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Why an Earned income tax credit program is a mistake for Australia

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  • Patricia Apps

    (University of Sydney)

Abstract

This paper examines the distributional and efficiency effects of an Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) program of the kind being strongly advocated for Australia by a number of economists. The paper presents an empirical analysis of the Family Tax Credit proposed by the Australian Labor Party at the time of the 1998 election, as a case study. The results show that, due to the structure of effective tax rates implied by the program, introducing such a system would lead to a large shift in the overall burden of taxation to low and median wage two earner families. Drawing on the findings of empirical research on behavioural responses to taxes, the paper goes on to explain why the program can also be expected to lead to a fall in labour supply and household saving. Thus there is reason to be critical of the impact of the policy both on economic growth and on equity of the income distribution.

Suggested Citation

  • Patricia Apps, 2002. "Why an Earned income tax credit program is a mistake for Australia," Australian Journal of Labour Economics (AJLE), Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC), Curtin Business School, vol. 5(4), pages 549-568, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:ozl:journl:v:5:y:2002:i:4:p:549-568
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. N. Eissa & H. W. Hoynes, "undated". "The Earned Income Tax Credit and the Labor Supply of Married Couples," Institute for Research on Poverty Discussion Papers 1194-99, University of Wisconsin Institute for Research on Poverty.
    2. William M. Gentry & Alison P. Hagy, 1996. "The Distributional Effects of the Tax Treatment of Child Care Expenses," NBER Chapters, in: Empirical Foundations of Household Taxation, pages 99-134, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Apps, Patricia & Rees, Ray, 1999. "On the taxation of trade within and between households," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(2), pages 241-263, August.
    4. Martin Feldstein & James M. Poterba, 1996. "Empirical Foundations of Household Taxation," NBER Books, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, number feld96-1, March.
    5. Peter Dawkins & John Freebairn, 1997. "Towards Full Employment," Australian Economic Review, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, vol. 30(4), pages 405-417, December.
    6. Richard Blundell & Alan Duncan & Julian McCrae & Costas Meghir, 2000. "The labour market impact of the working families’ tax credit," Fiscal Studies, Institute for Fiscal Studies, vol. 21(1), pages 75-103, March.
    7. Patricia F. Apps & Ray Rees, 1999. "Individual versus Joint Taxation in Models with Household Production," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 107(2), pages 393-403, April.
    8. Peter Dawkins & David Johnson & Rosanna Scutella & Gillian Beer & Ann Harding, 1998. "Towards a Negative Income Tax System for Australia," Australian Economic Review, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, vol. 31(3), pages 237-257, September.
    9. Patricia Apps & Ray Rees, 2001. "Household Saving and Full Consumpyion Over the Life Cycle," CEPR Discussion Papers 428, Centre for Economic Policy Research, Research School of Economics, Australian National University.
    10. Heckman, James J, 1993. "What Has Been Learned about Labor Supply in the Past Twenty Years?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 83(2), pages 116-121, May.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Patricia Apps & Ray Rees, 2005. "Gender, Time Use, and Public Policy over the Life Cycle," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 21(3), pages 439-461, Autumn.
    2. Peter Dawkins, 2002. "The 'Five Economists' Plan: The Original Idea and Further Developments," CEPR Discussion Papers 450, Centre for Economic Policy Research, Research School of Economics, Australian National University.
    3. Peter B. Dixon & Maureen T. Rimmer, 2003. "A New Specification of Labour Supply in the MONASH Model with an Illustrative Application," Australian Economic Review, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, vol. 36(1), pages 22-40, March.
    4. Sandra Dandie & Joseph Mercante, 2007. "Australian labour supply elasticities: Comparison and critical review," Treasury Working Papers 2007-04, The Treasury, Australian Government, revised Oct 2007.
    5. Patricia Apps, 2006. "Family Taxation: An Unfair and Inefficient System," CEPR Discussion Papers 524, Centre for Economic Policy Research, Research School of Economics, Australian National University.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Government programs; provision and effects of welfare programs Time allocation; work behaviour; and employment determination: other Nonwage labour costs and benefits; private pensions (fringe benefits; cost of social security; costs of hiring and firing);
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs
    • J29 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Other
    • J32 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Nonwage Labor Costs and Benefits; Retirement Plans; Private Pensions

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