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Tax Effects on Work Activity, Industry Mix and Shadow Economy Size: Evidence from Rich-Country Comparisons

Author Info

  • Davis, Steven J.

    ()

    (The University of Chicago Graduate School of Business)

  • Henrekson, Magnus

    ()

    (Department of Economics)

Abstract

Guided by a simple theory of task assignment and time allocation, we investigate the long run response to national differences in tax rates on labor income, payrolls and consumption. The theory implies that higher tax rates reduce work time in the market sector, increase the size of the shadow economy, alter the industry mix of market activity, and twist labor demand in a way that amplifies negative effects on market work and concentrates effects on the less skilled. We also describe conditions whereby cross-country OLS regressions yield consistent estimates of the total effect of taxes, inclusive of indirect effects that work through government spending responses to tax revenues. Regressions on rich-country samples in the mid 1990s indicate that a unit standard deviation tax rate difference of 12.8 percentage points leads to 122 fewer market work hours per adult per year, a drop of 4.9 percentage points in the employment-population ratio, and a rise in the shadow economy equal to 3.8 percent of GDP. It also leads to 10 to 30 percent lower employment and value added shares in (a) retail trade and repairs, (b) eating, drinking and lodging, and (c) a broader industry group that includes wholesale and motor trade.

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Paper provided by The Ratio Institute in its series Ratio Working Papers with number 57.

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Length: 69 pages
Date of creation: 18 Nov 2004
Date of revision:
Publication status: Published in Labour Supply and Incentives to Work in Europe, Gómez-Salvador, R., Lamo, A., Petrongolo, B., Ward, M., Wasmer, E. (eds.), 2005, chapter 2, pages 44-104, Edward Elgar.
Handle: RePEc:hhs:ratioi:0057
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Keywords: Taxes and work activity; time allocation; non-market production; industry mix; shadow economy;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
  • D13 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Production and Intrahouse Allocation
  • H24 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Personal Income and Other Nonbusiness Taxes and Subsidies
  • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply

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  1. Sweden cuts the consumption tax for restaurants
    by Tino in Super-Economy on 2012-08-11 10:19:00
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