterprise Business...

How do employment tax credits work? An analysis of the German inheritance tax

OpenAIRE

Franke, Benedikt; Simons, Dirk; Voeller, Dennis

2014-01-01

Employment tax credit programs have been repeatedly used during economic crises, although their usefulness is empirically contestable. The objective of this paper is to quantify the tax effects of employment tax credit programs. A recent revision of the German inheritance tax law provides an eminent opportunity to analyze the effects caused by such a preferential treatment. The tax liability depends on a company’s future employment expenses. Hence, we use micro-level data of ...

Impact of recent Federal tax and R and D initiatives on enhanced oil recovery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brashear, J.P.; Biglarbigi, K.; Ray, M.R.

1991-01-01

The National Energy Strategy contains two major elements designed to increase oil production from known reservoirs in the contiguous United States: (1) a tax credit for specific investment and injectant costs for qualified enhanced oil recovery (EOR) projects; and (2) a highly focused, public-private cooperative R ampersand D program. Both are currently being implemented by the Department of the Treasury and the Department of Energy, respectively. The present paper estimates the potential reserve additions and impacts on public treasuries at oil prices between $22 and $34/Bbl. The new Federal tax credit, alone, could doubler current proved EOR reserves at oil prices in the $22/Bbl range and increase them by about one-third at prices in the $30/Bbl range. The effect of technology advances alone could also about double EOR reserves at these prices. The combination of technology advances and the tax incentive synergistically amplifies the effects on potential EOR reserves

Tax-driven Bunching of Housing Market Transactions: The Case of Hong Kong

OpenAIRE

Charles Ka Yui Leung; Tin Cheuk Leung; Kwok Ping Tsang

2015-01-01

We study the implications of a property market transaction tax. As property buyers are obligated to pay a transaction tax (¡§stamp duty¡¨ or SD) where the rate increases with the value of the transaction, there are incentives to trade at the cutoff points of the tax schedule or just below them. Thus, both ¡§bunching in transactions¡¨ and ¡§underpricing¡¨ should be observed near those cutoffs. Furthermore, the bunching points should change with the tax schedule. We confirm these conjectures wi...

Impact of a Rewards-Based Incentive Program on Promoting Fruit and Vegetable Purchases

Science.gov (United States)

Phipps, Etienne J.; Braitman, Leonard E.; Stites, Shana D.; Singletary, S. Brook; Wallace, Samantha L.; Hunt, Lacy; Axelrod, Saul; Glanz, Karen; Uplinger, Nadine

2015-01-01

Objectives. We assessed the impact of a rewards-based incentive program on fruit and vegetable purchases by low-income families. Methods. We conducted a 4-phase prospective cohort study with randomized intervention and wait-listed control groups in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in December 2010 through October 2011. The intervention provided a rebate of 50% of the dollar amount spent on fresh or frozen fruit and vegetables, reduced to 25% during a tapering phase, then eliminated. Primary outcome measures were number of servings of fruit and of vegetables purchased per week. Results. Households assigned to the intervention purchased an average of 8 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.5, 16.9) more servings of vegetables and 2.5 (95% CI = 0.3, 9.5) more servings of fruit per week than did control households. In longitudinal price-adjusted analyses, when the incentive was reduced and then discontinued, the amounts purchased were similar to baseline. Conclusions. Investigation of the financial costs and potential benefits of incentive programs to supermarkets, government agencies, and other stakeholders is needed to identify sustainable interventions. PMID:24625144

TAX COMPETITION REGARDING FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT BETWEEN TRANSITION EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ramona DUMITRIU

2005-01-01

Full Text Available This paper explores the fiscal measures adopted in the transition European countries in order toencourage the foreign direct investment. There were analysed six countries: Albania, Macedonia,Moldova, Russian Federation, Union of Serbia and Muntenegro, Ukraine, based on the four criteria:corporate and capital gains tax rates, withholding taxes, tax incentives, foreign tax relief andtransfer pricing rules. Finally, the conclusion is that all the analysed countries offer favourable fiscalconditions for the foreign direct investment. Serbia, Muntenegro, Macedonia and Moldova haveattractive fiscal regimes, showing that the authorities from these countries count on the foreign directinvestment as a solution of solving the social and economic problems.

A Comprehensive Study of the Incentive Award Program at General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Cox, Michael

2001-01-01

.... Therefore, they commissioned this study to evaluate the present incentive award program based on fairness and effectiveness and to explore methods of reshaping the program into one that both rewards...

Investment Incentives in Closely Held Corporations and Finland's 2005 Tax Reform

OpenAIRE

Seppo Kari; Hietala; Harri

2006-01-01

This paper analyses the effects of the recent Finnish income tax reform on the behaviour of a closely held corporation (CHC) and its owners. The main elements of the reform are cuts in corporate and capital income tax rates and the replacement of the current full imputation system by a partial double taxation of distributed profits. Considerable exemptions are applied to relieve the taxation of dividends from CHCs. The analysis indicates that the change in the CHC?s cost of capital depends on...

THE IMPACT OF TAX SYSTEM ON GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS. ANALYSIS ON THE LEVEL OF EUROPEAN UNION MEMBER STATES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brandusa Tudose

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Summarizing the results of theoretical and empirical research, the paper aims to analyze the impact of tax system on global competitiveness through the following three variables: taxation on incentives to invest; total tax rate and taxation on incentives to work. Summarizing the analysis to the European Union member states, the paper presents rankings and provides interpretations for each case. Luxembourg is the country where there is registered: a the biggest impact on competitiveness of tax policies supporting investment, b the largest fiscal affordability (measured by GDP/capita and total tax rate and c the most generous labor taxation system in the EU. However, in the ranking realized based on the global competitiveness index Luxembourg ranks on the 22nd place, on the first place being Finland.

Measuring True Sales and Underreporting with Matched Firm-Level Survey and Tax-Office Data

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zhou, F.; Oostendorp, R.H.

2014-01-01

This paper uses firm-level survey data matched with official tax records to estimate the unobserved true sales of formal firms in Mongolia. Taking into account firm-level incentives to comply with taxes and a production function technology linking unobserved true sales with observable firm-level

Financial incentives to promote active travel: an evidence review and economic framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Adam; Suhrcke, Marc; Ogilvie, David

2012-12-01

Financial incentives, including taxes and subsidies, can be used to encourage behavior change. They are common in transport policy for tackling externalities associated with use of motor vehicles, and in public health for influencing alcohol consumption and smoking behaviors. Financial incentives also offer policymakers a compromise between "nudging," which may be insufficient for changing habitual behavior, and regulations that restrict individual choice. The literature review identified studies published between January 1997 and January 2012 of financial incentives relating to any mode of travel in which the impact on active travel, physical activity, or obesity levels was reported. It encompassed macroenvironmental schemes, such as gasoline taxes, and microenvironmental schemes, such as employer-subsidized bicycles. Five relevant reviews and 20 primary studies (of which nine were not included in the reviews) were identified. The results show that more-robust evidence is required if policymakers are to maximize the health impact of fiscal policy relating to transport schemes of this kind. Drawing on a literature review and insights from the SLOTH (sleep, leisure, occupation, transportation, and home-based activities) time-budget model, this paper argues that financial incentives may have a larger role in promoting walking and cycling than is acknowledged generally. Copyright © 2012 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Corruption of pharmaceutical markets: addressing the misalignment of financial incentives and public health.

Science.gov (United States)

Gagnon, Marc-André

2013-01-01

This paper explains how the current architecture of the pharmaceutical markets has created a misalignment of financial incentives and public health that is a central cause of harmful practices. It explores three possible solutions to address that misalignment: taxes, increased financial penalties, and drug pricing based on value. Each proposal could help to partly realign financial incentives and public health. However, because of the limits of each proposal, there is no easy solution to fixing the problem of financial incentives. © 2013 American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics, Inc.

Development of an Award Winning Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program: A Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, William F.; Thalacker, Brenda L.

2013-01-01

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, sponsored by the IRS, offers free tax services for individuals with low-to-moderate incomes, the elderly, disabled and/or those who lack English language proficiency. Although established by the IRS in 1969, it is administered by partnering community based volunteer organizations throughout U.S.,…

Promoting Savings at Tax Time through a Video-Based Solution-Focused Brief Coaching Intervention

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lance Palmer

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Solution-focused brief coaching, based on solution-focused brief therapy, is a well-established practice model and is used widely to help individuals progress toward desired outcomes in a variety of settings. This papers presents the findings of a pilot study that examined the impact of a video-based solution-focused brief coaching intervention delivered in conjunction with income tax preparation services at a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance location (n = 212. Individuals receiving tax preparation assistance were randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups: 1 control group; 2 video-based solution-focused brief coaching; 3 discount card incentive; 4 both the video-based solution-focused brief coaching and the discount card incentive. Results of the study indicate that the video-based solution-focused brief coaching intervention increased both the frequency and amount of self-reported savings at tax time. Results also indicate that financial therapy based interventions may be scalable through the use of technology.

Financing geothermal resource development in the Pacific Region states

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1978-08-15

State and federal tax treatment as an incentive to development and non-tax financial incentives such as: the federal geothermal loan guarantee program, the federal geothermal reservoir insurance, and state financial incentives are discussed. (MHR)

Investment Incentives in Closely Held Corporations and Finland's 2005 Tax Reform

OpenAIRE

Hietala, Harri; Kari, Seppo

2005-01-01

This paper analyses the effects of the recent Finnish income tax reform on the behaviour of a closely held corporation (CHC) and its owners. The main elements of the reform are cuts in corporate and capital income tax rates and the replacement of the full imputation system by a partial double taxation of distributed profits. Considerable exemptions are applied to relieve the taxation of dividends from CHCs. The analysis indicates that the change in the CHC’s cost of capital depends on the mar...

Reforming the Tax Mix in Canada

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bev Dahlby

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Periodically, tax systems need major reforms to remove the “barnacles” that accumulate under the short-term pressures of political expediency and to adapt to the long-term forces of technological and economic change. The current fiscal and economic problems that confront the provinces require an assessment of much-needed reforms. Raising tax revenue imposes large costs on our society, not only because of the administration and compliance costs of collecting taxes, but because taxes distort economic decisions in the private sector. This is especially true of provincial corporate income taxes. Taxing highly mobile corporate capital and corporate profits encourages firms to shift their investments and profits across provincial and international boundaries. The provinces would enjoy significant boosts to economic growth and efficiency gains by enacting a revenue-neutral switch from corporate to sales or personal income taxes. For Alberta, such a shift would yield up to $40 per dollar of tax revenue shifted from corporate to personal income taxes; for fiscal year 2011-12, this would amount to a percapita welfare gain of roughly $19,000. Other options for tax reform are also discussed in this paper, including the adoption of a penny tax to the GST to fund infrastructure spending by municipalities. However, we think this would saddle the private sector with significant compliance costs and create major economic distortions between neighbouring municipalities by creating an incentive to shop where the penny tax proposal was not adopted. In surveying the most pressing tax reform issues facing Canada, we offer policymakers a firm basis for coming to grips with them, so they can treat tax dollars with the care and foresight Canadians expect.

