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Pareto-improving tax policies under hyperbolic discounting

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  • Minwook Kang

    (Nanyang Technological University)

Abstract

This paper investigates the welfare implications of tax policies in the economy with present-biased consumers. We show that consumption taxes, income subsidies, or capital subsidies can improve not only hyperbolically discounted intertemporal utilities, but also exponentially discounted commitment utilities. This finding implies that both consumers and the government can have incentives to adopt tax policies against present-biased decisions. All the results are shown in a three-period model with general utility and production functions. A steady-state analysis indicates that the proposed tax policy is effective in recovering the welfare/capital loss due to consumers’ present bias.

Suggested Citation

  • Minwook Kang, 2019. "Pareto-improving tax policies under hyperbolic discounting," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 26(3), pages 618-660, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:itaxpf:v:26:y:2019:i:3:d:10.1007_s10797-018-9527-y
    DOI: 10.1007/s10797-018-9527-y
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    Cited by:

    1. Kang, Minwook & Ye, Lei Sandy, 2023. "Dividend and corporate income taxation with present-biased consumers," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    2. Maria Arvaniti & Chandra K. Krishnamurthy & Anne-Sophie Crépin, 2019. "Time-consistent resource management with regime shifts," CER-ETH Economics working paper series 19/329, CER-ETH - Center of Economic Research (CER-ETH) at ETH Zurich.
    3. Aviad Heifetz & Enrico Minelli & Herakles Polemarchakis, 2021. "Liberal parentalism," Journal of Public Economic Theory, Association for Public Economic Theory, vol. 23(6), pages 1107-1129, December.
    4. Kang, Minwook, 2020. "Demand deposit contracts and bank runs with present biased preferences," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    5. Kang, Minwook, 2022. "The positive impact of investment subsidies on the economy with present-biased consumers," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 229-235.
    6. Arvaniti, Maria & Krishnamurthy, Chandra Kiran B. & Crépin, Anne-Sophie, 2023. "Time-consistent renewable resource management with present bias and regime shifts," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 207(C), pages 479-495.
    7. Kang, Minwook & Kim, Eungsik, 2023. "A government policy with time-inconsistent consumers," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 214(C), pages 44-67.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Present bias; Hyperbolic discounting; Pareto-improving tax policies; Long-term perspective preferences; Steady-state analysis;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E03 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General - - - Behavioral Macroeconomics
    • E21 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Consumption; Saving; Wealth
    • H21 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Efficiency; Optimal Taxation

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