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Intergenerational Disagreement and Optimal Taxation of Parental Transfers

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  • Nicola Pavoni
  • Hakki Yazici

Abstract

We study optimal taxation of bequests and inter vivos transfers in a model where altruistic parents and their offspring disagree on intertemporal trade-offs. We show that the laissez-faire equilibrium is Pareto inefficient, and whenever offspring are impatient from their parents’ perspective, optimal policy involves a positive tax on parental transfers. Cautioned by the technical complications present in this class of models, our normative prescriptions do not rely on the assumption of differentiability of the agents’ policy functions.

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  • Nicola Pavoni & Hakki Yazici, 2017. "Intergenerational Disagreement and Optimal Taxation of Parental Transfers," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 84(3), pages 1264-1305.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:restud:v:84:y:2017:i:3:p:1264-1305.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/restud/rdw036
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    2. Koeniger, Winfried & Zanella, Carlo, 2022. "Opportunity and inequality across generations," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 208(C).
    3. Moser, Christian & Olea de Souza e Silva, Pedro, 2019. "Optimal Paternalistic Savings Policies," MPRA Paper 95383, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Pamela Giustinelli & Nicola Pavoni, 2017. "The Evolution of Awareness and Belief Ambiguity in the Process of High School Track Choice," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 25, pages 93-120, April.
    5. Kang, Minwook, 2022. "The positive impact of investment subsidies on the economy with present-biased consumers," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 229-235.
    6. Christopher W. Kulp & Michael Kurtz & Charles Hunt & Matthew Velardi, 2023. "The distribution of wealth: an agent-based approach to examine the effect of estate taxation, skill inheritance, and the Carnegie Effect," Journal of Economic Interaction and Coordination, Springer;Society for Economic Science with Heterogeneous Interacting Agents, vol. 18(2), pages 397-415, April.
    7. Yuta Saito & Yosuke Takeda, 2022. "Capital taxation with parental incentives," Journal of Public Economic Theory, Association for Public Economic Theory, vol. 24(6), pages 1310-1341, December.
    8. Yena Park, 2018. "Optimal Taxation of Inheritance and Retirement Savings," 2018 Meeting Papers 1246, Society for Economic Dynamics.

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