Mining Royalties and Incentives for Security Operations: Evidence from India's Red Corridor

OpenAIRE

Vanden Eynde , Oliver

2015-01-01

Can tax regimes shape the incentives of governments to engage in or support counterinsurgency operations? India’s Maoist belt contains a large share of the country’s most valuable mineral deposits. Indian mining royalties benefit the States, but they are set by the central government. States are largely responsible for counter-insurgency operations within their territory. Therefore, the royalty regime could shape the incentive of states to support counter-insurgency efforts ien mining areas. ...

IRS proposes ruling on physician recruitment. How a hospital recruits physicians would affect its tax-exempt status.

Science.gov (United States)

Griffith, G M

1996-01-01

On March 15, 1995, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced a proposed revenue ruling stating how certain physician recruitment practices could be implemented without threatening hospitals' tax-exemption. As proposed, the IRS ruling would provide flexibility for recruitment incentives rather than a list of strict physician recruitment guidelines. The proposed ruling is not legally binding until issued in final form, and there is no deadline for finalizing it. In the meantime, however, the standards outlined in the proposed ruling reflect arrangements the IRS likely would approve, which should be an incentive for tax-exempt hospitals to follow reasonable physician recruitment practices. Assuming a hospital complies with other legal requirements such as fraud and abuse laws, it must answer two key tax-exempt status questions for its recruitment or retention package: Will the incentives result in a disguised distribution of profits from the operation of the organization? Is the total incentive package reasonable under all the facts and circumstances, both in absolute total value for physician(s) recruited and in relation to services required by the hospital and the community? The proposed ruling also provides guidance on basic documentation requirements and a process for approving recruitment arrangements.

Russian petroleum tax policy – Continuous maneuvering in rocky waters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fjaertoft, Daniel; Lunden, Lars Petter

2015-01-01

This article maps and analyses petroleum taxation policy in Russia to investigate the extent to which it reaches the goal of maximizing government revenue from new petroleum field developments. Expected cash flows from four real-world fields in Russia are modeled in four real-world tax regimes in an attempt to determine whether the so-called ‘tax maneuver’ of December 2014 helps the government to reach its goal. Russia's tax policy is further analyzed in terms of the desirable tax system design features of simplicity, flexibility, stability and competitiveness. The article concludes that the changes to the tax system introduced additional incentives for field developments but failed both to improve tax system design per se and to maximize government tax revenue. - Highlights: • Petroleum tax revenue is the Russian government’s largest single source of revenue. • Tax legislation has not maximized government revenue from the petroleum industry. • The December 2014 tax reform is just one in a long line of reforms and amendments. • Russian petroleum taxation is set to change perpetually.

25 CFR 170.916 - May tribes impose taxes or fees on those performing IRR Program services?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... Indian Preference § 170.916 May tribes impose taxes or fees on those performing IRR Program services? Yes... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false May tribes impose taxes or fees on those performing IRR Program services? 170.916 Section 170.916 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR...

75 FR 42745 - Production Incentives for Cellulosic Biofuels: Notice of Program Intent

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-22

... Cellulosic Biofuels: Notice of Program Intent AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy...). Through this notice, biofuels producers and other interested parties are invited to submit pre-auction..., ``Production Incentives for Cellulosic Biofuels; Reverse Auction Procedures and Standards,'' (74 FR 52867...

Designing Incentives for Public School Teachers: Evidence from a Texas Incentive Pay Program

Science.gov (United States)

Springer, Matthew G.; Taylor, Lori L.

2016-01-01

Pay-for-performance is a popular public education reform, but there is little evidence about the characteristics of a well-designed incentive pay plan for teachers. Some of the literature suggests that effective incentive plans must offer relatively large awards to induce behavioral changes. On the other hand, the experimental economics literature…

Current progress in implementing the payments-equal-to-taxes (PETT) program in Nevada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lundgaard, E.L.; Ellis, C.B.

1993-01-01

The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, as amended (NWPA), requires the Secretary of Energy to make Payments-equal-to-Taxes (PETT) to local units of government that are affected by the potential repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The PETT program is designed to provide affected jurisdictions with the revenue they would have received if the potential repository site was being characterized and possibly developed by a private entity rather than the Federal government. A paper presented at last year's conference described how the PETT Program would be implemented in the State of Nevada. This paper describes the current progress in implementing the program as it relates to the PETT associated with property taxes

Canadian incentives for oil and gas exploration. [Applicability to USA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1980-04-01

During the 1970s a number of different exploration and production incentive programs were put in place in Canada, in particular in the Province of Alberta, Canada's principal oil- and gas-producing province. The DOE/RA is evaluating Canadian incentives for oil and gas exploration, and this study is intended to provide information that will help guide DOE/RA in determining the applicability of Canadian incentive programs in US energy policy. The study describes and documents the fiscal structure in which the Canadian oil industry operates. The incentive features of pricing policy, taxation policy, and provincial royalty systems are discussed. A principal focus of the study is on one of the most important of Canada's specific incentive programs, the Alberta Exploratory Drilling Incentive Credit Program (EDICP). The study describes and evaluates the effect of the EDICP on increased oil and gas exploration activity. Similarly, the study also reviews and evaluates other specific incentive programs such as the Alberta Geophysical Incentive Program, Frontier Exploration Allowances, and various tar sand and heavy oil development incentives. Finally the study evaluates the applicability of Canadian incentives to US energy policy.

Incentive regulation of nuclear power plants by state regulators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martin, R.L.; Baker, K.; Olson, J.

1991-02-01

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) monitors incentive programs established by state regulators in order to obtain current information and to consider the potential safety effects of the incentive programs as applied to nuclear units. The current report is an update of NUREG/CR-5509, Incentive Regulation of Nuclear Power Plants by State Public Utility Commissions, published in December 1989. The information in this report was obtained from interviews conducted with each state regulator and each utility with a minimum entitlement of 10%. The agreements, orders, and settlements from which each incentive program was implemented were reviewed as required. The interviews and supporting documentation form the basis for the individual state reports describing the structure and financial impact of each incentive program. The programs currently in effect represent the adoption of an existing nuclear performance incentive program proposal and one new program. In addition, since 1989 a number of nuclear units have been included in one existing program; while one program was discontinued and another one concluded. 6 refs., 27 tabs

Incentive Design and Quality Improvements: Evidence from State Medicaid Nursing Home Pay-for-Performance Programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Konetzka, R Tamara; Skira, Meghan M; Werner, Rachel M

2018-01-01

Pay-for-performance (P4P) programs have become a popular policy tool aimed at improving health care quality. We analyze how incentive design affects quality improvements in the nursing home setting, where several state Medicaid agencies have implemented P4P programs that vary in incentive structure. Using the Minimum Data Set and the Online Survey, Certification, and Reporting data from 2001 to 2009, we examine how the weights put on various performance measures that are tied to P4P bonuses, such as clinical outcomes, inspection deficiencies, and staffing levels, affect improvements in those measures. We find larger weights on clinical outcomes often lead to larger improvements, but small weights can lead to no improvement or worsening of some clinical outcomes. We find a qualifier for P4P eligibility based on having few or no severe inspection deficiencies is more effective at decreasing inspection deficiencies than using weights, suggesting simple rules for participation may incent larger improvement.

Michigan's fee-for-value physician incentive program reduces spending and improves quality in primary care.

Science.gov (United States)

Lemak, Christy Harris; Nahra, Tammie A; Cohen, Genna R; Erb, Natalie D; Paustian, Michael L; Share, David; Hirth, Richard A

2015-04-01

As policy makers and others seek to reduce health care cost growth while improving health care quality, one approach gaining momentum is fee-for-value reimbursement. This payment strategy maintains the traditional fee-for-service arrangement but includes quality and spending incentives. We examined Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan's Physician Group Incentive Program, which uses a fee-for-value approach focused on primary care physicians. We analyzed the program's impact on quality and spending from 2008 to 2011 for over three million beneficiaries in over 11,000 physician practices. Participation in the incentive program was associated with approximately 1.1 percent lower total spending for adults (5.1 percent lower for children) and the same or improved performance on eleven of fourteen quality measures over time. Our findings contribute to the growing body of evidence about the potential effectiveness of models that align payment with cost and quality performance, and they demonstrate that it is possible to transform reimbursement within a fee-for-service framework to encourage and incentivize physicians to provide high-quality care, while also reducing costs. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

Alternative sources of power generation, incentives and regulatory mandates: a theoretical approach to the Colombian case

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zapata, Carlos M; Zuluaga Monica M; Dyner, Isaac

2005-01-01

Alternative Energy Generation Sources are turning relevant in several countries worldwide because of technology improvement and the environmental treatment. In this paper, the most common problems of renewable energy sources are accomplished, different incentives and regulatory mandates from several countries are exposed, and a first theoretical approach to a renewable energies incentive system in Colombia is discussed. The paper is fundamentally in theoretical aspects and international experience in renewable energies incentives to accelerate their diffusion; features are analyzed towards a special incentive system for renewable energies in Colombia. As a conclusion, in Colombia will be apply indirect incentives like low interest rate, taxes exemptions and so on. But these incentives are applied to limit the support of electricity productivity in generating organizations.

Michigan's Physician Group Incentive Program offers a regional model for incremental 'fee for value' payment reform.

Science.gov (United States)

Share, David A; Mason, Margaret H

2012-09-01

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan partnered with providers across the state to create an innovative, "fee for value" physician incentive program that would deliver high-quality, efficient care. The Physician Group Incentive Program rewards physician organizations-formal groups of physicians and practices that can accept incentive payments on behalf of their members-based on the number of quality and utilization measures they adopt, such as generic drug dispensing rates, and on their performance on these measures across their patient populations. Physicians also receive payments for implementing a range of patient-centered medical home capabilities, such as patient registries, and they receive higher fees for office visits for incorporating these capabilities into routine practice while also improving performance. Taken together, the incentive dollars, fee increases, and care management payments amount to a potential increase in reimbursement of 40 percent or more from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan for practices designated as high-performing patient-centered medical homes. At the same time, we estimate that implementing the patient-centered medical home capabilities was associated with $155 million in lower medical costs in program year 2011 for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan members. We intend to devote a higher percentage of reimbursement over time to communities of caregivers that offer high-value, system-based care, and a lower percentage of reimbursement to individual physicians on a service-specific basis.

Coupons for Success: A Marketing Incentive in Academic Support

Science.gov (United States)

Potacco, Donna R.; Chen, Peter; Desroches, Danielle; Chisholm, Daniel R.; De Young, Sandra

2013-01-01

How does a Coupon Incentive Program motivate students to seek academic support in high-risk courses? Results from this study demonstrated that the Coupon Incentive Program was effective in motivating voluntary student attendance and improving student outcomes. Recommendations related to implementation of the Coupon Incentive Program are discussed.…

42 CFR 495.310 - Medicaid provider incentive payments.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 42 Public Health 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Medicaid provider incentive payments. 495.310 Section 495.310 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN... INCENTIVE PROGRAM Requirements Specific to the Medicaid Program § 495.310 Medicaid provider incentive...

