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Alain Charlet and Jeffrey Owens - An International Perspective on VAT - Tax Notes International, Sept 2010

An International Perspective on VAT -- by Alain Charlet and Jeffrey Owens -- Tax Notes International, Vol 59, No. 12, pp 943-54 -- September 20, 2010 -- Downloaded pdf from OECD > Centre for Tax Policy and Administration > Consumption Taxes > Articles on VAT page -- http://www.oecd.org/ctp/consumption/articlesonvat.htm -- Brief history since introduced in France post WWII. Compares countries with multiple rates vs single rate, different approaches to rebates or exemptions for classes of goods and services (e.g. health, education, welfare oriented or goods heavily consumed by poorest segments of population) or a combination of broad based VAT and targeted redistribution policies. The latter combination seems to be increasing in popularity as less distortionary of the market, more effective in use of government revenues and, at least where adopted, more politically acceptable.