IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/itaxpf/v27y2020i5d10.1007_s10797-019-09580-7.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Size and distributional pattern of pension-related tax expenditures in European countries

Author

Listed:
  • Salvador Barrios

    (Joint Research Centre)

  • Flavia Coda Moscarola

    (CeRP Collegio Carlo Alberto)

  • Francesco Figari

    (CeRP Collegio Carlo Alberto
    University of Insubria
    University of Essex
    Dondena University Bocconi)

  • Luca Gandullia

    (University of Genoa)

Abstract

This paper quantifies the fiscal and distributional impact of tax expenditures related to public and private contributory pension schemes, affecting both contributions and pension benefits, in all EU Member States using EUROMOD, the EU-wide microsimulation model. Adopting a benchmark system in which pension contributions are exempt and taxes apply when benefits are received (EET system), we find that pension-related tax expenditures can have a sizeable impact on revenue and strong effects on inequality and poverty. Tax expenditures tend to be progressive on two levels: first, among pensioners, by favoring those with lower incomes, mainly as a result of the preferential treatment given to pension incomes; and, second, among people of working age, through a partial or no deduction of pension contributions, draining resources from those at the top of the income distribution. Moreover, embracing a lifetime perspective, tax expenditures tend to redistribute resources in favor of women and low-educated individuals.

Suggested Citation

  • Salvador Barrios & Flavia Coda Moscarola & Francesco Figari & Luca Gandullia, 2020. "Size and distributional pattern of pension-related tax expenditures in European countries," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 27(5), pages 1287-1320, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:itaxpf:v:27:y:2020:i:5:d:10.1007_s10797-019-09580-7
    DOI: 10.1007/s10797-019-09580-7
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10797-019-09580-7
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10797-019-09580-7?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to look for a different version below or search for a different version of it.

