Public Sector and Taxation 7 (J) done Flashcards
public sector definition
the part of the economy that provides government services
examples of government services
defence, border protection, law and order, transport, education, health
percentage of AE government spending accounts for
25%
government role and responsibilities
provision of public goods and services, welfare, regulation of business enterprises, monetary (fiscal and monetary) management
4 roles of the government in a modified market economy
- allocative role
- redistributive role
- regulatory role
- management of aggregate supply
allocative role definition
allocate resources to goods and services
allocative role more + examples
- public goods (eg lighthouse) and social justice
- merit good (eg. education)
redistribute role defintition
use tax and transfer system to achieve equity under provided by the private sector in income distribution
redistributive role more + examples
- social justice (horizontal equity, equal opportunities, anti-discrimination)
- social harmony
regulatory role definition
fix up or prevent market failure
regulatory role more + examples
- monopoly power (eg supermarkets)
- negative externalities (eg smoking)
- information gaps (eg insurance)
- natural monopolies (eg water supply)
- common property resource (eg fish)
management of aggregate demand definition
use of fiscal policy and supply side measures to control the business cycle and achieve macroeconomic objectives
management of aggregate demand more
- economic growth
- price stability
- full employment
taxation definition
the payment to the government for which no goods and/or services are directly received
most government activity is financed by
taxes
four main functions of taxation
- raising revenue
- stabilise cyclical economic activity
- redistribution of income
- allocation of resources
function of tax - raising revenue
tax makes up for approximatly 90% of revenue
function of tax - stabilise cyclical economic activity
at times of strong growth higher tax rates reduce disposable income and in the downturn tax falls at a faster rate than income (automatic stabilisers)
function of tax - redistribution of income
through a progressive system of income tax high income earners pay a higher rate of tax. (eg rich assist poor and elderly through welfare payments)
function of tax - allocation of resources
all taxes will distort the allocation of resources in that they will affect peoples incentive to work, spend and save. certain sectors can be encouraged or discouraged by their taxation treatment. eg tobacco and alcohol.
impact definition
initial burden of tax
incidence definition
ultimate burden of tax
who does impact of tax fall on
person from whom the tax is collected
who does incidence of tax fall on
person who eventually pays tax
example: GST or consumption tax. impact and incidence?
impact: producer or retailer
incidence: consumer
direct tax
impact and incidence fall on same person. eg income tax
direct tax examples
- income tax
- fringe benefits tax
- company tax
- capital gains tax
indirect tax
impact and incidence are separate. impact is generally on producer. incidence is generally on consumer
indirect tax example
- GST
- excise tax
- vehicle transfer tax
3 sources of tax revenue
- Income tax
- Tax on goods and services
- Capital gains tax