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Tax Design, Information, and Elasticities: Evidence From the French Wealth Tax

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  • Garbinti, Bertrand
  • Goupille-Lebret, Jonathan
  • Munoz, Mathilde
  • Stantcheva, Stefanie
  • Zucman, Gabriel

Abstract

We study a French wealth tax reform that starkly reduced the information some taxpayers must report to the tax authority. Using a new dynamic bunching approach we estimate the average response to the reform, the share of compliers, and the local average treatment effect. The annual wealth growth rate of treated taxpayers falls by 0.5 percentage points after the reform. This decline is likely due to increased evasion, as suggested by the sharp responses in self-reported wealth but not in third-partyreported incomes. The wealth tax base becomes more elastic post reform, illustrating the key role of information policy choices for tax base elasticities.

Suggested Citation

  • Garbinti, Bertrand & Goupille-Lebret, Jonathan & Munoz, Mathilde & Stantcheva, Stefanie & Zucman, Gabriel, 2023. "Tax Design, Information, and Elasticities: Evidence From the French Wealth Tax," CEPR Discussion Papers 18206, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:18206
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    Cited by:

    1. is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Juliana Londoño-Vélez & Javier Avila-Mahecha, 2024. "Behavioral Responses to Wealth Taxation: Evidence from Colombia," NBER Working Papers 32134, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Philippe Aghion & Maxime Gravoueille & Matthieu Lequien & Stefanie Stantcheva, 2017. "Tax Simplicity or Simplicity of Evasion? Evidence from Self-Employment Taxes in France," NBER Working Papers 24049, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Mas-Montserrat, Mariona & Durán-Cabré, José María & Esteller-Moré, Alejandro, 2025. "Avoidance Responses to the Wealth Tax," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 246(C).
    5. Cui, Wei & Wei, Mengying & Xie, Weisi & Xing, Jing, 2025. "Corporate tax cuts for small firms: What do firms do?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    6. Spencer Bastani & Daniel Waldenström, 2023. "Taxing the wealthy: the choice between wealth and capital income taxation," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 39(3), pages 604-616.
    7. Gabriel Zucman, 2023. "Globalisation, taxation and inequality," Fiscal Studies, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 44(3), pages 229-235, September.
    8. Roberto Iacono & Bard Smedsvik, 2023. "Behavioral responses to wealth taxation: evidence from a Norwegian reform," Working Papers halshs-04423923, HAL.
    9. Michele Bernasconi & Irene Maria Buso & Anna Marenzi & Dino Rizzi, 2025. "Tax Notches in the Lab: Disentangling Real and Evasion Responses," Working Papers 2025: 15, Department of Economics, University of Venice "Ca' Foscari".

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • H23 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Externalities; Redistributive Effects; Environmental Taxes and Subsidies
    • H26 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Tax Evasion and Avoidance

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