Suchergebnisse

Under certain conditions, monetary targets can reduce information costs and transaction costs to market participants. In international financial markets, these costs are associated with several types of risk which can influence the extent of international financial intermediation. During the 1970s, several factors seem to have prompted the trend toward targeting. The search by central banks for improved methods of inflation control was the primary factor. Targeting took a number of forms with respect to time periods, growth rates, and aggregates employed. In general, the experience with foreign monetary targeting to date probably has not lowered information costs or transactions costs to market participants, due to the extensive shifting between targets, changing of targeting time periods, and continual base drift. Such changes in targeting procedures along with the failure to hit targets tend to mask whether a change in monetary growth is temporary or permanent. The desire of foreign central banks to implicitly target exchange rates influences their ability to achieve monetary targets. The extent of this influence depends on the ability of foreign central banks to sterilize exchange market intervention.

After brief individual presentations, panelists discuss among themselves and with the audience a broad spectrum of issues regarding various taxes and tax reform proposals. The discussion includes such issues as privatizing Social Security and Medicare, eliminating income tax withholding, and the merits and demerits of income taxes, consumption taxes, value added taxes, sales taxes, and taxes on resources that have an inelastic supply. One panelist relates his recent experiences using his tools as an economist to deal with tax and related issues as a current member of the Canadian Parliament. Another cites practical problems of implementing tax reform from his long experience advising governments, especially in Latin America. A major focus of the exchange of views is on public choice problems involved in passing and implementing a so‐called flat tax. However, the discussion also deals with economic efficiency and equity considerations and with nearly all other types of taxes. The discussion includes not only the impact on the country within which tax reform occurs, but international implications, as well.