David Gamage
Assistant Professor, University of California, Berkeley (Boalt Hall School of Law), USA
Experimental Evidence of Tax Framing – Effects on the Work/Leisure Decision
David Gamage Andrew Hayashi (Correspondence Author) Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP Brent K. Nakamura, University of California, Berkeley, Jurisprudence & Social Policy Program Keywords: Experiment, Framing, Labor Supply, Taxation Abstract The choice between a set of alternatives often depends on how those alternatives are described, as well as their actual economic costs and benefits. We report [...]
California’s Tax System in Crisis and Beyond
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee: It is my great pleasure to appear before you to discuss California’s tax system. I will begin my comments by discussing the fiscal volatility problem, and then I will attempt to answer some of the questions on tax policy that were sent to me by your staff. The [...]
Informational Hearing on the Tax Recommendations of the Commission on the 21st Century Economy
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee, it is my great pleasure to appear before you to discuss California’s tax system. I would like to emphasize three points in my remarks: First, please do not throw out the baby with the bathwater! The Commission’s report contains a number of sound, non-controversial, proposals that should be [...]
Which is Worse,Tax Fluctuations or Spending Fluctuations?
Acknowledgements: Many thanks to Michael Abramowicz, Bruce Ackerman, Anne Alstott, Alan Auerbach, Ian Ayres, Robert Bartlett, Lily Batchelder, Mitch Berman, Neil Buchanan, Terry Chorvat, Mechele Dickerson, Michael Doran,Elizabeth Garrett, Mark Gergen, James Hines, Jonathan Klick, Kinch Hoekstra, Calvin Johnson, AmyKapczynski, Louis Kaplow, Michael Knoll, Kyle Logue, Dan Markovits, Ed McCaffery, Melissa Murray,Leslie Papke, Bob Peroni, [...]
Minimizing the Harm Of State Fiscal Volatility
David Gamage and Jeremy Bearer-Friend This report’s primary concern is how U.S. state governments should respond to the fiscal volatility created by their balanced budget constraints. Applying the principles of risk allocation theory to this recurring problem, we conclude that states should primarily adjust the rates of broad-based taxes as their economies cycle, rather than [...]
Coping through California’s Budget Crises in Light of Proposition 13 and California’s Fiscal Constitution
When Proposition 13 passed in 1978, many commentators predicted disaster for California’s state and local finances. Now, 30 years later, California is experiencing severe fiscal instability and a round of budget crises that has been worse than in the other states. It would be wrong to blame Proposition 13 for all of California’s financial woes. [...]
Managing Fiscal Volatility by Redefining ‘Tax Cuts’ and ‘Tax Hikes’
Jeremy Bearer-Friend This report analyzes how states should cope with fiscal volatility at the level of institutional-design policy. We propose that states reconsider how they define terms like “tax cuts” and “tax hikes.” By adopting a new baseline for defining those terms, states can increase the likelihood of using tax rate adjustments to cope with [...]
Managing California’s Fiscal Roller Coaster
When Proposition 13 passed in 1978, many commentators predicted disaster for California’s state and local finances. Now, 30 years later, California is experiencing severe fiscal instability and a round of budget crises that has been worse than other states. It would be wrong to blame Proposition 13 for all of California’s financial woes. Nevertheless, Proposition [...]
