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Taxation of Labor Income and the Demand For Risky Assets

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Douglas W. Elmendorf
Miles S. Kimball

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Abstract

The effect of uninsured labor income risk on the joint saving/portfolio composition decision is analyzed using new techniques from the theory of multiple risk-bearing. Applying this analysis, the effect of labor income taxes on the demand for risky securities is considered. It is well known that when private insurance markets are incomplete, the insurance afforded by labor income taxes can reduce overall saving. This paper establishes that - given plausible restrictions on preferences - the insurance afforded by labor income taxes increases the demand for risky securities, even when labor income is statistically independent of the returns to risky securities.

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Paper provided by National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc in its series NBER Working Papers with number 3904.

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Date of creation: Nov 1991
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Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:3904

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References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
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  19. Robert C. Merton, 1983. "On the Role of Social Security as a Means for Efficient Risk Sharing in an Economy Where Human Capital Is Not Tradable," NBER Chapters, in: Financial Aspects of the United States Pension System, pages 325-358 National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!]
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  34. Kimball, Miles S & Mankiw, N Gregory, 1989. "Precautionary Saving and the Timing of Taxes," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 97(4), pages 863-79, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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Full references

Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Dana P. Goldman & Nicole Maestas, 2007. "Medical Expenditure Risk and Household Portfolio Choice," Working Papers 325-1, RAND Corporation Publications Department. [Downloadable!]
  2. Atreya Chakraborty & Mark Kazarosian, 1999. "Portfolio Allocation of Precautionary Assets: Panel Evidence for the United States," Boston College Working Papers in Economics 432, Boston College Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  3. Miles S. Kimball, 1990. "Precautionary Saving and the Marginal Propensity to Consume," NBER Working Papers 3403, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. EECKHOUDT, Louis & Christian GOLLIER & Harris SCHLESINGER, 1994. "Changes in Background Risk and Risk Taking Behavior," Working Papers 005, Risk and Insurance Archive.
    Other versions:
  5. Carol C. Bertaut & Michael Haliassos, 1996. "Precautionary Portfolio Behavior from a Life-Cycle Perspective," Finance 9604001, EconWPA. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  6. Charles Grant & Christos Koulovatianos & Alexander Michaelides & Mario Padula, 2008. "Evidence on the Insurance Effect of Marginal Income Taxes," CFS Working Paper Series 2008/06, Center for Financial Studies. [Downloadable!]
  7. Grant, Charles & Koulovatianos, Christos & Michaelides, Alexander & Padula, Mario, 2008. "Evidence on the Insurance Effect of Marginal Income Taxes," CEPR Discussion Papers 6710, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. Luc Arrondel & Hector Calvo-Pardo, 2002. "Portfolio Choice with a Correlated Background Risk : Theory and Evidence," DELTA Working Papers 2002-16, DELTA (Ecole normale supérieure). [Downloadable!]
  9. Sule Alan, 2004. "Precautionary Wealth and Portfolio Allocation: Evidence from Canadian Microdata," Social and Economic Dimensions of an Aging Population Research Papers 117, McMaster University. [Downloadable!]
  10. Christopher D. Carroll & Andrew A. Samwick, 1995. "How Important is Precautionary Saving?," NBER Working Papers 5194, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  11. Hochguertel, S., 1997. "Precautionary motives and portfolio decisions," Discussion Paper 55, Tilburg University, Center for Economic Research. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  12. Luis M. Viceira, 1999. "Optimal Portfolio Choice for Long-Horizon Investors with Nontradable Labor Income," NBER Working Papers 7409, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  13. James S. Costain, 1998. "A Simple Model of Multiple Equilibria Based on Risk," Economics Working Papers 407, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, revised Jul 1999. [Downloadable!]
  14. Dana Goldman & Nicole Maestas, 2005. "Medical Expenditure Risk and Household Portfolio Choice," NBER Working Papers 11818, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  15. Luigi Guiso & Tullio Jappelli, 1998. "Background Uuncertainty and the Demand for Insurance against Insurable Risks," CSEF Working Papers 02, Centre for Studies in Economics and Finance (CSEF), University of Naples, Italy. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  16. Paul Smith & David Love, 2007. "Does health affect portfolio choice?," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2007-45, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
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