Law Commons^™

Immigration Restriction As Redistributive Taxation: Working Women And The Costs Of Protectionism In The Labor Market, Howard F. Chang

All Faculty Scholarship

In this paper, I argue that tax and transfer policies are more efficient than immigration restrictions as instruments for raising the after-tax incomes of the least skilled native workers. Policies to protect these native workers from immigrant competition in the labor market do no better at promoting distributive justice and are likely to impose a greater economic burden on natives in the country of immigration than the tax alternative. These immigration restrictions are especially costly given the disproportionate burden that they place on households with working women, which discourages female participation in the labor force. This burden runs contrary to …

Samuel Zell, The Chicago Tribune, And The Emergence Of The S Esop: Understanding The Tax Advantages And Disadvantages Of S Esops, Michael S. Knoll

All Faculty Scholarship

Samuel Zell’s acquisition of the Chicago Tribune Company (the Tribune) in December 2007 using a little-known type of Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) made headlines. In a complicated transaction, which took nearly a year to complete, the Tribune converted from a subchapter C corporation to a subchapter S corporation, established an ESOP that purchased 100 percent of the company’s equity, and sold Zell a call option giving him the right to purchase 40 percent of the company’s equity. Press reports claim that Zell’s novel structure enabled Zell to outbid other suitors. And financial commentators predict that many acquirers will employ …

Taxation And The Competitiveness Of Sovereign Wealth Funds: Do Taxes Encourage Sovereign Wealth Funds To Invest In The United States?, Michael S. Knoll

All Faculty Scholarship

Sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) control vast amounts of capital and have made and are continuing to make numerous large, high-profile investments in the United States, especially in the financial services industry. Those investments in particular and SWFs in general are highly controversial. There is much discussion of the advantages and disadvantages to the United States of investments by SWFs and there is an intense and ongoing debate over what should be the United States’ policy towards investments by SWFs. In the course of that debate, some critics have called upon the US government to abandon its long-held public position of …

Why Every State Should Have An Income Tax (And A Retail Sales Tax, Too), Herwig J. Schlunk

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

Some states (like Florida and Texas) collect retail sales taxes but no income taxes; one state (Oregon) collects income taxes but no retail sales taxes; most states collect both. This paper examines the decision of a state to collect retail sales taxes, income taxes, or both in light of the state's spending policy and the ability of at least some of the state's residents to strategically migrate to another state (to take advantage of a more favorable mix of taxes and benefits). It concludes that states that rely solely (or even primarily) on either a retail sales tax or an …

Recent Developments In Federal Income Taxation: The Year 2008, Martin J. Mcmahon Jr., Ira B. Shepard, Daniel L. Simmons

UF Law Faculty Publications

This article discusses, and provides context to understand the significance of, the most important judicial decisions and administrative rulings and regulations promulgated by the Internal Revenue Service and Treasury Department during 2008 - and sometimes a little farther back in time if the authors find the item particularly humorous or outrageous. Most Treasury Regulations, however, are so complex that they cannot be discussed in detail and, anyway, only a devout masochist would read them all the way through; just the basic topic and fundamental principles are highlighted. Amendments to the Internal Revenue Code generally are discussed to the extent that …

Tax Penalties And Tax Compliance, Michael Doran

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

This paper examines the relationship between tax penalties and tax compliance. Conventional accounts, drawing from deterrence theory and norms theory, assume that the relationship is purely instrumental--that the function of tax penalties is solely to promote tax compliance. This paper identifies another aspect of the relationship that generally has been overlooked by the existing literature: the function of tax penalties in defining tax compliance. Tax penalties determine the standards of conduct that satisfy a taxpayer's obligations to the government; they distinguish compliant taxpayers from non-compliant taxpayers. This paper argues that tax compliance in a self-assessment system should require the taxpayer …

The Lds Church, Proposition Eight, And The Federal Law Of Charities, Brian Galle

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

This brief Commentary considers the merits of the argument that the Mormon Church's support for Proposition Eight violated federal tax law. I take as given the facts reported by the New York Times and other major news outlets. Although the facts are not really in dispute, much of the underlying law is. There are few clear guidelines governing lobbying by charities. In the end it is impossible to say with certainty whether the Church's conduct will have any tax-law repercussions. My conclusion that there is uncertainty, though, stands in contrast with existing claims that the expenditures of the LDS Church …

Hidden Taxes, Brian Galle

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

The idea of hidden taxes is as old as John Stuart Mill, but convincing evidence of their existence is new. In this Article, I survey and critique recent studies that claim to show that there are some taxes that can go unnoticed by those who pay them. I also develop the array of unanswered theoretical questions and policy implications that potentially follow from the studies' results.