41 CFR 302-14.101 - What policies must we establish to govern our home marketing incentive payment program?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... establish to govern our home marketing incentive payment program? 302-14.101 Section 302-14.101 Public Contracts and Property Management Federal Travel Regulation System RELOCATION ALLOWANCES RESIDENCE TRANSACTION ALLOWANCES 14-HOME MARKETING INCENTIVE PAYMENTS Agency Responsibilities § 302-14.101 What policies...

The need for strategic tax planning among nonprofit hospitals.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Pamela C

2005-01-01

Strategic tax planning issues are important to the nonprofit health care sector, despite its philanthropic mission. The consolidation of the industry has led management to fight for resources and develop alternative strategies for raising money. When management evaluates alternative collaborative structures to increase efficiency, the impact on governance structures must also be considered. The increased governmental scrutiny of joint ventures within the health care sector warrants management's attention as well. The financial incentives must be considered, along with the various tax policy implications of cross-sector collaborations.

Financing alternatives and incentives for solar-thermal central-receiver systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bos, P.B.

1982-07-01

As a result of various recently enacted incentive and regulatory legislation combined with the new administration policy and budgetary guidelines, the commercialization of solar thermal central receiver systems will involve financing alternatives other than conventional utility financing. This study was conducted to identify these potential financing alternatives and the associated requirements and impacts on the Department of Energy program. Based upon this analysis, it is concluded that the current alternative financing window is extremely short (through 1985), and that an extension or at the least a gradual phasing out, of the solar tax credits is necessary for the successful transfer of the central receiver technology to the private sector. Furthermore, throughout this time period, continued government support of the R and D activities is necessary to provide the necessary confidence in this technology for the private (financial) sector to underwrite this technology transfer. Consequently, even though the central receiver technology shows high promise for replacing a significant fraction of the oil/gas-fired utility industry peaking and intermediate generation, the current readiness status of this technology still requires further direct and indirect government support for a successful technology transfer. The direct government research and development support will provide the basis for a technological readiness and confidence, whereas the indirect tax incentive support serves to underwrite the extraordinary risks associated with the technology transfer. These support requirements need only be limited to and decreasing during this technology transfer phase, since as the systems approach successful full-scale commercialization, the extraordinary risks will be gradually eliminated. At the time of commercialization the system's value should be on a par with the installed system's cost.

On Common Constitutional Ground: How Georgia's Scholarship Tax Credits Mirror Other State Programs and Expand Educational Opportunity

Science.gov (United States)

Carpenter, Dick M., II.; Erickson, Angela C.

2016-01-01

In 2008, Georgia launched a tax-credit scholarship program to expand educational opportunities for the state's pre-K through 12th-grade students by providing them scholarships to attend private schools. Georgia's scholarship tax credit program will help over 13,000 children get the best education for their needs at secular and religious private…

Effects of government incentives on wind innovation in the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Horner, Nathaniel; Azevedo, Inês; Hounshell, David

2013-12-01

In the United States, as elsewhere, state and federal governments have considered or implemented a range of policies to create more sustainable energy generation systems in response to concerns over climate change, security of fuel supply, and environmental impacts. These policies include both regulatory instruments such as renewable portfolio standards (RPSs) and market incentives such as tax credits. While these policies are primarily geared towards increasing renewable generation capacity, they can indirectly affect innovation in associated technologies through a ‘demand-pull’ dynamic. Other policies, such as public research and development (R&D) funding, directly incentivize innovation through ‘technology-push’ means. In this letter, we examine these effects on innovation in the United States wind energy industry. We estimate a set of econometric models relating a set of US federal and state policies to patenting activity in wind technologies over the period 1974-2009. We find that RPS policies have had significant positive effects on wind innovation, whereas tax-based incentives have not been particularly effective. We also find evidence that the effects of RPS incentives differ between states. Finally, we find that public R&D funding can be a significant driver of wind innovation, though its effect in the US has been modest.

CMS Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Program, Electronic Health Record Products Used for Attestation

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — Data set merges information about the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs attestations with the Office of the...

The Best Laid Plans: Pay for Performance Incentive Programs for School Leaders

Science.gov (United States)

Goff, Peter; Goldring, Ellen; Canney, Melissa

2016-01-01

In an era of heightened accountability and limited fiscal resources, school districts have sought novel ways to increase the effectiveness of their principals in an effort to increase student proficiency. To address these needs, some districts have turned to pay-for-performance programs, aligning leadership goals with financial incentives to…

Tax Planning for Enterprises

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Fan Weiqing

2011-01-01

@@ Tax planning is legal planning activities for tax savings, meaning tax payers make operation plans within the national policy framework and choose operation programs favorable to tax savings.Along with a maturing socialist market economy system in China, tax planning is becoming an integral part of enterprise management and operation.For a better tax planning, enterprises have to fully understand the meaning, get proficient at relevant strategies, and apply these methods to save taxes and realize the maximization of enterprise value while considering the actual situation.

An analysis of Malaysia's corporate income tax expenditures and negative income tax expenditures using accounting standards as the benchmark tax base

OpenAIRE

Yussof, Salwa Hana

2017-01-01

Tax expenditures are government indirect spending, hidden in the tax system, often used to support government’s social and economic objectives. Instead of directly allocating money for a particular objective, the government forgoes tax revenues from those who undertake activities that could achieve the objective. Therefore, tax expenditures should be analysed as government spending programs. Tax expenditure reporting and analysis has been a regular practice among many countries in the worl...

Non-Religion-Based State Constitutional Challenges to Educational Voucher and Tax Credit Programs

Science.gov (United States)

Green, Preston C., III

2016-01-01

This article provides an overview of non-religion-based state constitutional challenges to educational voucher and tax credit/scholarship programs. The first section discusses litigation examining whether education voucher programs violate constitutional provisions requiring the legislature to provide an efficient system of public schools. The…

ADEME incentives for dust emission reductions. Results and prospective; Les aides de l`Ademe pour reduire les emissions de poussieres bilan et perspectives

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bewa, H.; Delacroix, F. [Agence de l`Environnement et de la Maitrise de l`Energie, 49 - Angers (France). Direction de l`Industrie

1996-12-31

Financial incentives allowed by the French Agency for Energy Conservation and Environment (ADEME) for reducing industrial atmospheric pollution are funded by taxes (polluting industries, combustion and incineration plants...) and are aimed at financing development projects for pollution abatement and monitoring and related equipment. ADEME allows also governmental budgets for related research and monitoring programs. Equipment operations that have been already financed concerned mainly bag filters, electric filters, cleaning plants (fertilizer and food industries), emission collection, de-dusting etc

The Mental Health Nurse Incentive Program: desirable knowledge, skills and attitudes from the perspective of nurses.

Science.gov (United States)

Happell, Brenda; Palmer, Christine; Tennent, Rebeka

2011-03-01

To enhance the understanding of the skills and attitudes of mental health nurses working in the Australian Mental Health Nurse Incentive Program. The Mental Health Nurse Incentive Program places qualified mental health nurses alongside community-based general practitioners, private psychiatric practices and other appropriate organisations to provide clients with mental health conditions with a more integrated treatment plan. An exploratory, qualitative approach was undertaken, given the paucity of relevant research in this area. Exploratory individual interviews were conducted with ten mental health nurses working in this scheme. Data analysis was organised and managed using QSR NVivo qualitative analysis software. Respondents identified specific skills and attitudes required for practice under the Mental Health Nurse Incentive Program. Eight areas of skill and attitude were identified as essential for mental health nurses working in this field. This study highlights that many of these skills and attitudes are specific to the setting where mental health nurses are working. Mental health nurses working under this programme have a role to play in the dissemination of knowledge about their practice. More needs to be done by governments and other institutions to ensure that general practitioners and other health professionals understand the role played by mental health nurses in the provision of care. The extent to which the Mental Health Nurse Incentive Program becomes a sustainable strategy to promote quality and accessible mental health care will depend to some degree on the capacity to identify the skills and attitudes necessary for practice. The findings presented in this paper provide a significant contribution to articulating the essential characteristics required for this area of practice. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

75 FR 22437 - Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) Program Availability of Application Packages

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-28

... DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Internal Revenue Service Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) Program... for the Elderly (TCE) Program. DATES: Application packages are available from the IRS at this time... Elderly (TCE) Program is July 9, 2010. ADDRESSES: Electronic copies of the application package can be...

Growth in Means-Tested Programs and Tax Credits for Low-Income Households

Science.gov (United States)

Carrington, William; Dahl, Molly; Falk, Justin

2013-01-01

The federal government devotes roughly one-sixth of its spending to 10 major means-tested programs and tax credits, which provide cash payments or assistance in obtaining health care, food, housing, or education to people with relatively low income or few assets. Those programs and credits consist of the following: (1) Medicaid; (2) the low-income…

Effects of government incentives on wind innovation in the United States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horner, Nathaniel; Azevedo, Inês; Hounshell, David

2013-01-01

In the United States, as elsewhere, state and federal governments have considered or implemented a range of policies to create more sustainable energy generation systems in response to concerns over climate change, security of fuel supply, and environmental impacts. These policies include both regulatory instruments such as renewable portfolio standards (RPSs) and market incentives such as tax credits. While these policies are primarily geared towards increasing renewable generation capacity, they can indirectly affect innovation in associated technologies through a ‘demand-pull’ dynamic. Other policies, such as public research and development (R and D) funding, directly incentivize innovation through ‘technology-push’ means. In this letter, we examine these effects on innovation in the United States wind energy industry. We estimate a set of econometric models relating a set of US federal and state policies to patenting activity in wind technologies over the period 1974–2009. We find that RPS policies have had significant positive effects on wind innovation, whereas tax-based incentives have not been particularly effective. We also find evidence that the effects of RPS incentives differ between states. Finally, we find that public R and D funding can be a significant driver of wind innovation, though its effect in the US has been modest. (letter)

Considerations on the Structure and Particularities of Tax Revenues in the 2000s Romania

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L.C.Risti

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The fiscal policy has the purpose to delimit broadly the volume and the structure of optimum tax revenues, in order to maintain a financial equilibrium. Likewise, the fiscal policy should fit within the national economic and macro-financial objectives. From this perspective, fiscality inhibits certain activities through the increase of tax burden, while stimulating others through tax incentives. Likewise, the type and number of channels that contribute to the consolidated budget are highly relevant for the definition of the state fiscal policy.

