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Progressive income taxes and macroeconomic instability

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  • Mohanad Ismael

    () (EPEE, University of Evry Val d'Essonne)

Abstract

This paper aims to study the stability properties of a two-period over- lapping generations model (OLG) with a progressive labor-income taxa- tion rule. In this case, wage income tax rates are increasing with agent's income. Each representative agent lives two periods: youth and adult- hood. In the first period, agents choose labor supply and allocate their after-tax income between consumptions and savings (capital accumula- tions). In the second period, agents are retired and consume entirely their savings returns. It is shown that progressive labor-income taxation policy acts as a destabilizing factor in the sense that a higher progressivity makes the emergence of indeterminacy and endogenous fluctuations more likely. These fluctuations appear if the elasticity of capital-labor substi- tution is sufficiently low. Moreover, we show that saving rate widens the range of parameters giving rise to endogenous fluctuations. The analytical findings are completed by a numerical example.

Suggested Citation

  • Mohanad Ismael, 2010. "Progressive income taxes and macroeconomic instability," Documents de recherche 10-13, Centre d'Études des Politiques Économiques (EPEE), Université d'Evry Val d'Essonne.
    • Handle: RePEc:eve:wpaper:10-13
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    File URL: http://epee.univ-evry.fr/RePEc/2010/10-13b.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Progressive income taxes; Indeterminacy; Overlapping generations; Endogenous labor supply;

    JEL classification:

    • C62 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Mathematical Methods; Programming Models; Mathematical and Simulation Modeling - - - Existence and Stability Conditions of Equilibrium
    • E20 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - General (includes Measurement and Data)
    • E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles
    • H20 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - General

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