Tax Competition, Relative Performance and Policy Imitation

29 Pages Posted: 30 Jul 2009

See all articles by Andreas Wagener

Andreas Wagener

Leibniz Universität Hannover - Economics and Business Administration Area; CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute for Economic Research); Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration

Date Written: July 1, 2009

Abstract

Rather than about absolute payoffs, governments in fiscal competition often seem to care about their performance relative to other governments. Moreover, they often appear to mimic policies observed elsewhere. We study such behaviour in a tax competition game with mobile capital à la Zodrow-Mieszkowski. Both with relative payoff concerns and for imitative policies, evolutionary stability is the appropriate solution concept. It renders tax competition more aggressive than with best-reply policies (Nash equilibrium). Whatever the number of jurisdictions involved, an evolutionary stable tax policy coincides with the competitive outcome of a tax competition game played among infinitely many governments. Tax competition among boundedly rational governments, thus, involves drastic efficiency losses.

Keywords: fiscal competition, relative performance, tax mimicking, evolutionary stability

JEL Classification: H77, H75, C73

Suggested Citation

Wagener, Andreas, Tax Competition, Relative Performance and Policy Imitation (July 1, 2009). CESifo Working Paper Series No. 2723, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1441156 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1441156

Andreas Wagener (Contact Author)

Leibniz Universität Hannover - Economics and Business Administration Area ( email )

Koenigsworther Platz 1
30167 Hannover
Germany

CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute for Economic Research)

Poschinger Str. 5
Munich, DE-81679
Germany

HOME PAGE: http://www.CESifo.de

Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration ( email )

Welthandelsplatz 1
Vienna, Wien 1020
Austria

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