The Problem with the Low-Tax Backlash: Rethinking Corporate Tax Policies to Adjust for Uneven Reputational Risks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jack M. Mintz

2015-05-01

taxes. If Starbucks feels pressured to pay extra taxes, then the tax system is not functioning optimally. This emerging reputational risk is a new dimension governments are going to have to take into account when designing tax policy. Understanding that there is more to consider than the financial implications of a tax policy should and will have an effect on the way policies are designed. One important approach that governments should take is to avoid the practice of targeted tax incentives, such as tax holidays or accelerated depreciation. The reputational risk will see some companies willing to take the government up on tax breaks, but others may prefer to pass. Better to focus on more general corporate tax reductions, which will be less distortive and unfair to those companies at greater risk of reputational damage. In some jurisdictions, governments could also consider requiring some level of minimum taxation (as Ontario does, ensuring that every profitable company pays at least something every year. This will have an impact on economic efficiency, but it will help level the playing field for all corporations, regardless of their varying degrees of reputational risk. The most effective measure still available to governments is one they should be pursuing anyway: tax levels that are internationally competitive and, therefore, broaden the corporate tax base while promoting neutrality. Canada’s several targeted programs — such as accelerated depreciation for manufacturing equipment and a generous capital-cost allowance for liquefied natural gas plants — only hurt neutrality. They also make it more likely that a particular company may find itself in an uncomfortable controversy, as Starbucks did. Focusing on international tax competitiveness, rather than targeted tax breaks, is the way to build the fairest system for all companies, whether they are nervous about their reputation or not.

76 FR 30243 - Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) Program Availability of Application Packages

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-24

... DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Internal Revenue Service Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) Program... for the Elderly (TCE) Program. DATES: Application Packages are available from the IRS on May 23, 2011... Elderly (TCE) Program is June 30, 2011. Electronic copies of the application package can be obtained by...

77 FR 20695 - Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) Program Availability of Application Packages

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-05

... DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Internal Revenue Service Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) Program... for the Elderly (TCE) Program. DATES: Application Packages are available electronically from the IRS on May 1, 2012 by visiting: IRS.gov (key [[Page 20696

Analyzing female labor supply - evidence from a Dutch tax reform

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bosch, N.; van der Klaauw, B.

2012-01-01

Among OECD countries, the Netherlands has an average female labor force participation, but by far the highest rate of part-time work. This paper investigates the extent to which married women respond to financial incentives. We exploit exogenous variation caused by a substantial Dutch tax reform in

Impacts of Federal Tax Credit Extensions on Renewable Deployment and Power Sector Emissions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Trieu Mai, Wesley Cole, Eric Lantz, Cara Marcy, and Benjamin Sigrin

2016-02-01

The report examines the impacts of the tax credit extensions under two distinct natural gas price futures, as the price of natural gas has been a key factor influencing the economic competitiveness of new renewable energy development. The analysis finds that, in both natural gas price cases, tax credit extensions can spur renewable capacity investments at least through the early 2020s, and can help lower CO₂ emissions from the U.S. electricity system. Federal tax credits for renewable energy, particularly the wind production tax credit (PTC) and the solar investment tax credit (ITC), have offered financial incentives for renewable energy deployment over the last two decades in the United States. In December 2015, the wind and solar tax credits were extended by five years from their prior scheduled expiration dates, but ramp down in tax credit value during the latter years of the five-year period.

The effects of carbon tax on the Oregon economy and state greenhouse gas emissions

Science.gov (United States)

Rice, A. L.; Butenhoff, C. L.; Renfro, J.; Liu, J.

2014-12-01

Of the numerous mechanisms to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions on statewide, regional or national scales in the United States, a tax on carbon is perhaps one of the simplest. By taxing emissions directly, the costs of carbon emissions are incorporated into decision-making processes of market actors including consumers, energy suppliers and policy makers. A carbon tax also internalizes the social costs of climate impacts. In structuring carbon tax revenues to reduce corporate and personal income taxes, the negative incentives created by distortionary income taxes can be reduced or offset entirely. In 2008, the first carbon tax in North America across economic sectors was implemented in British Columbia through such a revenue-neutral program. In this work, we investigate the economic and environmental effects of a carbon tax in the state of Oregon with the goal of informing the state legislature, stakeholders and the public. The study investigates 70 different economic sectors in the Oregon economy and six geographical regions of the state. The economic model is built upon the Carbon Tax Analysis Model (C-TAM) to provide price changes in fuel with data from: the Energy Information Agency National Energy Modeling System (EIA-NEMS) Pacific Region Module which provides Oregon-specific energy forecasts; and fuel price increases imposed at different carbon fees based on fuel-specific carbon content and current and projected regional-specific electricity fuel mixes. CTAM output is incorporated into the Regional Economic Model (REMI) which is used to dynamically forecast economic impacts by region and industry sector including: economic output, employment, wages, fiscal effects and equity. Based on changes in economic output and fuel demand, we further project changes in greenhouse gas emissions resulting from economic activity and calculate revenue generated through a carbon fee. Here, we present results of this modeling effort under different scenarios of carbon fee and

A Comprehensive Study of the Incentive Award Program at General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Cox, Michael

2001-01-01

... appropriate behavior and motivates employees. The study is broken into three phases. In Phase I, a retrospective study looked at the current incentive award program to determine if awards distribution is equitable...

Incentives for orphan drug research and development in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Seoane-Vazquez, Enrique; Rodriguez-Monguio, Rosa; Szeinbach, Sheryl L; Visaria, Jay

2008-12-16

The Orphan Drug Act (1983) established several incentives to encourage the development of orphan drugs (ODs) to treat rare diseases and conditions. This study analyzed the characteristics of OD designations, approvals, sponsors, and evaluated the effective patent and market exclusivity life of orphan new molecular entities (NMEs) approved in the US between 1983 and 2007. Primary data sources were the FDA Orange Book, the FDA Office of Orphan Drugs Development, and the US Patent and Trademark Office. Data included all orphan designations and approvals listed by the FDA and all NMEs approved by the FDA during the study period. The FDA listed 1,793 orphan designations and 322 approvals between 1983 and 2007. Cancer was the main group of diseases targeted for orphan approvals. Eighty-three companies concentrated 67.7% of the total orphan NMEs approvals. The average time from orphan designation to FDA approval was 4.0 +/- 3.3 years (mean +/- standard deviation). The average maximum effective patent and market exclusivity life was 11.7 +/- 5.0 years for orphan NME. OD market exclusivity increased the average maximum effective patent and market exclusivity life of ODs by 0.8 years. Public programs, federal regulations, and policies support orphan drugs R&D. Grants, research design support, FDA fee waivers, tax incentives, and orphan drug market exclusivity are the main incentives for orphan drug R&D. Although the 7-year orphan drug market exclusivity provision had a positive yet relatively modest overall effect on effective patent and market exclusivity life, economic incentives and public support mechanisms provide a platform for continued orphan drug development for a highly specialized market.

Parking taxes : evaluating options and impacts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Litman, T.A.

2006-01-01

In addition to encouraging the use of alternative modes of transport, parking taxes can help to reduce congestion, air pollution, and urban sprawl. Various types of parking taxes were evaluated in this paper, as well as their impacts on parking supply, prices and travel patterns. Examples of various parking tax programs in major cities in Canada, Europe, the United States and Australia were presented. Parking tax programs were divided into 2 main categories: (1) per-space parking levies which distribute cost burdens and encourage property owners to manage parking supply more efficiently and (2) commercial parking taxes on parking rental transactions which discourage the pricing of parking and concentrate impacts in limited areas. Worksite parking levies were discussed, as well stormwater fees and employee parking as a taxable benefit. Typical parking facility financial costs were reviewed and best practices for structuring and implementing parking taxes to increase public acceptability were outlined. It was suggested that the tax base should be broad and well-defined. Local governments should increase parking prices to market rates before imposing special parking taxes, and taxes and fees should be structured to avoid undesirable land use. Parking tax reforms should be part of an overall parking and mobility management program. Stakeholders should be consulted to insure that regulations, administrative procedures and enforcement policies are efficient and fair. The establishment of an evaluation program to determine tax impacts on parking supply and pricing, economic activity, traffic and spillover problems was also recommended. 42 refs., 4 tabs., 1 fig

From Non-market Support to Cost-Competitive Incentives. Wind Energy Commercialization in China

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wenqiang, Liu; Xiliang, Zhang; Shuhua, Gu; Gan, Lin

1999-07-01

This paper presents an overview of the development of wind energy in China. By examining the economics of windfarm development, it compares the economics of wind technology with other conventional energy technologies and analyzes the role of alternative policy instruments. Meanwhile, it identifies the major constraints of wind technology development and the defects of current non-market support from the government. It shows that the development of wind power will be directly subject to rational policy change, incentive mechanisms and institutional framework building. Particular importance is paid to market incentives to reach the objectives of commercialization and industrialization of wind power. The paper recommends some cost-competitive incentive measure and policies to drive the wind power market. It concludes that promising market incentives to speed up the development of wind energy include: (i) establish market competition mechanisms through standard power purchase agreement; (ii) adjust tax policies and government subsidies; (iii) stimulate investment incentive policies and regulations; and (iv) change governmental institutions and management modes. (author)

The Tax-Credit Scholarship Audit: Do Publicly Funded Private School Choice Programs Save Money?

Science.gov (United States)

Lueken, Martin F.

2016-01-01

This report follows up on previous work that examined the fiscal effects of private school voucher programs. It estimates the total fiscal effects of tax-credit scholarship programs--another type of private school choice program--on state governments, state and local taxpayers, and school districts combined. Based on a range of assumptions, these…

Externalities, Border Trade and Illegal Production: An Optimal Tax Approach to Alcohol Policy

OpenAIRE

Aronsson, Thomas; Sjögren, Tomas

2005-01-01

This paper deals with optimal income and commodity taxation in an economy, where alcohol is an externality-generating consumption good. In our model, alcohol can be bought domestically, imported (via border trade) or produced illegally. Border trade implies an incentive to set the domestic alcohol tax below the marginal social damage of alcohol, and to tax (subsidize) commodities which are complementary with (substitutable for) alcohol. In addition, since leisure and alcohol consumption are g...

Analysis of Preference of Incentives to Innovation of Dominican Manufacturing and Service Firms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Victor Gómez-Valenzuela

2015-07-01

Full Text Available In this paper is analyzed  the structure of preference of incentives to innovation of Dominican manufacturing and services firms.  The analysis of preference was  carried out using a Conjoint Analysis. In  total  326 firms were surveyed across the country.   According to the main findings,   Dominican firms prefer combinations of incentives to minimize tax liabilities but also to reduce uncertainty related to innovation activities.   In terms of preference, no statistically significant differences between manufacturing and service firms were found.

