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Informality, Consumption Taxes and Redistribution

Author

Listed:
  • Bachas, Pierre

    (World Bank Research)

  • Gadenne, Lucie

    (University of Warwick, Institute for Fiscal Studies and CEPR)

  • Jensen, Anders

    (Harvard Kennedy School and NBER)

Abstract

Can consumption taxes reduce inequality in developing countries? We combine household expenditure data from 31 countries with theory to shed new light on the redistributive potential and optimal design of consumption taxes. We use the type of store in which purchases occur to proxy for informal (untaxed) consumption. This enables us to characterize the informality Engel curve: we find that the budget share spent in the informal sector steeply declines with income, in all countries. The informal sector thus makes consumption taxes progressive: households in the richest quintile face an effective tax rate that is twice that of the poorest quintile. We extend the standard optimal commodity tax model to allow for informal consumption and calibrate it to the data to study the effects of different tax policies on inequality. Contrary to consensus, we show that consumption taxes are redistributive, lowering inequality by as much as personal income taxes. Once informality is taken into account, commonly used redistributive policies, such as reduced tax rates on necessities, have a limited impact on inequality. In particular, subsidizing food cannot be justified on equity or efficiency grounds in several poor countries.

Suggested Citation

  • Bachas, Pierre & Gadenne, Lucie & Jensen, Anders, 2020. "Informality, Consumption Taxes and Redistribution," CAGE Online Working Paper Series 487, Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE).
  • Handle: RePEc:cge:wacage:487
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    9. Elineema Kisanga & Vincent Leyaro & Wahabi Matengo & Michael Noble & Helen Barnes & Gemma Wright, 2021. "Assessing the distributional impact of lowering the value-added tax rate for standard-rated items in Tanzania and options for recouping revenue losses," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2021-38, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
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    11. Zarate Vasquez,Roman David, 2022. "Spatial Misallocation,Informality, and Transit Improvements : Evidence from Mexico City," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9990, The World Bank.
    12. Giulia Mascagni & Roel Dom & Fabrizio Santoro & Denis Mukama, 2023. "The VAT in practice: equity, enforcement, and complexity," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 30(2), pages 525-563, April.
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    14. Das, S & Gadenne, L & Nandi, T & Warwick, R, 2022. "Does going cashless make you tax-rich? Evidence from India’s demonetization experiment," CAGE Online Working Paper Series 605, Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE).
    15. Doligalski, Paweł & Rojas, Luis E., 2023. "Optimal redistribution with a shadow economy," Theoretical Economics, Econometric Society, vol. 18(2), May.
    16. Nora Lustig & Valentina Martinez Pabon, 2022. "Universal Basic Income, Taxes, and the Poor," Working Papers 2205, Tulane University, Department of Economics.
    17. Rubolino, Enrico, 2023. "Does weak enforcement deter tax progressivity?," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 219(C).
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    19. Zhila Abshari & Glenn P. Jenkins & Chun-Yan Kuo & Mostafa Shahee, 2021. "Progressive Taxation versus Progressive Targeted Transfers in the Design of a Sustainable Value Added Tax System," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-17, October.
    20. da Costa, Carlos E. & Santos, Marcelo R., 2023. "Progressive consumption taxes," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 220(C).
    21. Alastair Thomas, 2022. "Reassessing the regressivity of the VAT," Fiscal Studies, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 43(1), pages 23-38, March.
    22. Lara Ibarra,Gabriel & Rubião,Rafael Macedo & Simoes Fleury,Eduardo, 2021. "Indirect Tax Incidence in Brazil : Assessing the Distributional Effects of Potential Tax Reforms," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9891, The World Bank.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Household Budget Surveys; Inequality; Informality; Redistribution; Taxes JEL Classification: E26; H21; H23; 023;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E26 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Informal Economy; Underground Economy
    • H21 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Efficiency; Optimal Taxation
    • H23 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Externalities; Redistributive Effects; Environmental Taxes and Subsidies

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