Publisher's Synopsis
User charges and earmarked taxes are methods by which people pay directly for the services they receive from government. As such they are frequently supported by those who oppose increased taxation, who argue that they are more like market transactions than traditional forms of taxation.;"Charging for Government" explores the cogency of these arguments in the light of public choice analyses of political processes. The 12 chapters in this book examine the possible conflict between arguments for user fees and earmarked taxes and public choice analyses which explain how political outcomes reflect the operation of self-interest. Hence the reality of user fees and earmarked taxes may diverge sharply from the common justifications. Furthermore, the extent of such divergence will depend on the nature of the constitutional rules that constrain and shape political processes.;This book should be of interest to lecturers and students of economics, public administration and politics.