A Dynamic Model for Construction and Demolition (C&D Waste Management in Spain: Driving Policies Based on Economic Incentives and Tax Penalties

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nuria Calvo

2014-01-01

Full Text Available According to the recent Spanish legislation, the amount of non-hazardous construction and demolition waste (C&D waste by weight must be reduced by at least 70% by 2020. However, the current behavior of the stakeholders involved in the waste management process make this goal difficult to achieve. In order to boost changes in their strategies, we firstly describe an Environmental Management System (EMS based on regulation measures and economic incentives which incorporate universities as a key new actor in order to create a 3Rs model (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle in the C&D waste management with costs savings. The target areas are focused mainly on producer responsibility, promotion of low-waste building technologies and creation of green jobs to fulfill three main objectives: valorization of inert wastes, elimination of illegal landfills and stimulation of demand for recycled C&D wastes. To achieve this latter goal, we have also designed a simulation model—using the Systems Dynamic methodology—to assess the potential impact of two policies (incentives and tax penalties in order to evaluate how the government can influence the behavior of the firms in the recycling system of C&D waste aggregates. This paper finds a broader understanding of the socioeconomic implications of waste management over time and the positive effects of these policies in the recycled aggregates market in order to achieve the goal of 30% C&D waste aggregates in 12 years or less.

Past Performance in Supplier Certification Programs: A Study of Current Certification and Incentive Practices in Certified Supplier Programs

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Ambrose, Matthew

1997-01-01

... are: requiring a high level of past quality performance for certification, giving certified contractors more future business as an incentive for participation, and using ISO 9001 as the common standard for quality management processes. By adopting these techniques, the Army can improve CP(2) and make it an even more valuable program.

Medicare Program; Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and Alternative Payment Model (APM) Incentive Under the Physician Fee Schedule, and Criteria for Physician-Focused Payment Models. Final rule with comment period.

Science.gov (United States)

2016-11-04

The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) repeals the Medicare sustainable growth rate (SGR) methodology for updates to the physician fee schedule (PFS) and replaces it with a new approach to payment called the Quality Payment Program that rewards the delivery of high-quality patient care through two avenues: Advanced Alternative Payment Models (Advanced APMs) and the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) for eligible clinicians or groups under the PFS. This final rule with comment period establishes incentives for participation in certain alternative payment models (APMs) and includes the criteria for use by the Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC) in making comments and recommendations on physician-focused payment models (PFPMs). Alternative Payment Models are payment approaches, developed in partnership with the clinician community, that provide added incentives to deliver high-quality and cost-efficient care. APMs can apply to a specific clinical condition, a care episode, or a population. This final rule with comment period also establishes the MIPS, a new program for certain Medicare-enrolled practitioners. MIPS will consolidate components of three existing programs, the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS), the Physician Value-based Payment Modifier (VM), and the Medicare Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program for Eligible Professionals (EPs), and will continue the focus on quality, cost, and use of certified EHR technology (CEHRT) in a cohesive program that avoids redundancies. In this final rule with comment period we have rebranded key terminology based on feedback from stakeholders, with the goal of selecting terms that will be more easily identified and understood by our stakeholders.

The Impact of Taxes on Competition for CEOs.

Science.gov (United States)

Krenn, Peter

2017-07-03

This paper contributes to the question of how taxation of corporate profits and wages affects competition among firms for highly skilled human resources such as CEOs. Use of a theoretical model shows that wage taxes can have a substantial impact on the outcome of such a competition if marginal tax rates are different as in an international labor market. Further, the paper shows that increasing the wage tax rate unilaterally can have an ambiguous effect on observed gross compensation levels. However, in a local labor market for CEOs, observed gross fixed salaries should decline in the wage tax rate. Tax effects in a market for CEOs is a particularly interesting topic because recent developments with respect to compensation practices of top-level managers have opened a public debate about the use of instruments for regulating compensation of those managers. Furthermore, many countries around the world use tax incentives in order to facilitate immigration of highly skilled human resources. The investigation follows an analytical economics-based approach by extending an LEN model with elements of competition for scarce human resources and income taxation. It investigates the impact of differential taxation on the competition between two firms for the exclusive service of a unique, highly skilled CEO.

Tax reforms - taxes without tax laws

OpenAIRE

Varma, Vijaya Krushna Varma

2009-01-01

All Direct and Indirect taxes accompanied by tax laws, accounting, auditing and tax returns, can be abolished if a new tax system called "TOP Tax system" is adopted and implemented by all nations. Ultimate economic reforms will relieve 7 billion people of the world from the cobweb of ambiguous and complex tax structures, plethora of tax laws, mandatory and cumbersome accounting, auditing, tax returns and consequent quagmire of all tax related cases. Taxation, tax collection, tax enforce...

The "common sense" of the nonprofit hospital tax exemption: a policy analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanders, S M

1995-01-01

Although rarely discussed prior to the 1985 Utah Supreme Court ruling against Intermountain Health Care Inc., the question of whether to grant tax exemptions to nonprofit hospitals is currently being debated by federal, state, and local legislators, and by the courts. Changes to current policy seem likely. This policy analysis: (1) presents the historical and legal background; (2) examines the economic, political, and organizational implications of current tax-exemption policy; and (3) offers three alternatives to this current policy. The analysis indicates that the current policy provides little incentive for nonprofit hospitals to make contributions of charity care. Of the alternatives, eliminating the exemption is not politically feasible at this time; regulating hospital operations and outputs portends an implementation nightmare; and tying tax subsidy levels to output levels of charity care--perhaps the strongest and most efficient incentive--would require an unlikely political consensus on what constitute valid and reliable measures of charity care. If there is a movement toward subsidies, then linking subsidy amounts to levels of charity care will depend on whether policy analysts can design satisfactory empirical measures. With the advent of universal health coverage, the demand for charity care will decrease. The problem for tax-exempt hospitals will then become justifying the exemption by demonstrating the extent to which they generate community benefits at no or reduced cost to society.

The Role of Tax Depreciation for Investment Decisions: A Comparison of European Transition Countries

OpenAIRE

Chang Woon Nam; Doina Radulescu

2003-01-01

This study compares incentive effects of various tax depreciation methods currently adopted in European transition economies. In these countries straight-line, geometric-degressive and accelerated depreciation measures are quite popular in combination with different corporate tax rates. Their generosity is determined on the basis of Samuelson’s true economic depreciation. For this purpose, the present value model is applied under the particular consideration of different financial structure...

Financial incentives and purchase restrictions in a food benefit program affect the types of foods and beverages purchased: results from a randomized trial.

Science.gov (United States)

French, Simone A; Rydell, Sarah A; Mitchell, Nathan R; Michael Oakes, J; Elbel, Brian; Harnack, Lisa

2017-09-16

This research evaluated the effects of financial incentives and purchase restrictions on food purchasing in a food benefit program for low income people. Participants (n=279) were randomized to groups: 1) Incentive- 30% financial incentive for fruits and vegetables purchased with food benefits; 2) Restriction- no purchase of sugar-sweetened beverages, sweet baked goods, or candies with food benefits; 3) Incentive plus Restriction; or 4) Control- no incentive or restrictions. Participants received a study-specific debit card where funds were added monthly for 12-weeks. Food purchase receipts were collected over 16 weeks. Total dollars spent on grocery purchases and by targeted food categories were computed from receipts. Group differences were examined using general linear models. Weekly purchases of fruit significantly increased in the Incentive plus Restriction ($4.8) compared to the Restriction ($1.7) and Control ($2.1) groups (p beverage purchases significantly decreased in the Incentive plus Restriction (-$0.8 per week) and Restriction ($-1.4 per week) groups compared to the Control group (+$1.5; pfoods and beverages purchased with food program funds may support more healthful food purchases compared to no incentives or restrictions. Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT02643576 .

Tax Administration: IRS Should Evaluate the Changes to Its Offer in Compromise Program

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

2002-01-01

...) Offer in Compromise (OIC) Program. An offer in compromise is an agreement between a taxpayer and the IRS to settle or compromise the taxpayer's tax liability for less than the full amount owed...

Economic incentives as a policy tool to promote safety and health at work.

Science.gov (United States)

Kankaanpää, Eila

2010-06-01

Incentives are regarded as a promising policy tool for promoting occupational safety and health (OSH). This article discusses the potential of different kinds of incentives in light of economic theory and evidence from research. When incentives are used as a policy tool, it implies the existance of an institution that has both the interest and the power to apply incentives to stakeholders, usually to employers. Governments can subsidize employers' investments in OSH with subsidies and tax structures. These incentives are successful only if the demand for OSH responds to the change in the price of OSH investments and if the suppliers of OSH are able to increase their production smoothly. Otherwise, the subsidy will only lead to higher prices for OSH goods. Both public and private insurance companies can differentiate insurance premiums according to claim behavior in the past (experience rating). There is evidence that this can effectively lower the frequency of claims, but not the severity of cases. This papers concludes that incentives do not directly lead to improvement. When incentives are introduced, their objective(s) should be clear and the end result (ie what the incentive aims to promote) should be known to be effective in achieving healthy and safe workplaces.

The Promise of Tailoring Incentives for Healthy Behaviors.

Science.gov (United States)

Kullgren, Jeffrey T; Williams, Geoffrey C; Resnicow, Kenneth; An, Lawrence C; Rothberg, Amy; Volpp, Kevin G; Heisler, Michele

2016-01-01

To describe how tailoring financial incentives for healthy behaviors to employees' goals, values, and aspirations might improve the efficacy of incentives. We integrate insights from self-determination theory (SDT) with principles from behavioral economics in the design of financial incentives by linking how incentives could help meet an employee's life goals, values, or aspirations. Tailored financial incentives could be more effective than standard incentives in promoting autonomous motivation necessary to initiate healthy behaviors and sustain them after incentives are removed. Previous efforts to improve the design of financial incentives have tested different incentive designs that vary the size, schedule, timing, and target of incentives. Our strategy for tailoring incentives builds on strong evidence that difficult behavior changes are more successful when integrated with important life goals and values. We outline necessary research to examine the effectiveness of this approach among at-risk employees. Instead of offering simple financial rewards for engaging in healthy behaviors, existing programs could leverage incentives to promote employees' autonomous motivation for sustained health improvements. Effective application of these concepts could lead to programs more effective at improving health, potentially at lower cost. Our approach for the first time integrates key insights from SDT, behavioral economics, and tailoring to turn an extrinsic reward for behavior change into an internalized, self-sustaining motivator for long-term engagement in risk-reducing behaviors.

What if Gulbenkian had been Persche: taxing charitable giving in Europe

NARCIS (Netherlands)

S.J.C. Hemels (Sigrid)

2011-01-01

textabstractMany EU Member States only grant tax incentives to resident charities. This limits the choice of donors and restricts the free movement of capital. The paper discusses this problem and the action taken by the European Commission, the ECJ (the Stauffer and Persche cases) and private

EHR Incentive Programs - Data and Reports

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — As of March 2013, more than 259,000 health care providers received payment for participating in the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive...

78 FR 17777 - Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) Program Availability of Application Packages

Science.gov (United States)

2013-03-22

... DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Internal Revenue Service Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) Program... for the Elderly (TCE) Program. DATES: Application Packages are available electronically from the IRS on May 1, 2013 by visiting: IRS.gov (key word search--``TCE'') or through Grants.gov . The deadline...

