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Taxation of public pensions in European Union countries

Author

Listed:
  • Cieślukowski Maciej

    (Department of Public Finance, Poznań University of Economics and Business, al. Niepod leglości 10, Poznań, Poland)

Abstract

The aging of society is one of the most important trends shaping the social, economic and political life of the 21st century. However, with the increasing number of people of retirement age, the problem of ensuring adequate conditions for a longer life arises. The state influences these conditions through the pension security system, including taxation of pensions. The paper attempts to answer the question whether taxation of remunerations and public pension benefits may have a significant impact on making decisions about choosing a country of work in the common market. For this purpose, Member States have been ranked in terms of two dimensions—the conditions of taxation of wages and the conditions of taxation of retirement benefits. The countries were classified using a multi-criteria comparative analysis and the agglomeration method. The study shows that taxing salaries and pension benefits is of marginal importance from the point of view of an employee’s decision-making. The main factors are the average expenditure on net salaries and the average expenditure on net pension benefits.

Suggested Citation

  • Cieślukowski Maciej, 2024. "Taxation of public pensions in European Union countries," Economics and Business Review, Sciendo, vol. 10(2), pages 60-91.
    • Handle: RePEc:vrs:ecobur:v:10:y:2024:i:2:p:60-91:n:1003
    DOI: 10.18559/ebr.2024.2.1140
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Salvador Barrios & Flavia Coda Moscarola & Francesco Figari & Luca Gandullia, 2020. "Size and distributional pattern of pension-related tax expenditures in European countries," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 27(5), pages 1287-1320, October.
    2. Diamond, Peter, 2010. "Taxes and Pensions," Ekonomicheskaya Politika / Economic Policy, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, vol. 6, pages 59-74.
    3. Bernd Genser & Robert Holzmann, 2021. "Frontloaded Income Taxation of Old-Age Pensions: For Efficiency and Fairness in a World of International Labor Mobility," CESifo Economic Studies, CESifo Group, vol. 67(1), pages 61-77.
    4. Byung Wook Jun & Soo Jean Park & Sung Man Yoon, 2023. "Effects Of Socio-Economic Factors On Governmental Tax Expenditures For Private Pensions In Selected Oecd Countries," The Singapore Economic Review (SER), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 68(05), pages 1599-1611, September.
    5. Gordon Keenay & Edward Whitehouse, 2003. "The Role of the Personal Tax System in Old-Age Support: A Survey of 15 Countries," Fiscal Studies, Institute for Fiscal Studies, vol. 24(1), pages 1-21, March.
    6. Swift, Zhicheng Li, 2006. "Managing the effects of tax expenditures on the national budget," Policy Research Working Paper Series 3927, The World Bank.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    public pensions; taxes; social security contributions; EU countries; labour costs;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H2 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue
    • H55 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Social Security and Public Pensions
    • J26 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Retirement; Retirement Policies
    • J32 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Nonwage Labor Costs and Benefits; Retirement Plans; Private Pensions

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