The Laffer curve. Can cuts in tax rates increase the total tax revenue for the government?

Seminar paper from the year 2014 in the subject Business economics - Accounting and Taxes, University of applied sciences, Nürnberg, language: English, abstract: Apparently mapped out on a napkin during a dinner with the journalist Jude Wanniski in 1974, the Laffer curve - called after Arthur B. Laffer who is widely seen as “The father of supply-side economics” - has become one of the most controversially discussed topics in terms of tax politics since published by the before mentioned journalist in 1978. As taxes are the most important income source for all governments, politicians around the globe are trying to determine the highest realizable tax revenue. Therefore they are using whatever they can to justify their decisions and the Laffer curve was and is used since the 80’s to promote tax cuts as a way to increase tax revenue. The objective of this work is to analyse a tool that is consistently used to establish decisions that sound great in the ears of potential voters but that is – at least at first glance – not very convincing in its approach as there are obvious conceptual limitations. Ultimately the question Laffer curve is suited to increase the total tax revenue by cutting tax rates.