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Progressive taxation as an automatic destabilizer under endogenous growth

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  • Shu-Hua Chen

    (National Taipei University)

  • Jang-Ting Guo

    (University of California)

Abstract

It has been shown that in an otherwise standard one-sector real business cycle model with an indeterminate steady state under laissez faire, sufficiently progressive income taxation may stabilize the economy against aggregate fluctuations caused by agents’ animal spirits. We show that this previous finding can be overturned within an identical model which allows for sustained endogenous growth. Specifically, progressive taxation may operate like an automatic destabilizer that leads to equilibrium indeterminacy and sunspot-driven cyclical fluctuations in an endogenously growing macroeconomy. This instability result is obtained under two tractable progressive tax policy formulations that have been considered in the existing literature.

Suggested Citation

  • 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.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jeczfn:v:127:y:2019:i:1:d:10.1007_s00712-018-0623-3
    DOI: 10.1007/s00712-018-0623-3
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    Cited by:

    1. 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.
    2. Zhiming Fu & Antoine Le Riche, 2021. "Progressive consumption tax and monetary policy in an endogenous growth model," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 133(3), pages 271-293, August.
    3. Been-Lon Chen & Yunfang Hu & Kazuo Mino, 2016. "Stabilization Effects of Taxation Rules in Small-Open Economies with Endogenous Growth," KIER Working Papers 946, Kyoto University, Institute of Economic Research.
    4. Shu-Hua Chen & Jang-Ting Guo, 2016. "Progressive Taxation, Endogenous Growth, And Macroeconomic (In)Stability," Bulletin of Economic Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 68(S1), pages 20-27, December.
    5. Krajňák Michal, 2023. "Does the Type of Nominal Personal Income Tax Rate Affect Its Progressivity? A Case Study from the Czech Republic," Business Systems Research, Sciendo, vol. 14(1), pages 93-111, September.
    6. Aleksandar Vasilev, 2016. "Progressive taxation and (in)stability in an endogenous growth model with human capital accumulation," Journal of Economics and Econometrics, Economics and Econometrics Society, vol. 59(2), pages 1-15.
    7. Vasilev, Aleksandar, 2016. "Progressive taxation and (in)stability in an endogenous growth model with human capital accumulation: the case of Bulgaria," EconStor Preprints 144212, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    8. Chen, Shu-Hua, 2019. "On economic growth and automatic stabilizers under linearly progressive income taxation," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 378-395.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Progressive income taxation; Automatic stabilizer; Equilibrium indeterminacy; Endogenous growth;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E62 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Fiscal Policy; Modern Monetary Theory
    • O41 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - One, Two, and Multisector Growth Models

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