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Adaptation, Anticipation-bias and optimal income taxation

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  • Aronsson, Thomas
  • Schöb, Ronnie

Abstract

Adaptation is omnipresent but people systematically fail to correctly anticipate the degree to which they adapt. This leads individuals to make inefficient intertemporal decisions. This paper concerns optimal income taxation to correct for such anticipation-biases in a framework where consumers adapt to earlier consumption levels through a habit-formation process. The analysis is based on a general equilibrium OLG model with endogenous labor supply and savings where each consumer lives for three periods. Our results show how a paternalistic government may correct for the effects of anticipation-bias through a combination of time-variant marginal labor income taxes and savings subsidies. Furthermore, the optimal policy mix remains the same, irrespective of whether consumers commit to their original life-time plan for work hours and savings decided upon in the first period of life or re-optimize later on when realizing the failure to adapt.

Suggested Citation

  • Aronsson, Thomas & Schöb, Ronnie, 2012. "Adaptation, Anticipation-bias and optimal income taxation," Discussion Papers 2012/13, Free University Berlin, School of Business & Economics.
  • Handle: RePEc:zbw:fubsbe:201213
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    Cited by:

    1. Aronsson, Thomas & Schöb, Ronnie, 2018. "Climate change and psychological adaptation: A behavioral environmental economics approach," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 79-84.
    2. Hattendorff, Christian, 2012. "Do natural resource sectors rely less on external finance than manufacturing sectors?," Discussion Papers 2012/17, Free University Berlin, School of Business & Economics.
    3. Moritz Schularick & Paul Wachtel, 2012. "The Making of America's Imbalances," Working Papers 12-09, New York University, Leonard N. Stern School of Business, Department of Economics.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    optimal taxation; adaptation; habit-formation; anticipation-bias; paternalism;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D03 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Behavioral Microeconomics: Underlying Principles
    • D61 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Allocative Efficiency; Cost-Benefit Analysis
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • H21 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Efficiency; Optimal Taxation

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