Probably the central question for hidden taxes is whether they might enable government to raise revenue without also distorting the economy. If so, I argue, they have the potential to radically refashion the architecture …

Whom Do You Trust? A Reply To Prof. Kahn, Stephen B. Cohen

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

In his 2008 opinion in Knight v. Commissioner, Chief Justice John Roberts harshly criticized then Court of Appeals Judge Sonia Sotomayor, writing that her approach to the Internal Revenue Code “flies in the face of the statute.” In the August 3 issue of Tax Notes, I argued that Roberts’ criticism of Sotomayor was “logically flawed and unwarranted.” In the September 21 issue of Tax Notes, Prof. Douglas Kahn defended Robert’s criticism of Sotomayor as “persuasive and accurate” and attacked Sotomayor’s opinion in the case and my defense of what she wrote. I believe that Prof. Kahn’s arguments in defense of …

Judge Sonia Sotomayor’S Tax Opinions, Stephen B. Cohen

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Judge Sonia Sotomayor has written three published opinions on federal taxation, one as a District Court judge and two as a Court of Appeals judge. Two of the opinions deal with routine matters and are unremarkable in the sense that it is difficult to imagine the cases coming out any other way. Her third opinion, however, in William L. Rudkin Testamentary Trust v. Commissioner, 467 F.3d 149 (2d Cir. 2006), aff'd sub nom. Knight v. Commissioner, 552 U.S. 181, 128 S. Ct. 782 (2008), generated a sharp difference of opinion with Chief Justice Roberts. Although Chief Justice Roberts, writing for …

Does Brummeria Sweep Clean? A U.S. Tax-Law Perspective, Stephen B. Cohen

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

The title of this article draws on the sixteenth-century Irish proverb, 'a new broom sweeps clean'. It asks whether the recent judgment in Commissioner for the South African Revenue Service v Bruinmeria Renaissance Ltd sweeps clean in the sense of improving the income tax.

The taxpayer, Brummeria Renaissance Ltd, operated a retirement village. A resident of the village would provide a loan to the company interest-free, that is, with zero stated interest. In return, the company would provide the resident with the right to occupy housing in the retirement village. When the resident vacated the housing, the company was obligated …

Bringing Sexual Orientation And Gender Identity Into The Tax Classroom, Anthony C. Infanti

Articles

A recent piece in the Journal of Legal Education analyzing student surveys by the Law School Admission Council reports that, despite improvement in the past decade, LGBT students still experience a law school climate in which they encounter substantial discrimination both inside and outside the classroom. Included among the list of "best practices" to improve the law school climate for LGBT students was a recommendation to incorporate discussions of LGBT issues in non-LGBT courses, such as tax. In a timely coincidence, the Section on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Issues held a day-long program at the 2009 AALS annual meeting …

Surveying The Legal Landscape For Pennsylvania Same-Sex Couples, Anthony C. Infanti

Articles

Recent advances in the battle over same-sex marriage in Connecticut, California, Iowa, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont led some commentators to describe this as a “watershed” moment. These legal and legislative wins - however tentative - created a sense of momentum in favor of lesbian and gay rights advocates in the battle over same-sex marriage. Yet, it would be a mistake to allow jubilation over these wins to obscure the larger perspective on this battle. We should not lose sight of the fact that, with the exception of Iowa, same-sex couples in each of these jurisdictions could already obtain legal …

Subsidizing Charitable Contributions: Incentives, Information, And The Private Pursuit Of Public Goals, David M. Schizer

Faculty Scholarship

The charitable deduction has enjoyed relatively little support in the legal academy. Many commentators have asked what it adds to the tax system and, as critics such as Stanley Surrey and Paul McDaniel have observed, the deduction obviously does not itself collect tax revenue. Defenders respond that the deduction helps to measure income and to keep taxpayers from inefficiently substituting leisure for work, but these points are, of course, contested. Instead of revisiting debates about what the deduction adds to the tax system, this Article focuses on the broader question of what it adds to the pursuit of public goals. …

Critical Tax Theory: An Introduction, Anthony C. Infanti, Bridget J. Crawford

Book Chapters

Our book Critical Tax Theory: An Introduction (Cambridge University Press 2009) highlights and explains the major themes and methodologies of a group of scholars who challenge the traditional claim that tax law is neutral and unbiased. The contributors to this volume include pioneers in the field of critical tax theory, as well as key thinkers who have sustained and expanded the investigation into why the tax laws are the way they are and what impact tax laws have on historically disempowered groups. This volume will provide an accessible introduction to this new and growing body of scholarship. It will be …

Tax Policy Challenges, Michael J. Graetz

Faculty Scholarship

In 1995, when the late, great Jack Nolan asked me to deliver the inaugural lecture in honor of Larry Woodworth, I was both honored and flattered. I had come to know Larry Woodworth beginning in 1969, when I was a rookie treasury tax policy staffer. At that time, he had already served the Joint Committee on Taxation for 25 years and had been the third Chief of Staff in its history beginning as chief of staff in 1964. Larry Woodworth was not only as knowledgeable about the tax law as anyone you would ever hope to meet, and as savvy …

The Intellectual Foundations Of The Modern American Fiscal State, Ajay K. Mehrotra

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

Tax Collection: Procedure And Strategies, T. Fogg

T. Keith Fogg

No abstract provided.

