IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/mes/eaeuec/v54y2016i3p191-207.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Does the Czech Tax and Benefit System Contribute to One of Europe’s Lowest Levels of Relative Income Poverty and Inequality?

Author

Listed:
  • Petr Janský
  • Klára Kalíšková
  • Daniel Münich

Abstract

The Czech Republic is home to one of the more equal societies in terms of household disposable income, and has the lowest level of relative poverty in Europe. This study shows that Czech market income is quite egalitarian, especially when pensions are included. It finds that the narrowly defined tax-benefit system (i.e., direct taxes and social benefits) does not actually change the poverty rate, and that indirect taxes increase it. It further provides the first estimates of the redistributive effectiveness and targeting of a number of social and tax policies.

Suggested Citation

  • Petr Janský & Klára Kalíšková & Daniel Münich, 2016. "Does the Czech Tax and Benefit System Contribute to One of Europe’s Lowest Levels of Relative Income Poverty and Inequality?," Eastern European Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(3), pages 191-207, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:mes:eaeuec:v:54:y:2016:i:3:p:191-207
    DOI: 10.1080/00128775.2016.1149035
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/00128775.2016.1149035
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1080/00128775.2016.1149035?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 search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Leventi, Chrysa & Rastrigina, Olga & Sutherland, Holly, 2015. "Nowcasting risk of poverty and low work intensity in Europe," EUROMOD Working Papers EM9/15, EUROMOD at the Institute for Social and Economic Research.
    2. Brada, Josef C., 2013. "The distribution of income between labor and capital is not stable: But why is that so and why does it matter?," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 333-344.
    3. Martin Guzi, 2014. "An Empirical Analysis of Welfare Dependence in the Czech Republic," Czech Journal of Economics and Finance (Finance a uver), Charles University Prague, Faculty of Social Sciences, vol. 64(5), pages 407-431, November.
    4. Holly Sutherland & Rebecca Taylor & Joanna Gomulka, 2002. "Combining Household Income and Expenditure Data in Policy Simulations," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 48(4), pages 517-536, December.
    5. Jitka Bartošová & Tomáš Želinský, 2013. "The extent of poverty in the Czech and Slovak Republics 15 years after the split," Post-Communist Economies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(1), pages 119-131, March.
    6. Caspersen, Erik & Metcalf, Gilbert E., 1994. "Is a Value Added Tax Regressive? Annual Versus Lifetime Incidence Measures," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 47(4), pages 731-746, December.
    7. Petr Janský, 2014. "Consumer Demand System Estimation and Value Added Tax Reforms in the Czech Republic," Czech Journal of Economics and Finance (Finance a uver), Charles University Prague, Faculty of Social Sciences, vol. 64(3), pages 246-273, June.
    8. repec:prg:jnlpep:v:preprint:id:537:p:1-13 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Amina Ahec �onje & Anita Ceh Casni & Maru�ka Vizek, 2012. "Does housing wealth affect private consumption in European post-transition countries? Evidence from linear and threshold models," Post-Communist Economies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(1), pages 73-85, June.
    10. Valentinova Tasseva, Iva & De Agostini, Paola & Paulus, Alari, 2015. "The effect of tax-benefit changes on the income distribution in 2008-2014," EUROMOD Working Papers EM11/15, EUROMOD at the Institute for Social and Economic Research.
    11. Petr Janský & Pavel Hait, 2016. "Inflation Differentials among Czech Households," Prague Economic Papers, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 2016(1), pages 71-84.
    12. Cormac O'Dea & Ian Preston, 2012. "The distributional impact of public spending in the UK," IFS Working Papers W12/06, Institute for Fiscal Studies.
