The 19 articles in this volume include George Zodrow's most important contributions to the theory and practice of taxation. They are organized into five general areas: (1) Optimal tax reform, or an analysis of the best ways to implement tax reforms taking into account transitional problems; (2) Consumption-based taxes, including the economic effects of replacing the current income tax with a progressive consumption tax; (3) Income tax reform in the United States and in developing countries; (4) State and local tax policy, including especially the effects of the local property tax; and (5) Tax competition, using models that are applicable at both the state/local and international levels.
In the words of Peter Mieszkowski, Professor Emeritus of Rice University and one of the world's foremost public finance scholars, "This volume of important papers is a capstone to George Zodrow's distinguished research career. What they reveal is a thinker who works repeatedly on the analysis of practical and concrete applications. The motivating force behind these articles is the conviction that for government to tax appropriately, systems of taxation must be profoundly understood. This volume is a giant step in that direction."
George R Zodrow is the Cline Professor of Economics and Faculty Scholar, Center for Public Finance, Baker Institute for Public Policy, at Rice University. He is also an International Research Fellow at the Centre on Business Taxation at Oxford University. Zodrow is the recipient of the 2009 Steven D Gold Award, presented by the National Tax Association for his contributions to state and local fiscal policy. His articles have appeared in numerous scholarly publications and books on taxation, and he has written and edited several books on tax issues. He recently served for ten years as editor of the National Tax Journal and has also been an editor of the ""Policy Watch"" section of International Tax and Public Finance. Zodrow was a visiting economist at the US Treasury Office of Tax Analysis in 1984 85 during the preparation of Treasury I, the precursor to the Tax Reform Act of 1986, and has been involved in tax reform projects in numerous countries. He received his PhD from Princeton University.