Chapter 11, Section 10, T. Fogg

T. Keith Fogg

No abstract provided.

Reflections On The Role Of The Oecd In Developing International Tax Norms, Hugh Ault

Hugh J. Ault

On September 8–9, 2008, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (“OECD”) held a Special Conference commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the OECD Model Tax Convention (“Model Convention” or “Model”). The Conference was attended by over 650 participants from the private sector and the government, representing over 100 countries. Both the level of participation and the geographical diversity represented at the conference would seem concrete evidence of the perceived importance of the role of the OECD in developing international tax norms. In his remarks opening the conference, the OECD Secretary General noted that the success of the OECD Model was …

Handling A Case With Potential Criminal Problems, Including Dealing With Nonfilers, T. Fogg

T. Keith Fogg

No abstract provided.

Flying Passports Of Convenience, Karl T. Muth

Karl T Muth

This paper proposes an economic alternative to the legal construct of citizenship that currently dominates international law.

Leaving Money On The Table And Providing An Incentive Not To Pay -- The Story Of A Flawed Collection Device, Temple K. Fogg

T. Keith Fogg

As of September 30, 2007, the IRS had $282-billion of unpaid assessments on its books. Of that amount $58-billion, over 20 percent, represents the unpaid payroll taxes due from employers. The majority of payroll taxes due from employers results from income and social security taxes collected by the employer and held in trust for the government. Internal Revenue Code section 6672 ("6672") gives the government the right to pierce the corporate veil to pursue collection of these payroll taxes. Because it creates personal liability, 6672 can serve as a powerful tool in the fight against the growing tax gap.

Unfortunately, …

Cyber Crimes And Effectiveness Of Laws In India To Control Them, Mubashshir Sarshar

Mubashshir Sarshar

No abstract provided.

What Is Wrong With Tax Evasion?, Stuart Green

Stuart Green

This talk, originally delivered at a University of Houston symposium on tax crimes, asks why the norms that underlie our laws against tax evasion are so seemingly unstable. Ten reasons are offered: (1) tax evasion is difficult to distinguish from tax avoidance, (2) the conduct that underlies the crime of tax evasion is complex, (3) choate and inchoate liability are conflated, (4) a heightened mens rea of "willfulness" is required, (5) the level of enforcement is low, (6) enforcement practices are arbitrary and uneven, (7) criminal and civil violations are not clearly distinguished, (8) there is a sense that "everyone …

A Cost Of Tax Planning, Yoram Margalioth, Eyal Sulganik, Rafael Eldor, Yoseph M. Edrey Prof.

Yoseph M. Edrey

Tax planning is an area of growing interest and this paper is an attempt to contribute to the small formal literature on this topic. The paper analyzes the case of tax planning that manipulates the tax system to impose lower effective tax rates on gains than on losses, and proves that such tax planning may provide firms with an incentive to produce more than the social optimum. This inefficiency is different from the general inefficiency entailed by income taxation, captured by the conventional notion of excess burden. A low asymmetric tax may be more distortive than a high symmetric tax …

Tributação & Desenvolvimento, Ivo T. Gico

Ivo Teixeira Gico Jr.

Editorial sobre o papel da tributação no desenvolvimento econômico.

It Down And Count The Cost:" A Framework For Constitutionally Enforcing The 501(C)(3) Campaign Intervention Ban, Benjamin Leff

Benjamin Leff

The Gap In The Employment Tax Gap, Richard Winchester

Richard Winchester

No abstract provided.

Chatterjee V. Ontario: Property, Crime And Civil Proceedings, Michelle Gallant

Michelle Gallant

This paper examines the decision in Chatterjee v. Ontario (Attorney General), which upheld the constitutionality of provincial legislation permitting the pursuit of civil actions in response to criminal activity. The legislation in question, Ontario's Civil Remedies Act, enabled the pursuit of money remedies for criminal activities through civil legal proceedings. The Supreme Court of Canada in Chatterjee examined whether or not provincial legislation permitting civil actions for breaches of the federal Criminal Code was ultra vires provincial jurisdiction. This paper provides an overview and an analysis of the Chatterjee decision.