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The Optimal Taxation of Height: A Case Study of Utilitarian Income Redistribution

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  • N. Gregory Mankiw
  • Matthew Weinzierl

Abstract

Should the income tax include a credit for short taxpayers and a surcharge for tall ones? The standard utilitarian framework for tax analysis answers this question in the affirmative. Moreover, a plausible parameterization using data on height and wages implies a substantial height tax: a tall person earning $50,000 should pay $4,500 more in tax than a short person. One interpretation is that personal attributes correlated with wages should be considered more widely for determining taxes. Alternatively, if policies such as a height tax are rejected, then the standard utilitarian framework must fail to capture intuitive notions of distributive justice. (JEL D64, H21, H23, H24, J11)

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File URL: http://www.aeaweb.org/articles.php?doi=10.1257/pol.2.1.155
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Bibliographic Info

Article provided by American Economic Association in its journal American Economic Journal: Economic Policy.

Volume (Year): 2 (2010)
Issue (Month): 1 (February)
Pages: 155-76

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Handle: RePEc:aea:aejpol:v:2:y:2010:i:1:p:155-76

Note: DOI: 10.1257/pol.2.1.155
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  1. Does being short make you more likely to be a criminal?
    by Adam Ozimek in Modeled Behavior on 2010-05-03 11:39:11
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