James R. Hines - Böcker

Taxes are like the weather in one way: everyone complains about them. But how the government raises revenues is something that people can influence, as long as they have a good understanding of the stakes and options.Sensible Taxes and Practical Politics argues that American tax rates are too low and are indiscriminate. James Hines, a leading authority on tax policy, controversially posits that the base tax rate should be higher but there should also be more ability for individuals to reduce their taxes. This is the only way to create an equitable and efficient tax system makes distinctions among people and that treats them as individuals rather than classes. And as tax policy reflects societal values and goals, it is perfectly legitimate for it to create incentives by facilitating significant deductions for dependents, child care expenses, exceptional medical expenses, casualty losses, charitable contributions, education expenditures, and other expenses associated with employment and income production. While the headline tax rate may be high, the real rate, after deductions, is much lower.By contrast, the pursuit of lower baseline tax rates has, Hines shows, produced revenue shortfalls, inefficient incentives, and tax inequities. The current tax system creates distortions and is unfair because of the reduced provision for personal circumstances. It is also dishonest because it claims to be progressive but is not.The art of tax design entails tailoring tax burdens to collect revenue from activities that are least likely to be distorted by taxation. As for individuals, so too for business, Tax policy should treat preferentially firms and activities that might diminish or disappear if taxed heavily. Tax policy is a fundamental part of governance and encompasses difficult economic and political judgments. Hines provides an honest assessment of the interaction of politics, values, and taxes.

Written for a non-technical audience, this book summarizes the research on the structure and effects of tax policies collected in "The Effects of Taxation on Multinational Corporations". The book covers such practical issues as the impact of tax law on US competitiveness, the volume and location of research and development spending, the extent of foreign direct investment and the financial practices of multinational companies. In ten succinct chapters, the book documents the channels through which tax policy in the United States and abroad affects plant and equipment investments, spending on research and development, the cost of debt and equity finance, and dividend repatriations by United States subsidiaries. It also discusses the impact of US firms' outbound foreign investment on domestic and foreign economies. Especially useful to non-specialists is an appendix that summarizes current United States rules for taxing international income.

The tax rules of the United States and other countries have intended and unintended effects on the operations of multinational corporations, influencing everything from the formation and allocation of capital to competitive strategies. The growing importance of international business has led economists to reconsider whether current systems of taxing international income are viable in a world of significant capital market integration and global commercial competition. In an attempt to quantify the effect of tax policy on international investment choices, this volume presents in-depth analyses of the interaction of international tax rules and the investment decisions of multinational enterprises. Ten papers assess the role played by multinational firms and their investment in the US economy and the design of international tax rules for multinational investment; analyze channels through which international tax rules affect the costs of international business activities; and examine ways in which international tax rules affect financing decisions of multinational firms.As a group, the papers demonstrate that international tax rules have significant effects on firms' investment and other financing decisions.

Once a winter pastime for socializing and courtship, skating evolved into the wildly popular competitive sport of figure skating, one of the few athletic arenas where female athletes hold a public profile--and earning power--equal to that of men.  Renowned sports historian James R. Hines chronicles figure skating's rise from its earliest days through its head-turning debut at the 1908 Olympics and its breakthrough as entertainment in the 1930s. Hines credits figure skating's explosive expansion to an ever-increasing number of women who had become proficient skaters and wanted to compete, not just in singles but with partners as well.  Matters reached a turning point when British skater Madge Syers entered the otherwise-male 1902 World Championship held in London and finished second. Called skating's first feminist, Syers led a wave of women who made significant contributions to figure skating and helped turn it into today's star-making showcase at every Winter Olympics.  Packed with stories and hard-to-find details, Figure Skating in the Formative Years tells the early history of a sport loved and followed by fans around the world.

The only comprehensive history of figure skating in over forty yearsFigure skating, unique in its sublimely beautiful combination of technical precision, musicality, and interpretive elements, has undergone many dramatic developments since the only previous history of the sport was published in 1959. This exciting and information-packed new history by James R. Hines explains skating’s many technical and artistic advances, its important figures, its intrigues and scandals, and the historical high points during its long evolution. Hines divides his history into three periods separated by the World Wars. In the first section, he follows functional and recreational ice skating through its evolution into national schools, culminating in the establishment of the International Skating Union and the ascendancy of an international style of skating. The second section explains the changes that occurred as the sport expanded into the form we recognize and enjoy today, and the final section shows how skating became increasingly athletic, imaginative, and intense following World War II, as the main focus turns to skaters themselves. The profiles include some 148 World and Olympic Champions as well as others who, in Dick Button’s words, "left the sport better because they were in it." Beginning with mythological tales from twelfth- and thirteenth-century Scandinavians, Hines describes hundreds who have contributed to the sport. They include figure skating’s patron saint Lydwina of Schiedam, whose late-fourteenth-century skating tumble has been documented in a woodcut; Ulrich Salchow and Axel Paulsen, who gave their names to distinctive jumps; Madge Syers, who entered and medaled at the previously all-male World Championships in 1902; and Sonja Henie, who took skating to the silver screen. The history ends with the 2002 skating season, when Maria Butyrskaya and Michelle Kwan commanded the most attention and an unfortunate judging decision rocked the pairs’ competition, resulting in the adoption of a new judging system. Beyond the contributions of individual skaters, Figure Skating  also traces the growth of competitions and show skating (professional and amateur), and discussions of relevant social, political, and ethical concerns that have affected the sport. Along with over seventy magnificent historical pictures spread throughout the book, a very special gallery features the picture of every world and Olympic champion. Figure Skating is an informative and inspiring resource, sure to be enjoyed by anyone who has ever skated recreationally or in competition as well as by the many fans who have this beautiful sport as spectators.

Although estate and gift taxes raise a small fraction of federal revenues, they have become sources of increasing political controversy. This book is designed to inform the current policy debate and build a conceptual basis for future scholarship. The book contains eleven original studies of estate and gift taxes, along with discussants' comments. The essays provide background and historical information; analyze the optimal taxation of estates and gifts; examine the effects of the tax on charitable contributions, saving behavior, the distribution and level of wealth, tax avoidance and tax evasion; and explore the effects of alternatives to estate taxation.