H71 - State and Local Taxation, Subsidies, and RevenueReturn

This discussion paper proposes significant changes in the taxation of personal incomes and property based on systemic approach to Czech tax system, which aim to make the tax system simpler and more efficient in a socially sensitive way and to contribute to the resolution of long-term unsustainability of Czech public finances.
The paper introduces the issue to the reader firstly by overall look at Czech tax system, mainly at size and structure of collected taxes. Subsequently it familiarizes the reader with opinions of experts on how a good tax system should look like, what are the main problems of Czech tax system and summarizes recent proposals to change it. The second and main part of the paper presents in detail the proposed significant changes comprising significant increase of property taxes, decrease in taxation of personal incomes while making it simpler and more progressive, increase of housing allowance, which would become the main targeted social allowance, and related changes in the allocation of taxes to public budgets. Last but not least are included also estimated effects of these changes on public budgets and net incomes of households.

Immovable property tax is not a significant tax in terms of public finances in the Czech Republic. However, it completes tax system and ensures stable tax revenues which are income of municipalities on whose territory the property is located. In the context of theoretical approaches and empirical studies the importance of this tax is often discussed topic. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the development of immovable property tax arrears in the context of tax imposed in the Czech Republics and identification tax arrears impact on municipality budgets. Cumulative immovable property tax arrears are decreasing in the last years and amount less than one percent of collectable tax arrears. Immovable property tax arrears have negative impact on municipality revenue, particularly in relation with the share of immovable property tax revenues on the total municipality revenues.

This paper investigates the tax harmonization in the European Union in the context of the Economic Crisis. The aim is to analyze an evolution of taxes with the greatest harmonizing tendencies. Two of them are indirect taxes - VAT and excise tax, and one is direct tax - corporate income tax. In the paper, the main basis of the harmonization process and basic legal standards are summarized. The paper concludes that harmonization of these taxes can be divided into two areas. It is quite successful in the area of indirect taxes, the former turnover taxes were replaced by the value added taxes, and the EU member states have also found agreement about excise duties which should be used. On the other way the area of direct taxes is very sensitive and a lot of initiatives of the Commission were abolished due to different national interests. During the Economic Crisis a new need for tax harmonization has arisen, especially for further coordination of the chosen taxes.