    13. Ondřej Schneider, 2004. ": Who Pays Taxes and Who Gets Benefits in the Czech Republic," Working Papers IES 68, Charles University Prague, Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute of Economic Studies, revised 2004.
    14. repec:prg:jnlpep:v:2016:y:2016:i:1:id:537:p:1-13 is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Koen Decancq & Tim Goedemé & Karel Van den Bosch & Josefine Vanhille, 2013. "The Evolution of Poverty in the European Union: Concepts, Measurement and Data," ImPRovE Working Papers 13/01, Herman Deleeck Centre for Social Policy, University of Antwerp.
    16. Jekaterina Navicke & Olga Rastrigina & Holly Sutherland, 2014. "Nowcasting Indicators of Poverty Risk in the European Union: A Microsimulation Approach," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 119(1), pages 101-119, October.
    17. Petar Sorić, 2013. "Assessing the sensitivity of consumption expenditure to inflation sentiment in post-communist economies," Post-Communist Economies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(4), pages 529-538, December.
    18. Alex Cobham, Andy Sumner, 2013. "Is It All About the Tails? The Palma Measure of Income Inequality-Working Paper 343," Working Papers 343, Center for Global Development.
    19. Branko Milanovic, 1999. "Explaining the increase in inequality during transition," The Economics of Transition, The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, vol. 7(2), pages 299-341, July.
    20. Tomas Zelinsky, 2012. "Changes in Relative Material Deprivation in Regions of Slovakia and the Czech Republic," Panoeconomicus, Savez ekonomista Vojvodine, Novi Sad, Serbia, vol. 59(3), pages 335-353, June.
    21. Alex Cobham & Andrew Sumner, 2013. "Is it all about the tails? The Palma measure of income inequality," Working Papers 308, ECINEQ, Society for the Study of Economic Inequality.
    22. 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.
    23. Jan Cadil & Petr Mazouch & Petr Musil & Jana Kramulova, 2014. "True regional purchasing power: evidence from the Czech Republic," Post-Communist Economies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(2), pages 241-256, June.
    24. Rezankova, Hana & Zelinsky, Tomas, 2014. "Faktory míry materiální deprivace v České republice a jejich vztahy k typu domácnosti [The Factors of Material Deprivation Rate in the Czech Republic by Household Type]," MPRA Paper 76879, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    25. Nora Lustig & Sean Higgins, 2012. "Commitment to Equity Assessment (CEQ): Estimating the Incidence of Social Spending, Subsidies and Taxes Handbook," Working Papers 1219, Tulane University, Department of Economics.
    26. Kamil Galuscak & Jan Pavel, 2012. "Taxes and Benefits: Work Incentive Effects of Policies," Czech Journal of Economics and Finance (Finance a uver), Charles University Prague, Faculty of Social Sciences, vol. 62(1), pages 27-43, February.
    27. Sutherland, Holly & Taylor, Rebecca & Gomulka, Joanna, 2002. "Combining Household Income and Expenditure Data in Policy Simulations," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 48(4), pages 517-536, December.
    28. Frederic L Pryor, 2014. "A Note on Income Inequality in East and Central Europe," Comparative Economic Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Association for Comparative Economic Studies, vol. 56(1), pages 42-51, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Matěj Bajgar & Petr Janský & Klára Kalíšková, 2019. "The poor outside the lamplight: on the prevalence of poverty among population groups not included in household surveys," Post-Communist Economies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 31(2), pages 181-199, March.
    2. Tim Goedemé & Karel Van den Bosch & Lina Salanauskaite & Gerlinde Verbist, 2013. "Testing the Statistical Significance of Microsimulation Results: Often Easier than You Think. A Technical Note," ImPRovE Working Papers 13/10, Herman Deleeck Centre for Social Policy, University of Antwerp.
    3. Matěj Bajgar & Petr Janský, 2015. "Skutečná kupní síla v krajích České republiky: zohlednění regionální cenové hladiny a struktury pracovní síly [Purchasing Power in the Regions: Reflecting Price Levels and Employment Structures]," Politická ekonomie, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 2015(7), pages 860-876.
