This paper uses revealed preference restrictions and nonparametric statistical methods to bound a quality-constant price series for a good that
1 June 1999
The report starts from first principles, asking whether there is any need for a benefit to relieve the council tax and identifying problems with the very structure of council tax benefit. It goes on to consider whether council tax benefit succeeds in leaving local tax bills affordable for low-income groups, using data from the FRS. Even after allowing for benefit, it is found that council tax bills pose an especially large burden for elderly people. Further, a widespread failure to take up entitlement to benefit is found to be preventing the benefit's cleverly designed rules from actually helping many of those in most need. The problems identified in the design and performance of council tax benefit motivate the consideration of several reforms, which range from outright abolition to minor simplification.
1 June 1999
This paper uses revealed preference restrictions and nonparametric statistical methods to bound true cost-of-living indices.
28 May 1999
In spite of government dominance in financing health care in many countries, the private health care sector remains important.
1 May 1999
1 April 1999
This paper examines alternative approaches to wage subsidy programmes.
1 April 1999
Many sectors of the UK economy experienced rapid productivity growth over the 1980's. This coincided with an increase in the flow of inward investment.
1 April 1999
This paper tests for the importance of cash flow on investment in fixed capital and R&D using firm-level panel data in two countries between 1985 and 1994.
30 March 1999
This paper provides a non-technical review of the evidence on the returns to education and training for the individual, the firm and the economy at large
1 March 1999
This paper summarises our research on general equilibrium evaluation of tuition and tax policies
1 March 1999
This paper provides a review of estimates of the efficiency costs of taxation and presents some new estimates for small open economies.
1 March 1999
In this paper, estimates of the effects of local domestic property taxes (rates) on local house prices are presented, and the effect of local taxes on owner-occupied dwelling prices is calculated for a number of English cities for the period up to 1990.
1 March 1999
The purpose of this paper is to examine the reform of family benefits and the growth of means-testing in Hungary.
1 March 1999
This commentary assesses the government's proposals. It provides a detailed description of the current pension system and asks whether there is a case for reform. It looks at how much pensioners are likely to benefit from the Minimum Income Guarantee and how the new State Second Pension compares with SERPS. It evaluates the government's plans for Stakeholder Pensions and presents new evidence on the employment, earnings and other savings of the people whom the government sees as targets for Stakeholder Pensions.
1 March 1999
The report shows what differentiates the individuals in the survey who entered work over a twelve month period from those who remained out of work over the course of a year. It examines how the distribution of hourly wages earned by new entrants into jobs differs from the distribution of wages for those already in work. This `entry wage' information is just used to estimate gains to working for people who are currently unemployed or inactive, and to assess to what extent financial incentives affect entry into work. The report also simulates what the effect of the WFTC, the NI reforms, and the 10p tax rate might be on the numbers of men and women entering work and how these reforms might increase employment.
1 March 1999
1 February 1999
The demand for certain types of health care services depends on decisions of both the individual and the health care provider.
1 February 1999
This paper considers the relationship between two general neutral business tax structures, which we label the firm tax and the shareholder tax.
1 February 1999
We consider the estimation of Cobb-Douglas production functions using panel data covering a large sample of companies observed for a small number of time periods.
1 February 1999
In this report the Tax Law Review Committee responds to the Inland Revenue's proposals. It concludes that the proposals fail to secure the objectives of the Committee's previous Report. Furthermore, the proposed rule places no significant burden on the Revenue to justify its use, fails to secure a proper balance of interests between Revenue and taxpayers and would be intrusive on ordinary commercial and private transactions.
1 February 1999