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Tax Policy and Employment: How Does the Swedish System Fare?

Author

Listed:
  • Jukka Pirttilä

    (University of Tampere and the Labour Institute for Economic Research, Helsinki)

  • Håkan Selin

    (Uppsala Center for Fiscal Studies at the Department of Economics, Uppsala University)

Abstract

This paper reviews the literature on optimal taxation of labour income and the empirical work on labour supply and the elasticity of taxable income in Sweden. It also presents an overview of Swedish taxation of labour income, offers calculations on the development in effective marginal tax rates and participation tax rates, and estimates, using the difference-in-differences method, the impact of tax incentives on employment rates of elderly workers. After this background, we ponder possibilities for reforming the Swedish tax system to improve its labour market impacts. We suggest better targeting the earned income tax credit at families and low-income workers, lowering the top marginal tax rates, and maintaining the tax incentives for older workers.

Suggested Citation

  • Jukka Pirttilä & Håkan Selin, 2011. "Tax Policy and Employment: How Does the Swedish System Fare?," Working Papers 1183, Tampere University, Faculty of Management and Business, Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:tam:wpaper:1183
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    File URL: http://urn.fi/urn:isbn:978-951-44-8357-8
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    Cited by:

    1. Jäntti, Markus & Pirttilä, Jukka & Selin, Håkan, 2015. "Estimating labour supply elasticities based on cross-country micro data: A bridge between micro and macro estimates?," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 87-99.
    2. Carina Neisser, 2021. "The Elasticity of Taxable Income: A Meta-Regression Analysis [The top 1% in international and historical perspective]," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 131(640), pages 3365-3391.
    3. Flood Lennart & Islam Nizamul, 2016. "The rise of working pensioners: the Swedish case," Nordic Tax Journal, Sciendo, vol. 2016(1), pages 41-66, May.
    4. Bastani, Spencer & Selin, Håkan, 2014. "Bunching and non-bunching at kink points of the Swedish tax schedule," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 36-49.
    5. Charlotte Bartels & Cortnie Shupe, 2023. "Drivers of participation elasticities across Europe: gender or earner role within the household?," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 30(1), pages 167-214, February.
    6. Bartels, Charlotte & Pestel, Nico, 2016. "Short- and long-term participation tax rates and their impact on labor supply," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 23(6), pages 1126-1159.
    7. Lundberg, Jacob, 2017. "The Laffer curve for high incomes," Working Paper Series 2017:9, Uppsala University, Department of Economics.
    8. H. Xavier Jara & Katrin Gasior & Mattia Makovec, 2020. "Work Incentives at the Extensive and Intensive Margin in Europe: The Role of Taxes, Benefits and Population Characteristics," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 152(2), pages 705-778, November.
    9. Lundberg, Jacob, 2017. "Analyzing tax reforms using the Swedish Labour Income Microsimulation Model," Working Paper Series 2017:12, Uppsala University, Department of Economics.
    10. Ståle Holgersen, 2014. "Urban Responses to The Economic Crisis: Confirmation of Urban Policies as Crisis Management in Malmö," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(1), pages 285-301, January.
    11. Laun, Lisa, 2012. "The E ffect of Age-Targeted Tax Credits on Retirement Behavior," Research Papers in Economics 2012:14, Stockholm University, Department of Economics.
    12. Bartels, Charlotte & Pestel, Nico, 2015. "The Impact of Short- and Long-Term Participation Tax Rates on Labor Supply," IZA Discussion Papers 9151, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    13. Bartels, Charlotte, 2012. "Long-term participation tax rates," Discussion Papers 2012/20, Free University Berlin, School of Business & Economics.
    14. Laun, Lisa, 2017. "The effect of age-targeted tax credits on labor force participation of older workers," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 152(C), pages 102-118.
    15. Kotakorpi Kaisa & Matikka Tuomas, 2017. "Revenue-maximizing top earned income tax rate in the presence of income-shifting," Nordic Tax Journal, Sciendo, vol. 2017(1), pages 100-107, January.

    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • H21 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Efficiency; Optimal Taxation
    • 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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