Opinions on Tax Deductions and the Consensus Effect in a Survey-Experiment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Heijden, E.C.M.; Nelissen, J.H.M.; Potters, J.J.M.

2004-01-01

We present the results of a survey-experiment using a representative sample of the Dutch population in which we relate respondents' opinion about the tax deductibility of mortgages to their estimates about other people's opinion.The experiment employs three treatment variables: monetary incentives,

Optimal wage setting for an export oriented firm under labor taxes and labor mobility

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raúl Ponce Rodríguez

2005-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper it is developed a theoretical model to study the incentives that a labor tax might induce in terms of the optimal wage setting for an export oriented firm. In particular, we analyze the interaction of a labor tax that tends to reduce the wage due the firm is induced to shift backwards the tax burden to its employees minimizing the possible increase in the payroll costs and a fall of profits. However a lower wage might not be an optimal response to the establishment of a labor tax because it increases the labor turnover and as a result the firm faces both: an output’s opportunity cost and a labors turnover cost. The firm thus optimally decides to respond to the qualification and labor taxes by increasing the after tax wage.

Designing incentive schemes for promoting energy-efficient appliances: A new methodology and a case study for Spain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Galarraga, Ibon; Abadie, Luis M.; Kallbekken, Steffen

2016-01-01

The energy-efficiency gap has been high on research and policy agendas for several decades. Incentive schemes such as subsidies, taxes and bonus-malus schemes are widely used to promote energy-efficient appliances. Most research, however, considers instruments in isolation, and only rarely in the context of political constraints on instrument use, or for alternative policy goals. This paper presents a methodology for the optimal design of incentive schemes based on the minimisation of Dead Weight Loss for different policy goals and policy restrictions. The use of the methodology is illustrated by designing optimal combinations of taxes and subsidies in Spain for three types of appliance: dishwashers, refrigerators and washing machines. The optimal policies are designed subject to different policy goals such as achieving a fixed reduction in emissions or a certain increased market share for efficient appliances, and for policy constraints such as budget neutrality. The methodology developed here can also be used to evaluate past and current incentive schemes. - Highlights: • A new methodology for the optimal design of incentive schemes is presented. • This is done minimising the Dead Weight Loss for different goals and restrictions. • Efficient bonus malus schemes can be designed with this method.

Incentive aspects of point implementation of greenhouse gas reduction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Michaelowa, A.

1996-01-01

The costs of a national climate policy instruments can be reduced if a reduction of greenhouse gas emission achieved abroad can be credited to a national target. Reductions carried through by agents of one country in another country are called Joint Implementation and have been a major topic in the negotiations on the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The first Conference of the parties in Berlin decided that the concept should be tested in a pilot phase without crediting. To induce private investments in Joint Implementation projects, primary instruments such as emission taxes, subsidies, tradeable emission rights or regulation are a necessary condition. Tax concessions, subsidies, additional emission rights or relaxation of regulation act as incentives. These must be proportional to the emission reduction achieved through the projects. Tax concessions and subsidies are preferable to other instruments for efficiency reasons. Examples are given for calculating tax concessions on a range of projects, including the installation of new boilers at a foreign power plant, the building of a new lignite power plant abroad, and the replacement of a coal-fired power plant with a hydroelectric power plant. 18 refs., 7 figs., 1 tab

The Impact of Fiscal Redistributive Policies on the Supply of Labor: Five Essays in Economic Theory and Program Design.

Science.gov (United States)

Kesselman, Jonathan Rhys

Static and dynamic incentive effects of the following fiscal transfer forms are examined: income subsidy (negative income tax), wage subsidy, categorical income subsidy (work requirement), and overtime wage subsidy. Budgetary costs, aggregate labor-market impacts, and welfare effects are analyzed. A program for categorically combining wage and…

Cost-effectiveness analysis of public education and incentive programs for controlling radon in the home. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bierma, T.J.; Swartzman, D.

1988-12-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness in Illinois of five radon public education and incentive program options. Programs evaluated included (1) no program, (2) a toll-free hotline and information packet, (3) free short-term monitors, (4) free confirmatory monitors, and (5) low-interest loans. Existing literature and expert opinion were used to estimate program costs and public responses under the various programs. Computer simulation, with Monte Carlo sampling, was used for uncertainty and sensitivity analysis. The cost-effectiveness model was analyzed based on assumed radon exposures to Illinois citizens. Results for standard conditions indicate that budget levels under approximately $30,000 do not warrant a radon education and incentive program. For budget levels of approximately $30,000 to $1 million, Program 2 was most effective, and Program 3 was most effective above this level. Sensitivity analyses indicate the results are relatively insensitive to input variable assumptions with the exception of public-response estimates. Study results suggest that all of the programs evaluated are likely to be relatively ineffective. Considerable improvement may be possible using more innovative approaches to public education

Tax-saving, Innovative Incentives for Small and Medium - Sized Enterprises in Hungary

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rita Ambrus

2012-06-01

Full Text Available The small-and medium-sized enterprises in the Hungarian economy have been playing a decisive role. Among the difficulties they face during their activities one of the most serious is to raise funds for their labour costs. They try to reduce their tax wedge burden, which is regarded one of the highest in Europe, in various ways. In order to keep the adequate workforce they can provide fringe benefits supplementing to wages and salaries. The cautious application of the referring acts enables companies to motivate workforce and reduce the tax and contribution burdens at the same time. Our research aimed to find an answer how SMEs take these advantages and what factors support or hinder the use of the system.

Funding alternatives in EHR adoption: beyond HITECH incentives and traditional approaches.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Tiankai; Wang, Yangmei; Biedermann, Sue

2013-05-01

The meaningful use incentives under HITECH may be inadequate to address the financial challenges many hospitals face in implementing electronic health records (EHRs). Hospitals can fill the capital gap between EHR costs and available funds by exploring other potential funding sources. These sources include additional grants, funding permissible under EHR regulations, vendor financing, and tax benefits under IRS Section 179.

A Proposed Incentive System for Jefferson County Teachers.

Science.gov (United States)

Schlechty, Phillip C.; Ingwerson, Donald W.

1987-01-01

Outlines a teacher incentive plan developed for the Jefferson County (Kentucky) Public Schools and scheduled for pilot testing during the 1987-88 school year. The program is modeled after airline frequent flyer programs and is designed to encourage cooperative action and individual incentive among teachers. (MD)

Türkiye’de Turizm Sektörü Teşviklerinin Değerlendirilmesi(The Evaluation of Tourism Sector Incentives in Turkey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Boran TOKER

2007-01-01

Full Text Available This study deals with the incentives given to tourism organizations. In this framework, especially, Tourism Incentive Law and other incentives provided to the tourism organizations have been examined. In this study, primarily, the reasons for the encouragement of the tourism sector and the historical progress of the incentive system have been examined. Besides, types of incentives and, thanks to incentives, the improvements in the investments, number of beds and the tourism incomes were studied. The problems faced and the topics such as the end of tourism activities and the situation of incentives in case of transfer of the businesses have been evaluated. It was understood that donations were more effective in investment decisions but tax-subsidized ones were not much effective on this matter.

Managing the Effects of Tax Expenditures on National Budgets

OpenAIRE

Swift, Zhicheng Li

2006-01-01

Tax expenditures, in the form of tax provisions, are government expenditures. They are conceptually and functionally distinct from those tax provisions whose purpose is to raise revenue. Tax expenditure programs are comparable to entitlement programs. Therefore, tax expenditures must be analyzed in spending terms and integrated into the budgetary process to ensure fiscal accountability. In addition, tax expenditures must be audited for performance and the information must be published (with c...

R&D Incentives for Neglected Diseases

Science.gov (United States)

Dimitri, Nicola

2012-01-01

Neglected diseases are typically characterized as those for which adequate drug treatment is lacking, and the potential return on effort in research and development (R&D), to produce new therapies, is too small for companies to invest significant resources in the field. In recent years various incentives schemes to stimulate R&D by pharmaceutical firms have been considered. Broadly speaking, these can be classified either as ‘push’ or ‘pull’ programs. Hybrid options, that include push and pull incentives, have also become increasingly popular. Supporters and critics of these various incentive schemes have argued in favor of their relative merits and limitations, although the view that no mechanism is a perfect fit for all situations appears to be widely held. For this reason, the debate on the advantages and disadvantages of different approaches has been important for policy decisions, but is dispersed in a variety of sources. With this in mind, the aim of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of the economic determinants behind R&D investments for neglected diseases by comparing the relative strength of different incentive schemes within a simple economic model, based on the assumption of profit maximizing firms. The analysis suggests that co-funded push programs are generally more efficient than pure pull programs. However, by setting appropriate intermediate goals hybrid incentive schemes could further improve efficiency. PMID:23284648

R&D incentives for neglected diseases.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicola Dimitri

Full Text Available Neglected diseases are typically characterized as those for which adequate drug treatment is lacking, and the potential return on effort in research and development (R&D, to produce new therapies, is too small for companies to invest significant resources in the field. In recent years various incentives schemes to stimulate R&D by pharmaceutical firms have been considered. Broadly speaking, these can be classified either as 'push' or 'pull' programs. Hybrid options, that include push and pull incentives, have also become increasingly popular. Supporters and critics of these various incentive schemes have argued in favor of their relative merits and limitations, although the view that no mechanism is a perfect fit for all situations appears to be widely held. For this reason, the debate on the advantages and disadvantages of different approaches has been important for policy decisions, but is dispersed in a variety of sources. With this in mind, the aim of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of the economic determinants behind R&D investments for neglected diseases by comparing the relative strength of different incentive schemes within a simple economic model, based on the assumption of profit maximizing firms. The analysis suggests that co-funded push programs are generally more efficient than pure pull programs. However, by setting appropriate intermediate goals hybrid incentive schemes could further improve efficiency.

R&D incentives for neglected diseases.

Science.gov (United States)

Dimitri, Nicola

2012-01-01

Neglected diseases are typically characterized as those for which adequate drug treatment is lacking, and the potential return on effort in research and development (R&D), to produce new therapies, is too small for companies to invest significant resources in the field. In recent years various incentives schemes to stimulate R&D by pharmaceutical firms have been considered. Broadly speaking, these can be classified either as 'push' or 'pull' programs. Hybrid options, that include push and pull incentives, have also become increasingly popular. Supporters and critics of these various incentive schemes have argued in favor of their relative merits and limitations, although the view that no mechanism is a perfect fit for all situations appears to be widely held. For this reason, the debate on the advantages and disadvantages of different approaches has been important for policy decisions, but is dispersed in a variety of sources. With this in mind, the aim of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of the economic determinants behind R&D investments for neglected diseases by comparing the relative strength of different incentive schemes within a simple economic model, based on the assumption of profit maximizing firms. The analysis suggests that co-funded push programs are generally more efficient than pure pull programs. However, by setting appropriate intermediate goals hybrid incentive schemes could further improve efficiency.

