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The Built-in Flexibility of Income and Consumption Taxes in New Zealand

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Abstract

This paper provides estimates of individual and aggregate revenue elasticities of income and consumption taxes in New Zealand, based on the 2001 tax structure and expenditure patterns. Using analytical expressions for revenue elasticities at the individual and aggregate levels, together with a simulated income distribution, values for New Zealand were obtained. Results using equi-proportional income changes suggest that the aggregate income and consumption tax revenue elasticities are both fairly constant as mean income increases, at around 1.3 and 0.95 respectively. This latter estimate assumes that increases in disposable income are accompanied by approximately proportional increases in total expenditure. If there is a tendency for the savings proportion to increase as disposable income increases, a somewhat lower total consumption tax revenue elasticity, of around 0.9, is obtained for 2001 income levels. However, non-equiproportional income changes are more realistic. Allowing for regression towards the geometric mean income reduces these elasticities, giving an elasticity for income and consumption taxes combined that is only slightly above unity. Examination of the tax-share weighted expenditure elasticities for various goods also revealed that, despite the adoption of a broad based GST at a uniform rate in New Zealand, the persistence of various excises has an important effect on the overall consumption tax revenue elasticity, especially for individuals at relatively low income levels.

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  • John Creedy & Norman Gemmell, 2003. "The Built-in Flexibility of Income and Consumption Taxes in New Zealand," Treasury Working Paper Series 03/05, New Zealand Treasury.
    • Handle: RePEc:nzt:nztwps:03/05
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    File URL: https://treasury.govt.nz/sites/default/files/2007-09/twp03-05.pdf
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    1. Paul van den Noord, 2000. "The Size and Role of Automatic Fiscal Stabilizers in the 1990s and Beyond," OECD Economics Department Working Papers 230, OECD Publishing.
    2. John Creedy & Norman Gemmell, 2001. "The Revenue Elasticity of Taxes in the UK," Melbourne Institute Working Paper Series wp2001n11, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne.
    3. John Creedy & Norman Gemmell, 2003. "The Revenue Responsiveness of Income and Consumption Taxes in the UK," Manchester School, University of Manchester, vol. 71(6), pages 641-658, December.
    4. Paul Johnson & Peter Lambert, 1989. "Measuring the responsiveness of income tax revenue to income growth: a review and some UK values," Fiscal Studies, Institute for Fiscal Studies, vol. 10(4), pages 1-18, November.
    5. Alex Bakker & John Creedy, 1999. "Macroeconomic variables and income inequality in New Zealand: An exploration using conditional mixture distributions," New Zealand Economic Papers, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(2), pages 59-79.
    6. Claude Giorno & Pete Richardson & Deborah Roseveare & Paul van den Noord, 1995. "Estimating Potential Output, Output Gaps and Structural Budget Balances," OECD Economics Department Working Papers 152, OECD Publishing.
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    Cited by:

    1. John Creedy & Catherine Sleeman, 2006. "Indirect Taxation and Progressivity: Revenue and Welfare Changes," FinanzArchiv: Public Finance Analysis, Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, vol. 62(1), pages 50-67, March.
    2. Sanz Labrador, Ismael & Sanz-Sanz, José Félix, 2013. "Política fiscal y crecimiento económico: consideraciones microeconómicas y relaciones macroeconómicas," Macroeconomía del Desarrollo 5367, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL).
    3. John Creedy & Norman Gemmell, 2001. "The Revenue Elasticity of Taxes in the UK," Melbourne Institute Working Paper Series wp2001n11, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne.
    4. John Creedy & José Félix Sanz?Sanz, 2010. "Modelling Personal Income Taxation in Spain:Revenue Elasticities and Regional Comparisons," Department of Economics - Working Papers Series 1097, The University of Melbourne.
    5. Christopher Ball & John Creedy & Michael Ryan, 2016. "Food expenditure and GST in New Zealand," New Zealand Economic Papers, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(2), pages 115-128, August.
    6. Acheson, Jean & Deli, Yota & Lambert, Derek & Morgenroth, Edgar, 2017. "Income tax revenue elasticities in Ireland: an analytical approach," Research Series, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), number RS59.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Tax Revenue; Elasticity; Budget Shares;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H60 - Public Economics - - National Budget, Deficit, and Debt - - - General
    • H71 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - State and Local Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue

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