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Redistribution and Education Subsidies are Siamese Twins

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  • Bovenberg, Lans
  • Jacobs, Bas

Abstract

We develop a model of human capital formation with endogenous labour supply and heterogeneous agents to explore the optimal level of education subsidies along with the optimal progressive schedule of the labour income tax and optimal capital income taxes. Subsidies on education ensure efficiency in human capital accumulation, while taxes on skilled labour help to redistribute income towards the less able. We thus provide a rationale for the widely observed presence of education subsidies. The actually observed tax codes and level of education subsidies suggest that a large part of education subsidies can be justified on these grounds.

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  • Bovenberg, Lans & Jacobs, Bas, 2001. "Redistribution and Education Subsidies are Siamese Twins," CEPR Discussion Papers 3099, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:3099
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Human capital; Education subsidies; Progressive taxation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H20 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - General
    • H50 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - General
    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General
    • J20 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - General

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