Tax Reform in English-Speaking Countries

In this paper, six papers are introduced which deal with issues in tax reform and with recent developments in taxation policies in five English-speaking countries—the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States of America (USA), Australia, and New Zealand. It is shown that the structure of the taxation systems in these countries, in particular the dominating influence of a highly progressive personal income tax, has played a major part in inducing widespread tax avoidance and evasion, and thereby in corrupting and discrediting the tax systems of the countries in question; so that they operate perversely with respect to equity, to efficiency, and to the other objectives of taxation policy. In the paper the author argues that tax effectiveness needs to be elevated to a position of overriding importance in the design of taxation policies; outlines the kinds of reforms which are necessary in order to give effect to generally accepted economic criteria; and discusses the importance of political and other constraints on tax reform.