Abstract

In Germany, state and local authorities are repeatedly in conflict with each other regarding the funding of municipal households. Concerning this matter a sufficient fiscal endowment of local public authorities does not only depend on a deemed-to-satisfy provision of state grants but also requires an adequate exhaustion of existing sources of revenues at the local government level. Against this background, the paper analyses local tax policy in order to assess whether the involved potential of budget finance is exploited sufficiently. Taking Rhineland-Palatinate as a case study the degree of tax exploitation (local business tax, local property tax) is empirically estimated for the time period 2007 – 2013.