Die Erwerbsnebenkosten in Deutschland sind hoch und stellen eine wesentliche Hürde für die Wohneigentumsbildung dar. Zu den Erwerbsnebenkosten zählen, neben der Grunderwerbsteuer und den Notarkosten, auch die Maklergebühren, die Käufer in einigen Bundesländern mit bis zu 7,14 Prozent der...

Prior to the subprime crisis, mortgage brokers charged higher percentage fees for loans that turned out to be riskier ex post, even when conditioning on other risk characteristics. High conditional fees reveal borrower attributes that are associated with high borrower risk, such as suboptimal...

Individuals in the UK can save in many forms, such as bank accounts, pensions, housing, shares and Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs). The tax treatment of these different vehicles and underlying assets varies widely and this can affect the attractiveness of saving in different forms for people...

We study the impact of the access charges of copper and fiber unbundling on an incumbent's incentives to invest in fiber access networks. Once the fiber deployment is in place, the incumbent and the entrant compete for consumers in both copper and fiber markets. We show that when the regulator...

A fundamental issues in designing any fiscal regime for non-renewable resources is the balance between rent taxes and royalties. This paper reviews the core issues that arise, in terms of both efficient rent extraction and correcting various market failures. Issues of asymmetric information, for...

I develop a stylized model of court procedures that resolve disputes concerning FRAND-encumbered standard essential patents (SEPs). I analyze the effects of injunctions and potential court-imposed FRAND rates on negotiated royalty rates. The SEP-holders' ability to hold-up is constrained by the...

Flughafengebühren sind ein wesentlicher Kostenblock in der Luftfahrtindustrie. Für Low-Cost-Carrier (Billigflieger) sind sie deshalb ein wichtiger Ansatzpunkt ihrer auf Kostenführerschaft ausgerichteten Strategie. Um Gebühren zu senken und um den Service von Flughäfen ihrem Geschäftsmodell...

This article examines the determinants of traffic volumes and the revenues per tonne generated by Spain's port authorities. The interest of the study lies on the strong differences between port authorities in a context of strict regulation but that provides some scope for price competition. We...

We investigate how port privatization affects port charges, firm profits, and welfare. Our model consists of an international duopoly with two ports and two markets. When the unit transport cost is large, privatization of ports decreases the prices for port usage, although neither government has...

The main aim of this article is to discusses theoretical issues regarding the use of carbon taxes in climate policy. The issues include inter alia: the definition of carbon and CO2 taxes, the objectives of these instruments and the tax design (the point at which the tax is levied, tax rates, tax...