    4. Nancy Birdsall & Christian J. Meyer, 2015. "The Median is the Message: A Good Enough Measure of Material Wellbeing and Shared Development Progress," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 6(4), pages 343-357, November.
    5. Jose Cuesta & Jon Jellema & Lucia Ferrone, 2021. "Fiscal Policy, Multidimensional Poverty, and Equity in Uganda: A Child-Lens Analysis," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 33(3), pages 427-458, June.
    6. Syed Mansoob Murshed & Muhammad Badiuzzaman & Mohammad Habibullah Pulok, 2017. "Fiscal capacity and social protection expenditure in developing nations," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2017-60, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    7. Schaefer, Thilo & Peichl, Andreas, 2006. "Documentation FiFoSiM: integrated tax benefit microsimulation and CGE model," FiFo Discussion Papers - Finanzwissenschaftliche Diskussionsbeiträge 06-10, University of Cologne, FiFo Institute for Public Economics.
    8. Tomasz Serwach, 2023. "The European Union and within‐country income inequalities. The case of the new member states," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(7), pages 1890-1939, July.
    9. Simplice A. Asongu & Nicholas M. Odhiambo, 2019. "Inequality and the Economic Participation of Women in Sub-Saharan Africa: An Empirical Investigation," Working Papers of the African Governance and Development Institute. 19/027, African Governance and Development Institute..
    10. Lamarche, Pierre, 2017. "Estimating consumption in the HFCS: Experimental results on the first wave of the HFCS," Statistics Paper Series 22, European Central Bank.
    11. Chrysa Leventi & Olga Rastrigina & Holly Sutherland, 2016. "The importance of income-tested benefits in good times and bad: lessons from EU countries," ImPRovE Working Papers 16/01, Herman Deleeck Centre for Social Policy, University of Antwerp.
    12. Ekaterina Tosheva & Iva Tasseva & Dragomir Draganov & Venelin Boshnakov, 2016. "Effects of changes in tax-transfer system on households income distribution in Bulgaria: simulation analysis using EUROMOD for 2011-2015," Economic Thought journal, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences - Economic Research Institute, issue 5, pages 51-71,72-91.
    13. 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.
    14. van Sonsbeek, J.M. & Gradus, R.H.J.M., 2006. "A microsimulation analysis of the 2006 regime change in the Dutch disability scheme," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 23(3), pages 427-456, May.
    15. Cárdenas-Retamal, Roberto & Dresdner-Cid, Jorge & Ceballos-Concha, Adams, 2021. "Impact assessment of salmon farming on income distribution in remote coastal areas: The Chilean case," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    16. Ochnio Luiza & Rokicki Tomasz & Koszela Grzegorz & Klepacki Bogdan, 2019. "Diversification of Lamb Meat Imports in EU Countries and its Trends," Econometrics. Advances in Applied Data Analysis, Sciendo, vol. 23(4), pages 96-111, December.
    17. Joanna Tyrowicz & Magdalena Smyk, 2019. "Wage Inequality and Structural Change," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 141(2), pages 503-538, January.
    18. Salvatore Morelli & Timothy Smeeding & Jeffrey Thompson, 2014. "Post-1970 Trends in Within-Country Inequality and Poverty: Rich and Middle Income Countries," CSEF Working Papers 356, Centre for Studies in Economics and Finance (CSEF), University of Naples, Italy.
    19. Greselin, Francesca & Zitikis, Ricardas, 2015. "Measuring economic inequality and risk: a unifying approach based on personal gambles, societal preferences and references," MPRA Paper 65892, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    20. Syed Mansoob Murshed & Muhammad Badiuzzaman & Mohammad Habibullah Pulok, 2017. "Fiscal capacity and social protection expenditure in developing nations," WIDER Working Paper Series 060, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).

    More about this item

    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:mes:eaeuec:v:54:y:2016:i:3:p:191-207. 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: Chris Longhurst (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.tandfonline.com/MEEE20 .

    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.