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The Horizontally S-Shaped Laffer Curve

Author

Listed:
  • Patrick Fève
  • Julien Matheron
  • Jean-Guillaume Sahuc

    (EconomiX - EconomiX - UPN - Université Paris Nanterre - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

Abstract

In a neoclassical growth model with incomplete markets and heterogeneous, liquidity-constrained agents, the properties of the Laffer curve depend on whether debt or transfers are adjusted to balance the government budget constraint. The Laffer curve conditional on public debt is horizontally S-shaped. Two opposing forces explain this result. First, when government wealth increases, the fiscal burden declines, calling for lower tax rates. Second, because the interest rate decreases when government wealth increases, fiscal revenues may also decline, calling for higher taxes. For sufficiently negative government debt, the second force dominates, leading to the odd shape of the Laffer curve conditional on debt.

Suggested Citation

  • Patrick Fève & Julien Matheron & Jean-Guillaume Sahuc, 2018. "The Horizontally S-Shaped Laffer Curve," Post-Print hal-01612725, HAL.
  • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-01612725
    DOI: 10.1093/jeea/jvx027
    as

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    Cited by:

    1. Nezih Guner & Javier López-Segovia & Roberto Ramos, 2020. "Reforming the individual income tax in Spain," SERIEs: Journal of the Spanish Economic Association, Springer;Spanish Economic Association, vol. 11(4), pages 369-406, December.
    2. Tchai Tavor & Limor Dina Gonen & Uriel Spiegel, 2022. "The Double-Peaked Shape of the Laffer Curve in the Case of the Inverted S-Shaped Labor Supply Curve," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-19, March.
    3. Hiroshi Gunji & Kazuki Hiraga & Kenji Miyazaki, 2024. "Tax Deduction Matters: Elasticities of the Laffer Curve, Taxable Income, and Tax Revenue," International Advances in Economic Research, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 30(1), pages 1-19, February.
    4. Alba, Carlos & McKnight, Stephen, 2022. "Laffer curves in emerging market economies: The role of informality," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    5. Tomoyuki Nakajima & Shuhei Takahashi, 2020. "On the Non-Existence of a Zero-Tax Steady State with Incomplete Asset Markets," KIER Working Papers 1025, Kyoto University, Institute of Economic Research.
    6. Mbara, Gilbert & Tyrowicz, Joanna & Kokoszczynski, Ryszard, 2020. "Striking a balance: Optimal tax policy with labor market duality," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    7. Nakajima, Tomoyuki & Takahashi, Shuhei, 2022. "Uninsured idiosyncratic risk and the government asset Laffer curve," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    8. Kazuki Hiraga & Kengo Nutahara, 2019. "Fragility in modeling consumption tax revenue," CIGS Working Paper Series 19-003E, The Canon Institute for Global Studies.
    9. Kazuki Hiraga & Kengo Nutahara, 2022. "Why is the Shape of the Laffer Curve for Consumption Tax Different from that for Labor Income Tax?," FinanzArchiv: Public Finance Analysis, Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, vol. 78(3), pages 342-361.
    10. Chen, Xiaoshan & Leith, Campbell & Ricci, Mattia, 2023. "Evaluating fiscal policy reforms using the fiscal frontier," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    11. Fève, Patrick & Cahn, Christophe & Matheron, Julien, 2024. "The Long-Run Effects of Fiscal Rebalancing in a Heterogeneous-Agent Model," TSE Working Papers 24-1550, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE).
    12. Péter Gábriel & Lóránt Kaszab, 2019. "Laffer Curves for Hungary," Financial and Economic Review, Magyar Nemzeti Bank (Central Bank of Hungary), vol. 18(4), pages 55-76.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • E00 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General - - - General
    • E60 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - General

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