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Clinton, Kevin & Kumhof, Michael & Laxton, Douglas & Mursula, Susanna, 2011. "Deficit reduction: Short-term pain for long-term gain," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 55(1), pages 118-139, January.
    2. Philipp Doerrenberg & Andreas Peichl & Sebastian Siegloch, 2017. "The Elasticity of Taxable Income in the Presence of Deduction Possibilities," NBER Chapters, in: Personal Income Taxation and Household Behavior (TAPES), National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. François Bourguignon & Amedeo Spadaro, 2006. "Microsimulation as a tool for evaluating redistribution policies," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 4(1), pages 77-106, April.
    4. Dolls, Mathias & Fuest, Clemens & Peichl, Andreas, 2012. "Automatic stabilizers and economic crisis: US vs. Europe," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 96(3), pages 279-294.
    5. (IFS), Institute for Fiscal Studies & Mirrlees, James (ed.), 2011. "Tax By Design: The Mirrlees Review," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199553747.
    6. Harry Ter Rele, 2007. "Measuring The Lifetime Redistribution Achieved By Dutch Taxation, Cash Transfer And Non‐Cash Benefits Programs," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 53(2), pages 335-362, June.
    7. Toder, Eric J., 2000. "Tax Cuts or Spending--Does It Make a Difference?," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 53(3), pages 361-372, September.
    8. Leonard E. Burman & Christopher Geissler & Eric J. Toder, 2008. "How Big Are Total Individual Income Tax Expenditures, and Who Benefits from Them?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 98(2), pages 79-83, May.
    9. Avram, Silvia, 2014. "The distributional effects of personal income tax expenditure," EUROMOD Working Papers EM14/14, EUROMOD at the Institute for Social and Economic Research.
    10. Salvador Barrios & Francesco Figari & Luca Gandullia & Sara Riscado, 2016. "The fiscal and equity impact of tax expenditures in the European Union," JRC Working Papers on Taxation & Structural Reforms 2016-01, Joint Research Centre.
    11. Salvador Barrios & Serena Fatica & Diego Martinez-Lopez & Gilles Mourre, 2018. "The Fiscal Effects of Work-related Tax Expenditures in Europe," Public Finance Review, , vol. 46(5), pages 793-820, September.
    12. Edward Whitehouse, 2005. "Taxation : The Tax Treatment of Funded Pensions," World Bank Publications - Reports 11211, The World Bank Group.
    13. Carroll, Robert & Joulfaian, David & Mackie, James, 2011. "Income Versus Consumption Tax Baselines for Tax Expenditures," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 64(2), pages 491-510, June.
    14. Borella, Margherita & Moscarola, Flavia Coda, 2010. "Microsimulation of pension reforms: behavioural versus nonbehavioural approach," Journal of Pension Economics and Finance, Cambridge University Press, vol. 9(4), pages 583-607, October.
    15. Mathias Dolls & Karina Doorley & Alari Paulus & Hilmar Schneider & Eric Sommer, 2019. "Demographic change and the European income distribution," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 17(3), pages 337-357, September.
    16. Philipp Doerrenberg & Andreas Peichl, 2014. "The impact of redistributive policies on inequality in OECD countries," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 46(17), pages 2066-2086, June.
    17. Raj Chetty & John N. Friedman & Søren Leth-Petersen & Torben Heien Nielsen & Tore Olsen, 2014. "Active vs. Passive Decisions and Crowd-Out in Retirement Savings Accounts: Evidence from Denmark," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 129(3), pages 1141-1219.
    18. Olivier Bargain & Kristian Orsini & Andreas Peichl, 2014. "Comparing Labor Supply Elasticities in Europe and the United States: New Results," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 49(3), pages 723-838.
    19. Doerrenberg, Philipp & Peichl, Andreas & Siegloch, Sebastian, 2014. "Sufficient Statistic or Not? The Elasticity of Taxable Income in the Presence of Deduction Possibilities," IZA Discussion Papers 8554, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    20. Monique Ebell & Angus Armstrong & Philip Davis, 2015. "An economic analysis of the existing taxation of pensions (EET) versus an alternative regime (TEE)," National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) Discussion Papers 455, National Institute of Economic and Social Research.
    21. Chen, Damiaan H. J. & Beetsma, Roel M. W. J. & Ponds, Eduard H. M. & Romp, Ward E., 2016. "Intergenerational risk-sharing through funded pensions and public debt," Journal of Pension Economics and Finance, Cambridge University Press, vol. 15(2), pages 127-159, April.
    22. Zaidi, Asghar & Grech, Aaron George & Fuchs, Michael, 2006. "Pension policy in EU25 and its possible impact on elderly poverty," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 6225, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    23. Philip Booth & Deborah Cooper, 2002. "The tax treatment of UK defined contribution pension schemes," Fiscal Studies, Institute for Fiscal Studies, vol. 23(1), pages 77-104, March.
    24. (IFS), Institute for Fiscal Studies (ed.), 2010. "Dimensions of Tax Design: The Mirrlees Review," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199553754.
    25. Disney, Richard, 2007. "Population ageing and the size of the welfare state: Is there a puzzle to explain?," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 23(2), pages 542-553, June.
