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Optimal Income Taxation with Endogenous Participation and Search Unemployment

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Listed:
  • Etienne Lehmann

    (CREST, IZA, IDEP and Université Catholique de Louvain)

  • Alexis Parmentier

    (EPEE-TEPP - Université d’Evry and Université Catholique de Louvain)

  • Bruno Van Der Linden

    (IRES - Université Catholique de Louvain, FNRS, ERMES - Université Paris 2 and IZA)

Abstract

This paper characterizes the optimal redistributive taxation when individuals are hetero- geneous in two exogenous dimensions: their skills and their values of non-market activities. Search-matching frictions on the labor markets create unemployment. Wages, labor demand and participation are endogenous. The government only observes wage levels. Under a Max- imin objective, if the elasticity of participation decreases along the distribution of skills, at the optimum, the average tax rate is increasing, marginal tax rates are positive everywhere, while wages, unemployment rates and participation rates are distorted downwards compared to their laissez-faire values. A simulation exercise confirms some of these properties under a general utilitarian objective. Taking account of the wage-cum-labor demand margin deeply changes the equity-efficiency trade-off.

Suggested Citation

  • Etienne Lehmann & Alexis Parmentier & Bruno Van Der Linden, 2008. "Optimal Income Taxation with Endogenous Participation and Search Unemployment," Documents de recherche 08-16, Centre d'Études des Politiques Économiques (EPEE), Université d'Evry Val d'Essonne.
    • Handle: RePEc:eve:wpaper:08-16
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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design
    • H21 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Efficiency; Optimal Taxation
    • J64 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment: Models, Duration, Incidence, and Job Search

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