The impacts of carbon tax and complementary policies on Chinese economy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, Chuanyi; Tong, Qing; Liu, Xuemei

2010-01-01

Under the pressure of global warming, it is imperative for Chinese government to impose effective policy instruments to promote domestic energy saving and carbon emissions reduction. As one of the most important incentive-based policy instruments, carbon tax has sparked a lively controversy in China. This paper explores the impact of carbon tax on Chinese economy, as well as the cushion effects of the complementary policies, by constructing a dynamic recursive general equilibrium model. The model can describe the new equilibrium for each sequential independent period (e.g. one year) after carbon tax and the complementary policies are imposed, and thus describe the long-term impacts of the policies. The simulation results show that carbon tax is an effective policy tool because it can reduce carbon emissions with a little negative impact on economic growth; reducing indirect tax in the meantime of imposing carbon tax will help to reduce the negative impact of the tax on production and competitiveness; in addition, giving households subsidy in the meantime will help to stimulate household consumptions. Therefore, complementary policies used together with carbon tax will help to cushion the negative impacts of carbon tax on the economy. The dynamic CGE analysis shows the impact of carbon tax policy on the GDP is relatively small, but the reduction of carbon emission is relatively large. (author)

Taxing Snack Foods: What to Expect for Diet and Tax Revenues

OpenAIRE

Kuchler, Fred; Tegene, Abebayehu; Harris, James Michael

2004-01-01

Health researchers and health policy advocates have proposed levying excise taxes on snack foods as a possible way to address the growing prevalence of obesity and overweight in the United States. Some proposals suggest higher prices alone will change consumers' diets. Others claim that change will be possible if earmarked taxes are used to fund an information program. This research examines the potential impact of excise taxes on snack foods, using baseline data from a household survey of fo...

Defining appropriate incentive levels: A review of theory and practice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parfett, R.S.; Lodola, J.C.

1990-01-01

The theoretical and practical aspects related to determining the incentive levels for demand-side management (DSM) programs are discussed. The theoretical aspects comprise the efficiency criteria, from a social point of view; the equity issue, or ensuring that no one pays higher rates as a result of conservation programs; and the method of recovering the customer's investment, or the implicit discount rate method. The study of these theoretical aspects takes into account the perspectives of all the concerned parties and focuses on the need to harmonize the efficiency criteria which are in opposition. From this process are derived general criteria for aiding program planners and managers to determine the incentive levels for their DSM programs. Past experience has shown that incentive levels cannot be determined in an isolated manner. Other characteristics affecting the carrying out of DSM programs will also have repercussions on the success rate. To determine the appropriate incentives, it is important to have a clear understanding of what the DSM program intends to achieve. Factors such as the market sector, the technology chosen, and demographic characteristics can influence all aspects of the design and implementation of the program, including the type and level of incentive offered. When the goals of the program are clearly established and the intended market is clearly determined, a strategy should be formed which will have the greatest chance of fulfilling the program objectives. The role of each element in the program must be well understood. It is only at this stage that it is possible to determine an appropriate level of incentive. 7 refs

A performance incentive contract that pays off for all parties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krummrich, C.R.; Johnston, R.E.; Crist, T.W.

1995-01-01

The Western Business Unit Bakersfield drilling department of Chevron, U.S.A. Production Company developed a drilling performance incentive contract that was implemented during 1994 in the Lost Hills field of California. The performance incentive contract (PIC) financially rewarded all of the drilling contractor's rig employees for outperforming pre-established drilling performance goals. The key elements of the performance incentive program are: (1) Goals that rigger incentives are based on cost categories that are controllable by the drilling team; (2) Goals were established using a database of past years performance; (3) Goals that are not achieved negatively impact the incentive earned in an effort to deter repeated errors; (4) Accidents that occur on the job negatively impact the incentive earned; (5) Administration of the program is not time consuming. The results of using an incentive contract in the Lost Hills drilling program are: (1) Time and cost of operations are reduced; (2) The results are measurable and repeatable; (3) A team environment develops in which ideas are shared and acted upon by crew members and supervisory personnel

Public attitudes toward programs designed to enhance forest related benefits on private lands

Science.gov (United States)

Donald F. Dennis; Mark J. Twery; Michael A. Rechlin; Bruce Hansen

2003-01-01

Public agencies may at times provide education, technical help, tax incentives, or other forms of aid to private landowners to help them enhance their land in ways that benefit the public. Since public funds are used to pay these expenses, it is important that program goals be correlated with underlying public values and concerns. We used a conjoint ranking survey to...

Minnesota's Nursing Facility Performance-Based Incentive Payment Program: An Innovative Model for Promoting Care Quality

Science.gov (United States)

Cooke, Valerie; Arling, Greg; Lewis, Teresa; Abrahamson, Kathleen A.; Mueller, Christine; Edstrom, Lisa

2010-01-01

Purpose: Minnesota's Nursing Facility Performance-Based Incentive Payment Program (PIPP) supports provider-initiated projects aimed at improving care quality and efficiency. PIPP moves beyond conventional pay for performance. It seeks to promote implementation of evidence-based practices, encourage innovation and risk taking, foster collaboration…

From Streams to Lumps: Transforming Long-Term Incentives into Up-Front Financing for New Nuclear Construction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

George, Glenn R.

2006-01-01

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 is an important development in the financing of new nuclear capacity in the near- to mid-term in the U.S.A. Key features of the Act, including production tax credits, loan guarantees, funding support, and 'standby support', are intended to provide significant incentives for new nuclear development, construction, and operation. There is a mismatch, however, between the nature and extent of incentives being offered and what is needed to spur nuclear plant deployment in light of power market uncertainty, utility investor wariness, and the need to raise significant capital before a nuclear construction project can be launched. In this paper, the author addresses these issues through the lens of financial tools and techniques. The paper considers various ways in which long-term streams of subsidies can be transformed into up-front financing for new nuclear capacity. Securing and related financial structures are among the mechanisms considered for potentially bridging the temporal gap between flows of financial benefits conferred legislatively and lumps of capital required by developers and investors in advance of a construction program. (authors)

The Wisconsin experience with incentives for demand-side management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Landgren, D.A.

1990-01-01

It has been noted that, within traditional regulatory frameworks for electric utilities, factors exist which discourage demand side management (DSM) and that there is a lack of positive incentives for DSM. Regulatory agencies should therefore make it possible for DSM measures to benefit from the same treatment as supply-side measures. The Wisconsin Public Service Commission (WPSC) has recognized this need and has adopted various measures accordingly. The need for efficiency incentives is described according to the particular experience of Wisconsin Electric concerning their recourse to a DSM incentive and according to new incentive models being tested in collaboration with other electricity suppliers in Wisconsin. The WPSC has concluded that the fact of considering the costs relating to DSM as expenses or capitalizing them within the rate base does not motivate the utility to promote DSM programs. The WPSC has thus decided to experiment with energy efficiency incentives in order to evaluate their eventual impact. The choice of the type of incentive had an objective of starting the process in an area where the lack of experience has created, from the regulatory point of view, a reticence on the part of utilities to engage in DSM programs. The WPSC has designed a variety of incentive models which have been adapted to each utility's own situation. Specific incentive programs developed for three Wisconsin utilities are reviewed

Tax Administration Systems and Tax Consciousness of Income Tax and Consumption Tax

OpenAIRE

横山, 直子

2015-01-01

Tax compliance costs of consumption tax are relatively high. Tax compliance costs for self-assessment taxpayers are high, and for withholding income taxpayers, the compliance costs are small. That is to say, characteristics of tax compliance costs for income tax and consumption tax are various. And also characteristics of tax consciousness for income tax and consumption tax are many and various. The features of this paper are to clarify characteristics of tax compliance costs and tax consciou...

Financial incentives: only one piece of the workplace wellness puzzle comment on "corporate wellness programs: implementation challenges in the modern american workplace".

Science.gov (United States)

Busum, Kristin Van; Mattke, Soeren

2013-11-01

In this commentary, we argue that financial incentives are only one of many key components that employers should consider when designing and implementing a workplace wellness program. Strategies such as social encouragement and providing token rewards may also be effective in improving awareness and engagement. Should employers choose to utilize financial incentives, they should tailor them to the goals for the program as well as the targeted behaviors and health outcomes.

Differentiated sales and vehicles taxes. An assessment of instruments for the internalization of external costs of transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schol, E.

1995-12-01

The level of differentiation of the sales and annual vehicle taxes is based on the avoidance costs of noise and air pollution caused by transportation. The assessment is made on economic, ecological, technical and political criteria. The basic assumption of this report is that a system of differentiated sales and annual vehicle taxes for passenger cars will be an additional instrument to an energy/CO 2 tax (or levy). The reason is that due to the far reaching characteristics, the incentives for innovation and the fact that fuel taxes are relatively easy to implement, the core of any internalization strategy at an international level should consist of a taxation on fuel. In this report the discussion of instruments is at the European Community level. On the base of this preliminary research it can be concluded that differentiated sales and annual vehicle taxes have no strong negative impacts, but also have not many strong positive impacts. The instruments will not lead to strong positive impacts on the environment. One of the reasons is that both tax systems are related to vehicle ownership and not to vehicle use. There is a stronger relationship between vehicle use and emissions than between vehicle ownership and emissions. However, the instruments probably are technically as well as politically feasible and will give an incentive for the development and sale of cleaner and more quiet vehicles within the European Union. 1 figs., 9 tabs., 22 refs

2017 Tax Competitiveness Report: The Calm Before the Storm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Philip Bazel

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Canada stands to lose a major competitive edge unless it responds to the challenges of the 2018 U.S. tax reforms by instituting reforms of its own. At 20.9 per cent, Canada’s tax burden on new investment (measured by the marginal effective tax rate or METR, is competitive when compared to countries in the Americas and Asia-Oceania, and it’s the second lowest among the G7 countries. However, the rules of the game are about to change with U.S. tax reform. Among the reforms the U.S. is bringing in are a drop in the federal corporate income tax rate from 35 per cent to 21 per cent, a ten-year window for full and partial expensing machinery and equipment, and other various rules that will incent companies to push profits into the U.S. and interest and other expenses into foreign jurisdictions. The result of this and other reforms will be a sharp drop in the U.S. METR by almost half – from 34. 6 per cent to 18.8 per cent. This means Canada will have a higher tax burden on capital than the U.S. Put simply, Canada and other countries will face a drop in revenue while the U.S. gains revenue. Alarm bells should be ringing among public policy-makers in Canada and elsewhere, since research shows that taxes are a significant factor in multinationals’ decisions on where to invest globally and how to finance it. The dramatic U.S. reforms will put Canada at a distinct disadvantage, dragged down further by its small market size, energy levies and regulatory burden. This paper examines the corporate tax-rate situation in 92 countries, with many either having reduced their rates recently or are planning to in the next few years. In Canada, the only movement has been in several provinces, entailing a small increase in British Columbia and small decreases in Saskatchewan and Quebec. And while the average METR among OECD countries has dropped in the past few years, Canada’s in 2017 was approximately the same as it was in 2010, climbing upward from a nadir

Universal health insurance through incentives reform.

