The accounting and philosophical literature on tax evasion has been scant, at least until recently. The few articles that have discussed the ethics of tax evasion have usually taken either a generalist approach or have focused their attention on the ethics of evading income taxes. This article...

The legal theory of blackmail is the veritable puzzle surrounded by a mystery wrapped in an enigma. Consider. Blackmail consists of two things, each indisputably legal on their own; yet, when combined in a single act, the result is considered a crime. What are the two things? First, there is...

Blackmail consists of two things, each indisputably legal on their own; yet, when combined in a single act, the result is considered a crime. First, one may gossip, and, provided that what is said is true, there is nothing illegal about it. Truth is an absolute defense. Second, if one may speak...

This paper examines relative tax burden of transition economies from a microeconomic perspective. It employs data from the Tax Misery Index and the Index of Economic Freedom to compare the tax burden of transition economies to that of more developed market economies. It then creates a hybrid...

Insider trading has received a bad name in recent decades. The popular press makes it sound like an evil practice where those who engage in it are totally devoid of ethical principles. Yet not all insider trading is illegal and some studies have concluded that certain kinds of insider trading...

Insider trading in the United States has been receiving a lot of press coverage in recent years. The press has given the public the impression that insider trading is evil, unethical and illegal, when in fact such is not always the case. In some cases, insider trading is beneficial to the...

Many graduate programs require students to take one or more comprehensive exams as a condition of completing the degree requirements. While the requirement may seem worthwhile on the surface, it results in inefficiencies, thus failing the utilitarian economic and ethical test. The author applies...

Practically every article that has ever been written about the economic, legal or ethical aspects of acquisitions and mergers has proceeded to discuss the topic from the viewpoint of the initiators, the predators, to use a pejorative term. Very little has been written about the individuals who...

This article addresses some issues in graduate accounting education from the perspectives of economics, law and ethics. There are separate sections on certification and graduate accounting education, curriculum, faculty and accreditation. The article concludes with some suggestions for a model...

Excise taxes are one way for governments to raise the funds needed to provide services. The problem with excise taxes is that they can be imposed for other purposes as well. One other use of excise taxes is to protect special interest groups from competition. Another use is to alter behavior, to...