    26. Olivier Bargain & Kristian Orsini & Andreas Peichl, 2012. "Comparing Labor Supply Elasticities in Europe and the US: New Results," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 525, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    27. Orazio Attanasio & James Banks & Matthew Wakefield, 2004. "Effectiveness of tax incentives to boost (retirement) saving: theoretical motivation and empirical evidence," IFS Working Papers W04/33, Institute for Fiscal Studies.
    28. Galasso, Vincenzo & Profeta, Paola, 2002. "The political economy of social security: a survey," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 1-29, March.
    29. Avram, Silvia, 2014. "The distributional effects of personal income tax expenditure," ISER Working Paper Series 2014-26, Institute for Social and Economic Research.
    30. Toder, Eric J., 2000. "Tax Cuts or Spending--Does it Make a Difference?," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association, vol. 53(n. 3), pages 361-72, September.
    31. Auerbach, Alan J., 2012. "The Mirrlees Review: A U.S. Perspective," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 65(3), pages 685-708, September.
    32. Leonard E. Burman & Marvin Phaup, 2012. "Tax Expenditures, the Size and Efficiency of Government, and Implications for Budget Reform," NBER Chapters, in: Tax Policy and the Economy, Volume 26, pages 93-124, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    33. Katarzyna Romaniuk, 2013. "Pension fund taxation and risk-taking: should we switch from the EET to the TEE regime?," Annals of Finance, Springer, vol. 9(4), pages 573-588, November.
    34. Robert Holzmann & David A. Robalino & Noriyuki Takayama, 2009. "Closing the Coverage Gap : The Role of Social Pensions and Other Retirement Income Transfers," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 2651, December.
    35. Giacomo Corneo & Johannes König & Carsten Schröder, 2018. "Distributional Effects of Subsidizing Retirement Savings Accounts: Evidence from Germany," FinanzArchiv: Public Finance Analysis, Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, vol. 74(4), pages 415-445, December.
    36. Burton,Mark & Sadiq,Kerrie, 2013. "Tax Expenditure Management," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781107007369.
    37. Leonard E. Burman & Marvin Phaup, 2012. "Tax Expenditures, the Size and Efficiency of Government, and Implications for Budget Reform," Tax Policy and the Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 26(1), pages 93-124.
    38. Holly Sutherland & Francesco Figari, 2013. "EUROMOD: the European Union tax-benefit microsimulation model," International Journal of Microsimulation, International Microsimulation Association, vol. 1(6), pages 4-26.
    39. Miche l L. Collins & Mary Walsh, 2011. "Tax Expenditures: Revenue and Information Forgone - the experience of Ireland," Trinity Economics Papers tep1211, Trinity College Dublin, Department of Economics.
    40. Francesco Figari & Manos Matsaganis & Holly Sutherland, 2013. "The financial well-being of elderly people in Europe and the redistributive effects of minimum pension schemes," Rivista italiana degli economisti, Società editrice il Mulino, issue 2, pages 149-174.
    41. Grech, Aaron George, 2006. "Elderly poverty in EU25," MPRA Paper 33618, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    42. Alan J. Auerbach & Jagadeesh Gokhale & Laurence J. Kotlikoff, 1994. "Generational Accounting: A Meaningful Way to Evaluate Fiscal Policy," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 8(1), pages 73-94, Winter.
    43. Koen Caminada & Kees Goudswaard, 2008. "Revenue Effects of Tax Facilities for Pension Savings," Atlantic Economic Journal, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 36(2), pages 233-246, June.
    44. Beetsma, R. & Romp, W., 2016. "Intergenerational Risk Sharing," Handbook of the Economics of Population Aging, in: Piggott, John & Woodland, Alan (ed.), Handbook of the Economics of Population Aging, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 0, pages 311-380, Elsevier.
    45. Immervoll, Herwig & Kleven, Henrik Jacobsen & Kreiner, Claus Thustrup & Verdelin, Nicolaj, 2011. "Optimal tax and transfer programs for couples with extensive labor supply responses," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(11), pages 1485-1500.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. IVASKAITE-TAMOSIUNE Viginta & THIEMANN Andreas, 2021. "The budgetary and redistributive impact of pension taxation in the EU: A microsimulation analysis," JRC Working Papers on Taxation & Structural Reforms 2021-08, Joint Research Centre.
    2. Christl, Michael & De Poli, Silvia & Ivaškaitė-Tamošiūnė, Viginta, 2021. "Does it pay to say "I do"? Marriage bonuses and penalties across the EU," GLO Discussion Paper Series 906, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    3. Bernd Genser & Robert Holzmann, 2020. "Taxing German Old-age Pensions Fairly and Effciently," ifo DICE Report, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 17(04), pages 36-40, January.
    4. Diego d'Andria & Jason DeBacker & Richard Evans & Jonathan Pycroft & Magdalena Zachlod-Jelec, 2019. "Micro-founded tax policy effects in a heterogenenous-agent macro-model," JRC Working Papers on Taxation & Structural Reforms 2019-01, Joint Research Centre.
    5. Bernd Genser & Robert Holzmann, 2020. "Are Dutch Old-Age Pensions Taxed Fairly and Efficiently?," CESifo Working Paper Series 8444, CESifo.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Nathalie Morel & Chloé Touzet & Michaël Zemmour, 2016. "Fiscal welfare in Europe: a state of the art," Working Papers hal-02187913, HAL.
