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Fiscal Policy with Heterogeneous Agents and Incomplete Markets

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Heathcote, Jonathan

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Abstract

I undertake a quantitative investigation into the short run effects of changes in the timing of taxes for model economies in which heterogeneous households face a borrowing constraint. A combination of the distortionary effects of non-lump-sum taxation and the liquidity effects arising from the asset market structure are found to imply large real effects from tax changes. For example, a temporary proportional income tax increase in the benchmark model economy reduces aggregate consumption by around 29 cents for every additional dollar of tax revenue raised. The consumption of low wealth households who are close to the borrowing constraint is most sensitive to the current tax rate. While there are many such households, richer households account for a disproportionately large fraction of aggregate income and consumption. Thus the distortionary effects of proportional taxation are quantitatively more important at the aggregate level than the effects associated with incompleteness of asset markets.

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Paper provided by Duke University, Department of Economics in its series Working Papers with number 01-03.

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Date of creation: 2001
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Handle: RePEc:duk:dukeec:01-03

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
E62 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Fiscal Policy
H24 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Personal Income and Other Nonbusiness Taxes and Subsidies
H31 - Public Economics - - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents - - - Household
H63 - Public Economics - - National Budget, Deficit, and Debt - - - Debt; Debt Management

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Cited by:
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  1. Matthew Canzoneri & Robert Cumby & Behzad Diba & Olena Mykhaylova, 2006. "New Keynesian Explanations of Cyclical Movements in Aggregate Inflation and Regional Inflation Differentials," Open Economies Review, Springer, vol. 17(1), pages 27-55, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Yann Algan & Xavier Ragot, 2005. "Monetary policy with heterogenous agents and credit constraints," PSE Working Papers 2005-45, PSE (Ecole normale supérieure). [Downloadable!]
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  3. Matthews, Kent & Meenagh, David & Minford, Patrick & Webb, Bruce, 2006. "Monetary regimes: is there a trade-off between consumption and employment variability?," Cardiff Economics Working Papers E2006/12, Cardiff University, Cardiff Business School, Economics Section. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  4. José Victor Rios-Rull, 2002. "Desigualdad, ¿qué sabemos?," Investigaciones Economicas, Fundación SEPI, vol. 26(2), pages 221-254, May. [Downloadable!]
  5. Juan C. Conesa & Dirk Krueger, 1999. "Social Security Reform with Heterogeneous Agents," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 2(4), pages 757-795, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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