Science.gov (United States)

Enthoven, A C; Kronick, R

1991-05-15

Roughly 35 million Americans have no health care coverage. Health care expenditures are out of control. The problems of access and cost are inextricably related. Important correctable causes include cost-unconscious demand, a system not organized for quality and economy, market failure, and public funds not distributed equitably or effectively to motivate widespread coverage. We propose Public Sponsor agencies to offer subsidized coverage to those otherwise uninsured, mandated employer-provided health insurance, premium contributions from all employers and employees, a limit on tax-free employer contributions to employee health insurance, and "managed competition". Our proposed new government revenues equal proposed new outlays. We believe our proposal will work because efficient managed care does exist and can provide satisfactory care for a cost far below that of the traditional fee-for-service third-party payment system. Presented with an opportunity to make an economically responsible choice, people choose value for money; the dynamic created by these individual choices will give providers strong incentives to render high-quality, economical care. We believe that providers will respond to these incentives.

Cost Conscious: Incentive and Discount Programs Help Students Meet the Rising Cost of a Community College Education

Science.gov (United States)

Ullman, Ellen

2013-01-01

Aware that rising costs could force some community colleges to compromise their long-standing open-door policies, administrators have put in place programs and incentives to offset the higher price of the average community college education. This article features ideas and programs to help struggling community colleges cope with rising costs such…

Trends in Biometric Health Indices Within an Employer-Sponsored Wellness Program With Outcome-Based Incentives.

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Patricia Lin; Bradley, Kent L; Viswanathan, Sheila; Chan, June M; Stampfer, Meir

2016-07-01

To evaluate changes in employees' biometrics over time relative to outcome-based incentive thresholds. Retrospective cohort analysis of biometric screening participants (n = 26 388). Large employer primarily in Western United States. Office, retail, and distribution workforce. A voluntary outcome-based biometric screening program, incentivized with health insurance premium discounts. Body mass index (BMI), cholesterol, blood glucose, blood pressure, and nicotine. Followed were participants from their first year of participation, evaluating changes in measures. On average, participants who did not meet the incentive threshold at baseline decreased their BMI (1%), glucose (8%), blood pressure (systolic 9%, diastolic 8%), and total cholesterol (8%) by year 2 with improvements generally sustained or continued during each additional year of participation. On average, individuals at high health risk who participated in a financially incentivized biometric assessment program improved their health indices over time. Further research is needed to understand key determinants that drive health improvement indicated here. © The Author(s) 2016.

A Qualitative Approach to Examining Knowledge Sharing in Iran Tax Administration Reform Program

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mehdi Shami Zanjanie

2012-02-01

Full Text Available The paper aims to examine knowledge sharing infrastructure of "Iran Tax Administration Reform Program". The qualitative approach by using case study method was applied in this research. In order to meet the research goal, four infrastructural dimensions of knowledge sharing were studied: leadership & strategy, culture, structure, and information technology. To the authors’ knowledge, this was maybe the first paper which examined knowledge sharing infrastructure in programs environment

Managing the effects of tax expenditures on the national budget

OpenAIRE

Swift, Zhicheng Li

2006-01-01

Tax expenditures, in the form of tax provisions, are government expenditures. They are conceptually and functionally distinct from those tax provisions whose purpose is to raise revenue. Tax expenditure programs are comparable to entitlement programs. Therefore, tax expenditures must be analyzed in spending terms and integrated into the budgetary process to ensure fiscal accountability. In addition, tax expenditures must be audited for performance and the information must be published (with c...

How to Enforce Value-Added Tax? The Role of Inter-Sectoral Linkages

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hoseini, M.

2013-01-01

Abstract: This paper models and empirically tests a self-enforcing feature of the value added tax (VAT) which is absent in the theory: An incentive that makes formal traders buy from suppliers who pay VAT too. In addition, it explores how the government can deploy this feature to enforce VAT more

Incentives for early adoption of carbon capture technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Comello, Stephen; Reichelstein, Stefan

2014-01-01

We analyze a policy proposal for regulating the next generation of baseload electricity generation facilities in the United States. The cornerstone of this regulation is a (hypothetical) EPA mandate for an emission standard of 80 kg of CO 2 per MWh of electricity generated. The mandate would go into effect at the end of 2027 for all power generating facilities that come into operation after 2017. Fossil-fuel power plants could meet the standard by capturing between 80 and 90% of their current CO 2 emissions. While the initial cost of complying with this standard is relatively high for first-of-a-kind facilities, learning effects are projected to reduce this cost substantially by the end of 2027, provided new facilities consistently adopt carbon capture technology in the intervening years. We identify a combination of investment- and production tax credits that provide the required incentives for new facilities to be willing to comply with the standard ahead of the mandate. Due to the anticipated learning effects, the incremental cost associated with the stricter emission limit is projected to about 1.2¢ per kWh of electricity in the long run. - Highlights: • Study the cost effects of a CO 2 emission standard for natural gas power plants. • The standard requires the deployment of carbon capture technology. • Future compliance costs are reduced through learning effects. • Identify tax incentives that induce early technology adoption. • Early adoption results in relatively modest electricity cost increases

Evaluating Safeguards in a Conservation Incentive Program: Participation, Consent, and Benefit Sharing in Indigenous Communities of the Ecuadorian Amazon

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Torsten Krause

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Critics suggest that Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+ may not generate improvements in well-being for participating stakeholders, and may in fact undermine indigenous rights. To ensure positive social benefits from REDD+ projects, the United Nations REDD Programme has proposed core safeguards, including local stakeholder participation; free, prior, and informed consent; and equitable distribution of benefits. However, there is little experience to date in implementing and evaluating these safeguards. We apply these core safeguards as a framework to study how people in indigenous communities in the Ecuadorian Amazon perceive and benefit from Programa Socio Bosque, a conservation incentive program in Ecuador's national REDD+ Programme portfolio. We interviewed 101 individuals in five communities that had participated in the Programa Socio Bosque for at least 18 months. Close to 80% of respondents reported that the decision to join Socio Bosque was made democratically, that they were familiar with the conservation goals of Socio Bosque, and that they were aware which area their community had selected for conservation. However, only 17% were familiar with the overall terms of the conservation agreement, implying that they were either not fully informed of or did not fully understand what they were consenting to in joining the program. Although the terms of the program require a community investment plan to be democratically developed by community members, less than half of respondents were aware of the existence of the investment plan, and fewer than 20% had participated in its development. The majority of respondents (61% reported that they did not know the amount of incentives that their community currently receives, and only 44% stated that incentives were managed democratically in communal assemblies. Moreover, although a slight majority (53% said they had noticed benefits to the community from participating in

Incentive mechanisms to promote energy efficiency programs in power distribution companies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Osorio, Karim; Sauma, Enzo

2015-01-01

Power distribution companies (DISCOs) play an important role in promoting energy efficiency (hereafter EE), mainly due to the fact that they have detailed information regarding their clients' consumption patterns. However, under the traditional regulatory framework, DISCOs have disincentives to promote EE, due to the fact that a reduction in sales also means a reduction in their revenues and profits. Most regulatory policies encouraging EE have some embedded payment schemes that allow financing EE programs. In this paper, we focus on these EE-programs' payment schemes that are embedded into the regulatory policies. Specifically, this paper studies two models of the Principal–Agent bi-level type in order to analyze the economic effects of implementing different payment schemes to foster EE in DISCOs. The main difference between each model is that uncertainty in energy savings is considered by the electricity regulatory institution in only one of the models. In terms of the results, it is observed that, in general terms, it is more convenient for the regulator to adopt a performance-based incentive mechanism than a payment scheme financing only the fixed costs of implementing EE programs. However, if the electricity regulatory institution seeks a higher level of minimum expected utility, it is optimal to adopt a mixed system of compensation, which takes into account the fixed cost compensation and performance-based incentive payments. - Highlights: • We studied different payment schemes to promote energy efficiency in DISCOs. • We propose two bi-level models based on the Principal–Agent theory. • Uncertainty associated with energy savings is incorporated in one of the models. • A performance-based payment scheme is generally more convenient for the regulator. • A mixed payment scheme is optimal when a lower level of uncertainty is tolerated

Providing adequate economic incentives for bioenergies with CO2 capture and geological storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ricci, Olivia

2012-01-01

Knowing that carbon capture and storage (CCS) could play an important role in reducing emissions, it is important to have a good understanding of this role and the importance of environmental policies to support carbon capture and geological storage from bioenergies (BECCS). To date CCS technologies are not deployed on a commercial level, and policy instruments should be used to provide incentives to firms to use these technologies to reduce pollution. The aim of this paper is to compare the cost-efficiency of several incentive-based instruments (a fossil fuel tax, an emissions tax, a cap and trade system, and a subsidy on captured emissions) needed to spur the adoption of CCS and BECCS, using a dynamic general equilibrium model. This type of model has become the standard for assessing economy-wide impacts of environmental and technological policies. The study shows that BECCS will be deployed only if a specific subsidy per unit of biomass emissions captured with a CCS technology is available. We show also that the two most cost-efficient instruments for achieving a given emissions reduction target are a specific subsidy that rewards captured emissions and a carbon tax whose revenues are recycled to subsidize BECCS. - Highlights: ► We investigate the suitability of economic instruments to support CCS and BECCS. ► We model CCS and BECCS in a dynamic general equilibrium model. ► We compare the cost-efficiency of economic instruments to reduce emissions. ► A subsidy that rewards biomass captured emissions is appropriate to encourage BECCS. ► A carbon tax whose revenues are recycled to subsidize BECCS is cost-efficient.

Conserving energy in new buildings: analysis of nonregulatory policies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Scheer, R.M.; Nieves, L.A.; Mazzucchi, R.P.

1981-05-01

The costs and effectiveness of non-regulatory options relative to those of a regulatory approach are analyzed. Nonregulatory program alternatives identified are: information and education programs, tax incentives and disincentives, and mortage and finance programs. Chapter 2 briefly reviews survey data to assess present public awareness of energy issues and energy-efficient building design. Homebuyer and homebuilder surveys are reviewed and conservation motivations are discussed. Chapter 3 examines the provision of technical and economic information to various factors affecting building design decisions. This approach assumes that the economic incentives and technical means to achieve energy conservation goals already exist but that critical information is lacking. Chapter 4 examines how adjustments to the tax structure could enhance economic incentives and counter economic disincentives for energy conservation. Qualifying buildings for tax benefits would almost certainly require certification of design energy consumption. The effectiveness of tax incentives would depend in part on dissemination of public information regarding the incentives. Chapter 5 examines subsidies, such as subsidized mortgages and loan guarantees, which lower the cost of money or other costs but do not change the market structure facing the consumer. Certification that buildings qualify for such treatment would probably be required. Chapter 6 presents recommendations based on the study's findings. (MCW)

Case Studies on the Effectiveness of State Financial Incentives for Renewable Energy