EXPLANATORY FACTORS OF THE MUNICIPAL FISCAL BURDEN

This paper evaluates the municipal fiscal burden (MFB) for the years 2001-2006. We focus on two theories: the partisan politics and political strength. The former posits that left parties require higher taxes. According to the latter, strong governments are able to apply fiscal adjustments in that interest groups cannot press on these governments. In addition, we relate the MFB with some socioeconomic and demographic factors, in agreement with the extant literature. The empirical results do not indicate that the political orientation of the municipal government impacts the fiscal burden. However, evidence is found in relation with the strength of the municipal government and the electoral year. As far as socioeconomic/demographic variables are concerned, the economic level, the unemployment rate and the immigration significantly and affect the tax burden. The two latter impact positively, while the former impacts positively on the MFB. The classification of municipalities according to population thresholds, which stems from the legal obligation to provide certain services, has an effect on the MFB. However, neither total population nor population density impact the MFB.