Housing policy in the spotlight

The research article «Impact of VAT-Exemptions in the Postal Sector on Competition and Welfare» by Swiss Economics and researchers from the University of Zurich shows how service providers exempted from the obligation to pay a value-added tax are favoured in competition. Further, this unequal treatment substantially affects outsourcing decisions and the labour market.

Helmut Dietl, Christian Jaag, Markus Lang, Martin Lutzenberger and Urs Trinkner (2011). «Impact of VAT-Exemptions in the Postal Sector on Competition and Welfare». In Reinventing the Postal Sector in an Electronic Age. Edited by M. Crew and P.R. Kleindorfer, Edward Elgar, pp. 267-280.

Published in the same book: Maegli Martin, Christian Jaag, Martin Koller and Urs Trinkner (2011). «Postal Markets and Electronic Substitution: Implications for Regulatory Practices and Institutions in Europe». In Reinventing the Postal Sector in an Electronic Age. Edited by M. Crew and P.R. Kleindorfer, Edward Elgar, pp. 109-122.

The research article «The interaction between universal service costing and financing in the postal sector: a calibrated approach» by Christian Jaag and Urs Trinkner has been published in the Journal of Regulatory Economics.

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The presentation illustrates the distortive effects of VAT exemptions on competition in a newly liberalized industry and how they can be included in the calculation of the net cost of universal service obligations.

Swiss Economics presented the paper «An Economic Framework to Understand and Assess Regulations in Network Industries» at the 2010 Conference on Competition and Regulation in Network Industries.

In addition to a theoretical framework, he also presented two applications: Liberalization in network industries and the development of regulation in the postal sector.

Oliver Fürst holds a Master of Arts in Economics and Business Administration from the University of Zurich. At Swiss Economics he works as a consultant for strategy and regulation in network industries.

Post Office Network Realignments and their Impact on Innovation
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Postal Regulation, Declining Mail Volumes, and the Transformation of Business Models?
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Postal markets and electronic substitution: What is the impact of intermodal competition on regulatory practices and institutions? The paper has received the «best paper award».
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• Impact of VAT-Exemptions in the Postal Sector on Competition and Welfare
• Postal Markets and Electronic Substitution: What is the Impact of Convergence on Regulatory Practices and Institutions?
• Practical Approaches to USO Costing and Financing

Christian Jaag gave a presentation on «Approaches to FTTH-Regulation: An International Comparison» at the 2nd Annual Conference on Competition and Regulation in Network Industries.

At the «IPC Senior Executive Forum on Regulation» Urs Trinkner has given a presentation on «Shaping the USO? An Outline of Thought from an Economic Perspective».

At the 42nd Freiburger Verkehrsseminar, Christian Jaag gave a presentation on «Preisobergrenzen in liberalisierten Postmärkten» (in German).