Monetary-Fiscal Policy and the Debt Burden*

The “burden of the debt†still appears to be a matter of concern to the United States public, economic teaching notwithstanding. In the debates preceding the 1964 tax cut, such matters as the existing budgetary deficit and the swelling public debt evoked as much passion as confusion. In this paper we intend to focus on one question: will a tax cut designed to generate a full employment equilibrium necessarily increase the debt burden, as defined by Domar. In particular, we are interested in the impact of a tax reduction on the debt burden, given that a budgetary deficit exists; and under the condition that the monetary authorities have decided to tighten credit conditions. We shall assume throughout that interest rates are determined by the monetary authorities, and that their policy is dictated by balance of payments rather than aggregate demand considerations. it will also be assumed that the tax reduction takes into account any planned increase in the rate of interest. Finally, we assume that budgetary deficits are financed by borrowing from the nonbank public and not by new money.