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Understanding international differences in the skill premium: The role of capital taxes and transfers

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  • Takahashi, Shuhei
  • Yamada, Ken

Abstract

We show that the size of the tax and transfer system affects the level of wage inequality in a heterogeneous agent/incomplete markets model, extended to allow for capital–skill complementarity. The skill premium can decrease significantly with an increase in the size of the tax and transfer system due to a rise in the capital income tax rate when idiosyncratic shocks to labor productivity are not insurable. The differences in the steady-state skill premium under different capital income tax rates are consistent with those observed across countries.

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  • Takahashi, Shuhei & Yamada, Ken, 2022. "Understanding international differences in the skill premium: The role of capital taxes and transfers," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:dyncon:v:143:y:2022:i:c:s0165188922002159
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jedc.2022.104511
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Wage inequality; Capital–Skill complementarity; Incomplete markets; Capital income taxes; Composition effect;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E13 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General Aggregative Models - - - Neoclassical
    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity
    • E62 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Fiscal Policy; Modern Monetary Theory
    • H24 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Personal Income and Other Nonbusiness Taxes and Subsidies
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials

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