    2. Mathias Dolls & Karina Doorley & Alari Paulus & Hilmar Schneider & Sebastian Siegloch & Eric Sommer, 2017. "Fiscal sustainability and demographic change: a micro-approach for 27 EU countries," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 24(4), pages 575-615, August.
    3. Olivier Bargain, 2017. "Welfare analysis and redistributive policies," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 15(4), pages 393-419, December.
    4. Andrea Albarea & Michele Bernasconi & Cinzia Di Novi & Anna Marenzi & Dino Rizzi & Francesca Zantomio, 2015. "Accounting for Tax Evasion Profiles and Tax Expenditures in Microsimulation Modelling. The BETAMOD Model for Personal Income Taxes in Italy," International Journal of Microsimulation, International Microsimulation Association, vol. 8(3), pages 99-136.
    5. Charlotte Bartels & Cortnie Shupe, 2023. "Drivers of participation elasticities across Europe: gender or earner role within the household?," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 30(1), pages 167-214, February.
    6. Bofinger, Peter & Schnabel, Isabel & Feld, Lars P. & Schmidt, Christoph M. & Wieland, Volker, 2015. "Zukunftsfähigkeit in den Mittelpunkt. Jahresgutachten 2015/16 [Focus on Future Viability. Annual Report 2015/16]," Annual Economic Reports / Jahresgutachten, German Council of Economic Experts / Sachverständigenrat zur Begutachtung der gesamtwirtschaftlichen Entwicklung, volume 127, number 201516.
    7. Salvador Barrios & Mathias Dolls & Anamaria Maftei & Andreas Peichl & Sara Riscado & Janos Varga & Christian Wittneben, 2019. "Dynamic Scoring Of Tax Reforms In The European Union," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 38(1), pages 239-262, January.
    8. Mathias Dolls & Karina Doorley & Alari Paulus & Hilmar Schneider & Eric Sommer, 2019. "Demographic change and the European income distribution," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 17(3), pages 337-357, September.
    9. Caterina Astarita & Salvador Barrios & Francesca D'Auria & Anamaria Maftei & Philipp Mohl & Matteo Salto & Marie-Luise Schmitz & Alberto Tumino & Edouard Turkisch, 2018. "Impact of fiscal policy on income distribution," Report on Public Finances in EMU, Directorate General Economic and Financial Affairs (DG ECFIN), European Commission, pages 71-131, January.
    10. Salvador Barrios & Francesco Figari & Luca Gandullia & Sara Riscado, 2016. "The fiscal and equity impact of tax expenditures in the European Union," JRC Working Papers on Taxation & Structural Reforms 2016-01, Joint Research Centre.
    11. Mukherjee, Sacchidananda, 2022. "Trends and Patterns of Tax Expenditures on Union Taxes in India," Working Papers 22/380, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy.
    12. Caterina Astarita & Gaetano D'Adamo, 2017. "Inequality and Structural Reforms: Methodological Concerns and Lessons from Policy," European Economy - Discussion Papers 071, Directorate General Economic and Financial Affairs (DG ECFIN), European Commission.
    13. Löffler, Max & Peichl, Andreas & Siegloch, Sebastian, 2013. "Validating Structural Labor Supply Models," VfS Annual Conference 2013 (Duesseldorf): Competition Policy and Regulation in a Global Economic Order 79819, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    14. Jörg Paetzold & Markus Tiefenbacher, 2018. "Distributional and revenue effects of a tax shift from labor to property," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 25(5), pages 1215-1251, October.
    15. Alari PaulusBy & Francesco Figari & Holly Sutherland, 2017. "The design of fiscal consolidation measures in the European Union: distributional effects and implications for macro-economic recovery," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 69(3), pages 632-654.
    16. Agustin Redonda, 2016. "Tax Expenditures and Sustainability. An Overview," Discussion Notes 1603, Council on Economic Policies.
    17. Dieter Vandelannoote & Gerlinde Verbist, 2016. "The design of in-work benefits: how to boost employment and combat poverty in Belgium," ImPRovE Working Papers 16/15, Herman Deleeck Centre for Social Policy, University of Antwerp.
    18. Benczúr, Péter & Kátay, Gábor & Kiss, Áron, 2018. "Assessing the economic and social impact of tax and benefit reforms: A general-equilibrium microsimulation approach applied to Hungary," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 441-457.
    19. Dolls, Mathias & Wittneben, Christian, 2017. "Dynamic Scoring of Tax Reforms in the EU," VfS Annual Conference 2017 (Vienna): Alternative Structures for Money and Banking 168261, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    20. Salvador Barrios & Viginta Ivaškaitė-Tamošiūnė & Anamaria Maftei & Edlira Narazani & Janos Varga, 2020. "Progressive Tax Reforms in Flat Tax Countries," Eastern European Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 58(2), pages 83-107, March.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Tax expenditures; EUROMOD; Simulations; Pensions;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H5 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies
    • H23 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Externalities; Redistributive Effects; Environmental Taxes and Subsidies
    • H24 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Personal Income and Other Nonbusiness Taxes and Subsidies

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:itaxpf:v:27:y:2020:i:5:d:10.1007_s10797-019-09580-7. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.