On the classical theory of taxation: An analysis of tax incidence in input-output tables of the U.S. economy

This dissertation addresses the following question: to what extent does the classical theory of taxation (Adam Smith, David Ricardo, and Karl Marx) provide us with ideas relevant for modern economies?; The dissertation starts with a critical review of the contributions on the question of taxation by the physiocratic, classical and neo-classical schools of economic thought. The purpose of this review is to establish a connection between these theories and the approach based on the classical theory of taxation and at the same time to lay out the groundwork for further research.; By referring to a detailed linear model of production and initially to a representative numerical example, we analyze the comparative static and dynamic effects of different tax scenarios on the relative prices and the economy's average rate of profit.; Finally, we operationalize the classical model of taxation using input-output tables for the U.S. economy for each of the postwar benchmark years of 1958, 1963, 1967, 1972 and 1977. In the course of our analysis, although the dissertation focuses mainly on microeconomic questions, we also discuss some macroeconomic questions.