Mingėlaitė, Dovilė

This article explores the impact of government financial support on the financial performance and other indicators of small businesses in Lithuania. To achieve the objective of the paper both survey method and statistical analysis are used. Research results provide evidence that there exists a statistically significant relationship between the magnitude of financial support and the financial indicators of SMEs. The impact of financial support on business performance in selected areas is stronger with an increase in the size of SMEs. This paper contributes to a better understanding of what kind of financial support and what features of aid recipients make the financial support more effective in the context of Lithuania's specific business and institutional environment.

It can be argued that the potential of the real property tax as an important source of local government revenue has not been fully exploited in Lithuania. Much has been done to improve the quality of real property assessments. Both buildings and land taxes are ad valorem taxes and the standard for assessment is a true market value. Mass valuation methods are used and the tax base of all property has to be reassessed every five years.The information on the value of property is easily accessible. In the case of discrepancies between the value produced by mass valuation and an individual valuation, the taxpayer has a right to appeal. In order to have a more productive and »equitable« real estate tax, several improvements are possible. The unification of taxation rules for real estate property (buildings and other structures) and land under a single law would produce a more transparent, simpler tax system that would also be easier to understand and administer. At the same time, the tax base could be broadened by eliminating many of the abundant exemptions and other concessions. In addition, policy makers should set the threshold for the taxation of residential real property that would be both socially just and which would generate revenue at socially acceptable and economically feasible rates.

The tax burden is a pecuniary duty owed by an individual to the state and performed by the individual personally unless the duty is taken over by another individual in accordance with valid national regulations. EU legal Acts entrench a solidary obligation to pay taxes. The solidarity principle of the tax burden was introduced into Lithuania's legislation in 2010. Lithuania's Excise Act stipulates a possibility to apply a solidary burden of excise. However, a great deal of theoretical and practical issues remain unresolved and out of the scope of scientific research and specialized brochures on taxation. The present publication analyzes how the solidary tax burden (liability) emerged in Lithuania's tax regulations, what role the institute of the solidary burden (liability) plays in tax law, how the application of the solidary excise duty (liability) is regulated, what judicial decisions apply when the tax administrator refuses to acknowledge the individual nature of the tax burden in cases of tax law violations and is convinced that such burden should be born collectively by all parties involved into the violation, and what specific questions the legislator still has to address.

The present paper is devoted to the analysis of public sector spending, the principals of rationalization and various aspects of microeconomics, which affect public spending. In the paper are analyzed the basics and fundamentals of the rationalization of public sector spending as well as fluctuations of business cycle. While analyzing the directions of governmental expenditures the authors speaks about advantages and disadvantages of the partnership of public and private sector.

For financing the implementation of social, economic and other programmes by self-governing institutions as well as for supporting the activities of self-governing institutions, certain revenue is required. One of the trends of improving the statecraft includes increasing self-support of self-governing institutions and extension of their functions upon a simultaneous settling the problem of their financing. In the Paper, the contents of the concepts of local self-government and a self-governing institution as well as functions of self-governing institutions are discussed upon. The structure of municipal budget revenue and its legal regulation are discussed upon as well. The principle of financial self-sufficiency of self-governing institutions fixed in the European Charter on Local Self- Government, its transfer to the national legal system and implementation in Lithuanian self-government are described. The causes of reducing the financial self-sufficiency of self-governing institutions are pointed out and the possible ways of their elimination are discussed upon.

Modern immovable property market is an integral part of the national economy has also an impact on other economic factors. Tax revenue is the main national budget source, which constitutes a significant proportion of the national budget. The immovable property tax is a common measure in a civilized world to fund the expenditure of the state (governments), which also allows choosing how much, what kind and at what rate a local community may get public services. The Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania has passed some substantial changes into the Law on Immovable Property Tax that came into force since January 1, 2012 and at once caused a lot of discussions regarding the made changes. If previously, individuals had to pay immovable property tax only in respect of immovable property owned, if they used it for commercial purposes, after the changes individuals must pay immovable property tax on the property owned, if its value exceeds LTL 1 000 000. Also the tariff has changed. So in the questions concerning with the mentioned substantial changes the reasons for such changes and potential problems caused by it are being analyzed and to discussed.

The control of expenditure of municipal budgets is the essential regulatory element. The municipal budget is the financial basis for the institutional functioning; therefore, local residents, I. e. taxpayers, and local authorities need to know if the budgetary appropriations are implemented lawfully and appropriately, how the budgetary funds are used and their accounts kept, if the targets have been met. The article analyses the external control system of municipal finances and its legal regulation in Lithuania; defines the concepts of municipality, financial control and financial control system; reveals the content of the internal and external control of municipal budgets. The paper provides a thorough analysis of the work carried out by the external control entities of municipal finances (municipal controllers (municipal control and audit services), the National Audit Office, and independent auditors) as well as their interrelationships.

Tax evasion could be described as an art to avoid taxes without formally violating tax laws and without reducing tax burden. When evading taxes, a chain of economic operations conforming to law is artificially created, because of which the taxpayer obtains tax advantage, and tax laws are violated indirectly, since such activities are against the meaning of taxation. Tax evasion must be distinguished from tax fraud, since these categories of tax law violation are different in their essence, they are regulated by different legislative norms, and the tax base is calculated using different methods. The article analyses the legal issues of tax evasion are examined by delimiting tax evasion from tax fraud, tax planning and tax optimisation in Lithuania. Tax evasion features and tax evasion methods are analysed. The article examines doctrines, on the basis of which the dispositions and principles of general tax evasion norms are constructed. Lithuanian judicial practice in solving tax evasion issues is reviewed.

Mokesčių harmonizavimas suprantamas, kaip tam tikras procesas, kurio metu atitinkamai suderinamos, suvienodinamos Europos Sąjungos šalių mokesčių sistemos, siekiant netrukdyti laisvo prekių, paslaugų, asmenų ir kapitalo judėjimo tarp šių šalių. Straipsnyje aptariama mokesčių harmonizavimo Europos Sąjungoje samprata, tiesioginių mokesčių suvienodinimo metodai ir modeliai. Nagrinėjamos pelno mokesčio suvienodinimo priežastys Europos Sąjungoje, aptariamos pelno mokesčio harmonizavimo sistemos. Straipsnio pabaigoje pateikiamos išvados apie galimas pasekmes suvienodinus pelno mokesčio bazę Europos Sąjungos šalyse.