In this comprehensive analysis of social systems of taxation and budgeting, the authors provide detailed examples from ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt, Greece and Rome, the Middle Ages in Europe, and modern times to show how governments through the ages have raised money and spent it. They examine the two essential activities of government--taxing and spending--against the background of the societies in which they were imbedded and the development of government's administrative capacities. They also argue that government mobilization of resources involves critical human concerns--waging war and providing for the welfare of the people. ISBN 0-671-54617-1: $24.95.

'This is one of those rare technical books which has an importance outside its own field' The Daily Telegraph. 'One of the most stimulating post-war books on public finance' The Guardian. Part 1 examines the issue of Expenditure Tax in principle and includes chapters on the following: * Income, Expenditure and Taxable Capacity * The Concept of Income in Economic Theory * Taxation and Savings * Taxation and risk-bearing * Taxation and the Incentive to Work * Company Taxation * Taxation and Economic Progress Part 2 examines the issue of Expenditure Tax in practice, asking whether personal expenditure tax is practicable and putting forward a proposal for Surtax Reform.

This book sheds light on the use of tax expenditures, mainly through a study of ten OECD countries: Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. It highlights key trends and successful practices.

Locates tax expenditure management within the broader discourse of liberal democratic political theory.

In this new book, the authors analyze the development of the concept since 1973, a period in which applications of tax expenditures have expanded rapidly and new dimensions have emerged for even wider usage.