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Top Income Inequality and Tax Policy

Author

Listed:
  • Isaac Delestre
  • Wojciech Kopczuk
  • Helen Miller
  • Kate Smith

Abstract

The share of pre-tax income flowing to the top of the UK income distribution increased continually and substantially in the three decades leading up to the financial crisis, but has changed little since 2013. Using microdata sampled from UK tax records, we describe the nature of top incomes in the UK and how they are taxed. We show that wage income is the dominant source of pre-tax income, even for highest-income 0.1% of UK adults. But, ‘active’ business income – derived from self-employment or closely-held incorporated businesses – is considerably more important for the top 1% than for those with lower incomes. High-income wage earners work disproportionately in financial services. The high-income self-employed are predominately working in partnerships in professions such as accountancy and legal services. Overall, UK income taxes are progressive: average tax rates rise with income. Taxes on top incomes have been increased since 2010, with the result that the post-tax share of income flowing to the top has fallen. But average tax rates vary significantly within the top and depend on how income is received. Incomes from business ownership and investment are taxed at lower rates than employment income. We discuss options for reforming the taxation of top incomes.

Suggested Citation

  • Isaac Delestre & Wojciech Kopczuk & Helen Miller & Kate Smith, 2022. "Top Income Inequality and Tax Policy," NBER Working Papers 30018, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
  • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:30018
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    Cited by:

    1. Friedman, Sam & Gronwald, Victoria & Summers, Andrew & Taylor, Emma, 2024. "Tax flight? Britain’s wealthiest and their attachment to place," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 121396, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D31 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Personal Income and Wealth Distribution
    • H2 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue
    • H24 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Personal Income and Other Nonbusiness Taxes and Subsidies
    • H25 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Business Taxes and Subsidies

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