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Progressive taxation and macroeconomic (In) stability with productive government spending

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  • Chen, Shu-Hua
  • Guo, Jang-Ting

Abstract

This paper systematically examines the interrelations between a progressive income tax schedule and macroeconomic (in)stability in an otherwise standard one-sector real business model with productive government spending. We analytically show that the economy exhibits indeterminacy and sunspots if and only if the equilibrium after-tax wage-hours locus is positively sloped and steeper than the household's labor supply curve. Unlike in the framework with useless public expenditures, a less progressive tax policy may operate like an automatic stabilizer that mitigates belief-driven cyclical fluctuations. Moreover, our quantitative analysis shows that this result is able to provide a theoretically plausible explanation for the discernible reduction in US output volatility after the Tax Reform Act of 1986 was implemented.

Suggested Citation

  • Chen, Shu-Hua & Guo, Jang-Ting, 2013. "Progressive taxation and macroeconomic (In) stability with productive government spending," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 37(5), pages 951-963.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:dyncon:v:37:y:2013:i:5:p:951-963
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jedc.2013.01.004
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    3. Been-Lon Chen & Mei Hsu & Yu-Shan Hsu, 2018. "Progressive taxation and macroeconomic stability in two-sector models with social constant returns," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 125(1), pages 51-68, September.
    4. Yan Zhang, 2021. "Income effects, stabilization policy, and indeterminacy in one-sector models," Annals of Economics and Finance, Society for AEF, vol. 22(1), pages 109-133, May.
    5. Chen, Shu-Hua, 2020. "Inequality-growth nexus under progressive income taxation," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    6. Juin‐Jen Chang & Jang‐Ting Guo & Jhy‐Yuan Shieh & Wei‐Neng Wang, 2015. "Sectoral Composition Of Government Spending And Macroeconomic (In)Stability," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 53(1), pages 23-33, January.
    7. Juin‐Jen Chang & Jang‐Ting Guo & Jhy‐Yuan Shieh & Wei‐Neng Wang, 2019. "Sectoral composition of government spending, distortionary income taxation, and macroeconomic (in)stability," International Journal of Economic Theory, The International Society for Economic Theory, vol. 15(1), pages 95-107, March.
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    9. Chen, Been-Lon & Hu, Yunfang & Mino, Kazuo, 2020. "Income Taxation Rules and Stability of a Small Open Economy," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    10. George Economides & Apostolis Philippopoulos & Stylianos Sakkas, 2021. "Redistributive policies in general equilibrium," JRC Working Papers on Territorial Modelling and Analysis 2021-08, Joint Research Centre.
    11. Francesco Carli & Leonor Modesto, 2022. "Sovereign debt, fiscal policy, and macroeconomic instability," Journal of Public Economic Theory, Association for Public Economic Theory, vol. 24(6), pages 1386-1412, December.
    12. Chen, Shu-Hua & Guo, Jang-Ting, 2014. "Progressive taxation and macroeconomic (in)stability with utility-generating government spending," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 174-183.
    13. Engler, Philipp & Strehl, Wolfgang, 2016. "The macroeconomic effects of progressive taxes and welfare," Discussion Papers 2016/23, Free University Berlin, School of Business & Economics.
    14. Shu-Hua Chen & Jang-Ting Guo, 2019. "Progressive taxation as an automatic destabilizer under endogenous growth," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 127(1), pages 47-71, June.
    15. Zhang, Yan, 2020. "Stabilization policy and indeterminacy in a small open economy," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 159-167.
    16. Keinsley, Andrew, 2016. "Indexing the income tax code, monetary/fiscal interaction, and the great moderation," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 1-20.
    17. Maxime Menuet & Alexandru Minea & Patrick Villieu, 2019. "Increasing Returns, Balanced-Budget Rules, and Aggregate Fluctuations," Working Papers hal-02153853, HAL.
    18. Carneiro, Fernando Moraes & Turnovsky, Stephen J. & Tourinho, Octavio Augusto Fontes, 2022. "Economic growth and inequality tradeoffs under progressive taxation," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    19. Been-Lon Chen & Yunfang Hu & Kazuo Mino, 2018. "Does Nonlinear Taxation Stabilize Small Open Economies?," KIER Working Papers 997, Kyoto University, Institute of Economic Research.
    20. Jay H. Hong & Byoung Hoon Seok & Hye Mi You, 2019. "Wage Volatility And Changing Patterns Of Labor Supply," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 60(2), pages 595-630, May.
    21. Jang-Ting Guo & Sharon G. Harrison, 2015. "Indeterminacy with Progressive Taxation and Sector-Specific Externalities," Pacific Economic Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(2), pages 268-281, May.
    22. Wei Bin Zhang, 2015. "Progressive Income Taxation and Economic Growth with Endogenous Labor Supply and Public Good," European Journal of Economics and Business Studies Articles, Revistia Research and Publishing, vol. 1, September.
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    24. Shian -Jang Tzeng & Yirui Xu & Jianfu Ding & Yongyou Li & Hongshi Jin, 2021. "The dynamic analysis of maintenance policy in a growing economy with public capital," International Journal of Economic Policy Studies, Springer, vol. 15(1), pages 183-204, February.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Progressive income taxation; Equilibrium (in)determinacy; Productive government spending; Business cycles;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles
    • E62 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Fiscal Policy; Modern Monetary Theory

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