Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/25452 
Year of Publication: 
2005
Series/Report no.: 
CFS Working Paper No. 2005/10
Publisher: 
Goethe University Frankfurt, Center for Financial Studies (CFS), Frankfurt a. M.
Abstract: 
This paper computes the optimal progressivity of the income tax code in a dynamic general equilibrium model with household heterogeneity in which uninsurable labor productivity risk gives rise to a nontrivial income and wealth distribution. A progressive tax system serves as a partial substitute for missing insurance markets and enhances an equal distribution of economic welfare. These beneficial effects of a progressive tax system have to be traded off against the efficiency loss arising from distorting endogenous labor supply and capital accumulation decisions. Using a utilitarian steady state social welfare criterion we find that the optimal US income tax is well approximated by a flat tax rate of 17:2% and a fixed deduction of about $9,400. The steady state welfare gains from a fundamental tax reform towards this tax system are equivalent to 1:7% higher consumption in each state of the world. An explicit computation of the transition path induced by a reform of the current towards the optimal tax system indicates that a majority of the population currently alive (roughly 62%) would experience welfare gains, suggesting that such fundamental income tax reform is not only desirable, but may also be politically feasible.
Subjects: 
Progressive Taxation
Optimal Taxation
Flat Taxes
Social Insurance
Transition
JEL: 
E62
H21
H24
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Document Type: 
Working Paper

Files in This Item:
File
Size
968.17 kB





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.