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Taxing education in Ramsey's tradition

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  • Richter, Wolfram F.

Abstract

Assuming a two-period model with endogenous choices of labour, education, and saving, it is shown to be second-best efficient to deviate from Ramsey's Rule and to distort qualified labour less than nonqualified labour. Furthermore, if the earnings function displays constant elasticity, the choice of education should not be distorted. With the necessary qualifications the results extend to the case when taxpayers are heterogeneous and when the planner trades off efficiency against equity.

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Article provided by Elsevier in its journal Journal of Public Economics.

Volume (Year): 93 (2009)
Issue (Month): 11-12 (December)
Pages: 1254-1260

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Handle: RePEc:eee:pubeco:v:93:y:2009:i:11-12:p:1254-1260
Contact details of provider: Web page: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/505578

Keywords: Endogenous choice of education; labour; and saving Second-best efficient taxation Linear instruments Finite periods Ramsey's Rule Power Law of Learning;

Other versions of this item:

Find related papers by JEL classification:
  • H21 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Efficiency; Optimal Taxation
  • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy
  • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

References listed on IDEAS
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  1. Wolfram F. Richter, 2007. "Efficient Tax Policy Ranks Education Higher than Saving," CESifo Working Paper Series 2106, CESifo Group Munich.
  2. Larry E. Jones & Rodolfo E. Manuelli & Peter E. Rossi, 1993. "On the Optimal Taxation of Capital Income," NBER Working Papers 4525, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
  3. Dan Anderberg, 2009. "Optimal Policy and the Risk-Properties of Human Capital Reconsidered," 2009 Meeting Papers 166, Society for Economic Dynamics.
  4. Nielsen, Soren Bo & Sorensen, Peter Birch, 1997. "On the optimality of the Nordic system of dual income taxation," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(3), pages 311-329, February.
  5. Lans Bovenberg, A. & Jacobs, Bas, 2005. "Redistribution and education subsidies are Siamese twins," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 89(11-12), pages 2005-2035, December.
  6. Boadway, Robin & Marceau, Nicolas & Marchand, Maurice, 1996. "Investment in Education and the Time Inconsistency of Redistributive Tax Policy," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 63(250), pages 171-89, May.
  7. Atkinson, A. B. & Stiglitz, J. E., 1972. "The structure of indirect taxation and economic efficiency," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 1(1), pages 97-119, April.
  8. Bas Jacobs & A. Bovenberg, 2010. "Human capital and optimal positive taxation of capital income," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer, vol. 17(5), pages 451-478, October.
  9. Andersson, Fredrik & Konrad, Kai A., 2002. "Human capital investment and globalization in extortionary states
    [Humankapitalinvestitionen und Globalisierung in Ausbeutungsstaaten]    ," Discussion Papers, Research Unit: Market Processes and Governance FS IV 02-01, Social Science Research Center Berlin (WZB).
  10. Sandmo, Agnar, 1974. "A Note on the Structure of Optimal Taxation," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 64(4), pages 701-06, September.
  11. Wolfram F. Richter, 2009. "Taxing Education in Ramsey's Tradition," CESifo Working Paper Series 2586, CESifo Group Munich.
  12. repec:cup:cbooks:9780521873161 is not listed on IDEAS
  13. da Costa, Carlos E. & Maestri, Lucas J., 2007. "The risk properties of human capital and the design of government policies," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 51(3), pages 695-713, April.
  14. Wolfram F. Richter, 2007. "Taxing Human Capital Efficiently – The Double Dividend of Taxing Nonqualified Labour More Heavily Than Qualified Labour," Ruhr Economic Papers 0012, Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universität Dortmund, Universität Duisburg-Essen.
  15. Trostel, Philip A, 1993. "The Effect of Taxation on Human Capital," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 101(2), pages 327-50, April.
  16. Wolfram F. Richter & Christoph Braun, 2010. "Efficient Subsidization of Human Capital Accumulation with Overlapping Generations and Endogenous Growth," CESifo Working Paper Series 2982, CESifo Group Munich.
  17. Bas Jacobs & A. Lans Bovenberg, 2011. "Optimal Taxation of Human Capital and the Earnings Function," Journal of Public Economic Theory, Association for Public Economic Theory, vol. 13(6), pages 957-971, December.
  18. repec:cup:cbooks:9780521117562 is not listed on IDEAS
  19. Atkinson, A. B. & Stiglitz, J. E., 1976. "The design of tax structure: Direct versus indirect taxation," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 6(1-2), pages 55-75.
  20. Berthold U. Wigger, 2004. "Are Higher Education Subsidies Second Best?," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 106(1), pages 65-82, 03.
  21. Mirrlees, James A, 1971. "An Exploration in the Theory of Optimum Income Taxation," Review of Economic Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(114), pages 175-208, April.
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Cited by:

  1. Wolfram F. Richter & Christoph Braun, 2010. "Efficient Subsidization of Human Capital Accumulation with Overlapping Generations and Endogenous Growth," CESifo Working Paper Series 2982, CESifo Group Munich.
  2. Richter, Wolfram F., 2013. "Mincer Equation, Power Law of Learning, and Efficient Education Policy," IZA Discussion Papers 7280, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA).
  3. Wolfram F. Richter & Lars Kunze, 2011. "Taxing Human Capital Efficiently when Qualified Labour is Mobile," CESifo Working Paper Series 3366, CESifo Group Munich.
  4. Schwager, Robert, 2012. "Student loans in a tiebout model of higher education," Center for European, Governance and Economic Development Research Discussion Papers 137, University of Goettingen, Department of Economics.
  5. repec:got:cegedp:137 is not listed on IDEAS
  6. Richter, Wolfram F., 2009. "Taxing education in Ramsey's tradition," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(11-12), pages 1254-1260, December.
  7. Wolfram F. Richter, 2011. "Efficient Education Policy - A Second-Order Elasticity Rule," FinanzArchiv: Public Finance Analysis, Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, vol. 67(1), pages 1-7, March.
  8. Findeisen, Sebastian & Sachs, Dominik, 2014. "Education Policies and Taxation without Commitment," Working Papers 14-16, University of Mannheim, Department of Economics.
  9. Wolfram F. Richter & Berthold U. Wigger, 2012. "Besteuerung des Humanvermögens," Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik, Verein für Socialpolitik, vol. 13(1-2), pages 82-102, 02.

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