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Short- and long-term participation tax rates and their impact on labor supply

Author

Listed:
  • Charlotte Bartels

    (German Institute for Economic Research (DIW)
    Uppsala Center for Fiscal Studies (UCFS))

  • Nico Pestel

    (Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)
    University of Cologne
    Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW))

Abstract

Generous income support programs as provided by European welfare states have often been blamed to hamper employment. This paper investigates the importance of incentives inherent in the tax-benefit system for the individual decision to take up work. Using German microdata over the period 1993–2010, we find that recent reforms in Germany increased work incentives at the extensive margin measured by the participation tax rate (PTR), particularly for low-income individuals. Work incentives are even higher if the time horizon is extended to more than one year, pointing at an overestimation of the disincentives by standard measures. Regression analysis reveals that a decrease in the PTR increases the probability of taking up work significantly.

Suggested Citation

  • Charlotte Bartels & Nico Pestel, 2016. "Short- and long-term participation tax rates and their impact on labor supply," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 23(6), pages 1126-1159, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:itaxpf:v:23:y:2016:i:6:d:10.1007_s10797-016-9400-9
    DOI: 10.1007/s10797-016-9400-9
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    Cited by:

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    2. Kindermann, Fabian & Pueschel, Veronika, 2021. "Progressive Pensions as an Incentive for Labor Force Participation," CEPR Discussion Papers 16380, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    3. Diego Collado, 2018. "Financial work incentives and the long-term unemployed: the case of Belgium," Working Papers 1803, Herman Deleeck Centre for Social Policy, University of Antwerp.
    4. Gemmell, Norman, 2021. "Economic Lessons for Tax Policy Advisers," Working Paper Series 21109, Victoria University of Wellington, Chair in Public Finance.
    5. Gemmell, Norman, 2021. "Economic Lessons for Tax Policy Advisers," Working Paper Series 9463, Victoria University of Wellington, Chair in Public Finance.
    6. Klára Kalíšková, 2020. "Tax and transfer policies and the female labor supply in the EU," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 58(2), pages 749-775, February.
    7. Collado, Diego, 2018. "Financial work incentives and the longterm unemployed: the case of Belgium," EUROMOD Working Papers EM1/18, EUROMOD at the Institute for Social and Economic Research.
    8. H. Xavier Jara & Katrin Gasior & Mattia Makovec, 2020. "Work Incentives at the Extensive and Intensive Margin in Europe: The Role of Taxes, Benefits and Population Characteristics," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 152(2), pages 705-778, November.
    9. Charlotte Bartels & Cortnie Shupe, 2023. "Drivers of participation elasticities across Europe: gender or earner role within the household?," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 30(1), pages 167-214, February.
    10. Maximilian Joseph Blömer & Andreas Peichl, 2020. "Who Has an Incentive to Work? Participation Tax Rates of the German Tax-Transfer System," ifo Forschungsberichte, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, number 118.
    11. Feld, Lars P. & Schmidt, Christoph M. & Schnabel, Isabel & Truger, Achim & Wieland, Volker, 2019. "Den Strukturwandel meistern. Jahresgutachten 2019/20 [Dealing with Structural Change. Annual Report 2019/20]," Annual Economic Reports / Jahresgutachten, German Council of Economic Experts / Sachverständigenrat zur Begutachtung der gesamtwirtschaftlichen Entwicklung, volume 127, number 201920.
    12. Mike Brewer & Jonathan Shaw, 2018. "How Taxes and Welfare Benefits Affect Work Incentives," Fiscal Studies, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 39(1), pages 5-38, March.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Labor force participation; Work incentives; Welfare; Unemployment insurance; Income taxation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • 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
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • J65 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment Insurance; Severance Pay; Plant Closings

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