Part A- Interim Research Report:

This assignment requests a progress report on your major research paper. Please read these questions and submit your word-processed responses.

1. What is the component of the Canadian tax system that you are studying?

2. Provide a one-page printout from one of your ECONLIT searches.

3. Provide the number (e.g.. T2010) and title of a Canada Revenue Agency document (or provincial document) that relates to your topic.

4. List two articles in journals, working papers, or from a think-tank that relate to your topic. Report these references following a formatting style in an economics journal of your choosing.

5. Read the previously handed-out template for the Essay. After reading what will be required, please write a one paragraph description of the main question you will address with your research paper.

Part B- Interim Research Report:

This assignment requests a further progress report on your major research paper. Please read these questions and submit your word-processed responses. You may find it helpful to consult the information on the datasets posted on the course website here:
http://faculty.arts.ubc.ca/kmilligan/teaching/data2013.htm

1. What is the component of the Canadian tax system that you are studying?

2. What is the data set you will be using?

3. What is the name of the key variable(s) you will use for your analysis? (Be precise-get the variable name from the codebook.)

4. Describe a graph you will create. What kind of graph? What is on each axis?

5. Describe a regression you will run. What will be the dependent variable? What will be the independent variables?

Template: Seminar in Applied Economics - ‘Personal Income Taxation: Theory and Evidence'

The focus of the semester's work is a major research paper. The paper will include original analytical as well as empirical analysis, drawing on a variety of sources. A complete description of the topics, format, and evaluation of the paper appears below.

A. Topics

B. The research questions

The research questions that your paper should address are:
- How does the tax measure work?
- What has previous research found?
- Who is affected by this tax measure?

C. Paper Structure
1. Introduction (around 1 page)
2. Descriptive information (around 3-4 pages)
3. Related Research (around 2 pages)
4. Empirical Analysis (around 4 pages)
5. Critical analysis (around 2 pages)
6. Conclusion (around 1 page)

D. Evaluation

E. Plagiarism

F. Topic List

1. Child Care Expense Deduction
2. Registered Retirement Savings Plan deduction and/or income
3. Registered Pension Plan deduction and/or income
4. Medical Expenses
5. Canada Child Tax Benefit
6. National Child Benefit
7. BC Family Bonus
8. Universal Child Care Benefit
9. Canada Pension Plan premiums and/or income
10. Employment Insurance premiums and/or income
11. Old Age Security income
12. Non-farm Self-employment income
13. Capital gains income
14. Social Assistance income
15. Workers compensation income
16. Farm self-employment income
17. Dividend income
18. Age amount
19. Spousal amount
20. Caregiver amount
21. Education amount.
22. Tuition amount.
23. Pension income amount
24. Student loan tax credit
25. Union or professional dues
26. Moving expenses
27. Provincial health premiums
28. Alberta flat tax
29. Charitable gifts and donations
30. Spousal and child support.
31. Income splitting for seniors.
32. Public transit tax credit.
33. Children's fitness tax credit.
34. Other topics approved by instructor

References-

1. Retirement Saving in Australia by Garry F. Barrett

2. Negative Effects of the Canadian GIS Clawback and Possible Mitigating Alternatives by Diana Chisholm and Rob Brown

3. Private Pension and Income Security in Old Age: An Uncertain Future Introduction by Thomas F. Crossley and Byron G. Spencer

4. Savings Incentives and OAS/GIS Costs by Keith Horner

5. Intra-Household Transfers and Old-Age Security in America, 1890-1950 by Chulhee Lee

6. The Impact of Gender and Immigration on Pension Outcomes in Canada by Patrik Marier and Suzanne Skinner

7. Reflections on the Past, Present, and Future of Employer-Sponsored Pension Plans in Canada by William, B.P. Robson

8. Public pension and wealth inequality in Canada by Abul F. M. Shamsuddin

9. The Canadian Journal of Economics and Political Science by Elisabeth Wallace.