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Taxing Capital? Not a Bad Idea after All!

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Author Info
Juan Carlos Conesa
Sagiri Kitao
Dirk Krueger

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Abstract

We quantitatively characterize the optimal capital and labor income tax in an overlapping generations model with idiosyncratic, uninsurable income shocks and permanent productivity differences of households. The optimal capital income tax rate is significantly positive at 36 percent. The optimal progressive labor income tax is, roughly, a flat tax of 23 percent with a deduction of $7,200 (relative to average household income of $42,000). The high optimal capital income tax is mainly driven by the life-cycle structure of the model, whereas the optimal progressivity of the labor income tax is attributable to the insurance and redistribution role of the tax system. (JEL E13, H21, H24, H25)

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Article provided by American Economic Association in its journal American Economic Review.

Volume (Year): 99 (2009)
Issue (Month): 1 (March)
Pages: 25-48
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Handle: RePEc:aea:aecrev:v:99:y:2009:i:1:p:25-48

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Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
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Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Juan Carlos Conesa & Dirk Krueger, 2005. "On the Optimal Progressivity of the Income Tax Code," CFS Working Paper Series 2005/10, Center for Financial Studies. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  2. Karsten Jeske & Sagiri Kitao, 2007. "U.S. tax policy and health insurance demand: can a regressive policy improve welfare?," Working Paper 2007-13, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  3. Mark Huggett (Georgetown University) and Juan Carlos Parra (Georgetown University), . "Quantifying the Inefficiency of the US Social Insurance System," Working Papers gueconwpa~05-05-16, Georgetown University, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  4. Juergen Jung, 2008. "The Timing of Redistribution," Caepr Working Papers 2008-015, Center for Applied Economics and Policy Research, Economics Department, Indiana University Bloomington. [Downloadable!]
  5. Charles Grant & Christos Koulovatianos & Alexander Michaelides & Mario Padula, 2006. "Evidence on the Insurance Effect of Redistributive Taxation," Vienna Economics Papers 1206, University of Vienna, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
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  6. Mark Huggett & Juan Carols Parra, . "How Well Does the US Social Insurance System Provide Social Insurance?," Working Papers gueconwpa~06-06-11, Georgetown University, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  7. Sagiri Kitao, 2008. "Entrepreneurship, taxation and capital investment," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 11(1), pages 44-69, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. Grant, Charles & Koulovatianos, Christos & Michaelides, Alexander & Padula, Mario, 2008. "Evidence on the Insurance Effect of Marginal Income Taxes," CEPR Discussion Papers 6710, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  9. François Gourio, 2008. "Is there a majority to support a capital tax cut?," Boston University - Department of Economics - Working Papers Series wp2008-001, Boston University - Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  10. Stefania Albanesi & Roc Armenter, 2007. "Intertemporal Distortions in the Second Best," Discussion Papers 0708-08, Columbia University, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
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