scholarly journals The Elasticity of Taxable Income with Respect to Marginal Tax Rates: A Critical Review

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Saez ◽  
Joel Slemrod ◽  
Seth Giertz
2012 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Saez ◽  
Joel Slemrod ◽  
Seth H Giertz

This paper critically surveys the large and growing literature estimating the elasticity of taxable income with respect to marginal tax rates using tax return data. First, we provide a theoretical framework showing under what assumptions this elasticity can be used as a sufficient statistic for efficiency and optimal tax analysis. We discuss what other parameters should be estimated when the elasticity is not a sufficient statistic. Second, we discuss conceptually the key issues that arise in the empirical estimation of the elasticity of taxable income using the example of the 1993 top individual income tax rate increase in the United States to illustrate those issues. Third, we provide a critical discussion of selected empirical analyses of the elasticity of taxable income in light of the theoretical and empirical framework we laid out. Finally, we discuss avenues for future research. (JEL H24, H31, J22)


SERIEs ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 281-320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Almunia ◽  
David Lopez-Rodriguez

Abstract We study how taxable income responds to changes in marginal tax rates, using as a main source of identifying variation three large reforms to the Spanish personal income tax implemented in the period 1999–2014. The most reliable estimates of the elasticity of taxable income (ETI) with respect to the net-of-tax rate for this period are between 0.45 and 0.64. The ETI is about three times larger for self-employed taxpayers than for employees and larger for business income than for labor and capital income. The elasticity of broad income is smaller, between 0.10 and 0.24, while the elasticity of some tax deductions such as the one for private pension contributions exceeds one. Our estimates are similar across a variety of estimation methods and sample restrictions and also robust to potential biases created by mean reversion and heterogeneous income trends.


2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 233-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claus Thustrup Kreiner ◽  
Søren Leth-Petersen ◽  
Peer Ebbesen Skov

This paper uses monthly payroll records for all Danish employees to identify widespread intertemporal shifting of labor income in response to a tax reform that significantly reduced the marginal tax rates for one-fourth of all employees. When ignoring shifting, the estimate of the overall elasticity of taxable income equals 0.1, and the elasticity is increasing with earnings. When removing the shifting component, the elasticity is close to zero at all earnings levels. The evidence also indicates that tax salience, liquidity constraints and firm willingness to cooperate in shifting are important factors in explaining shifting behavior. (JEL H24, H31, J22, J31)


2016 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 174-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Creedy ◽  
Norman Gemmell

This article considers the question of whether marginal tax rates (MTRs) in the US income tax system are on the “right” side of their respective Laffer curves. Previous attention has tended to focus specifically on the top MTR. Conceptual expressions for these “revenue-maximizing elasticities of taxable income” (ETI L), based on readily observable tax parameters, are presented for each tax rate in a multi-rate income tax system. Applying these to the US income tax, with its complex effective marginal rate structure, demonstrates that a wide range of revenue-maximizing ETI values can be expected within, and across, tax brackets and for all taxpayers in aggregate. For some significant groups of taxpayers, these revenue-maximizing ETIs appear to be within the range of empirically estimated elasticities.


KEBERLANJUTAN ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 1192
Author(s):  
Arif Nugrahanto

AbstractThe responses of taxpayers due to the changes in tax rates have attracted the curiosity of many economists. The magnitude of taxpayers’ responses is substantially considered to be very importance in the formulation of tax and transfer policy (Giertz, 2009). The fundamental analysis on how to see the respond of taxpayers due to any changes in tax rates uses elasticity of labor supply, which estimates the changes of working hours with respect to the changes in tax rates. Because people’s response to a tax change may take several forms, including a labor supply response, elasticity of labor supply must be read carefully, as pertaining only to specific circumstances. Then, the elasticity of taxable income, which was originated by Lindsey (1986), is used and introduced to overcome such restrictions.Using very rich panel data of Indonesian taxpayers from 2007 to 2010, this study generates numerous findings about the elasticity of taxable income. The extent of taxpayers’ response deeply depends on how the secular trend of income is isolated and controlled. Without income control, the elasticity of taxable income is 0.289, while using a 10-spline of log of income, the extent is 0.368. Moreover, the study also uses net income as complement of the core estimation. This study identifies that the elasticity of taxable income in Indonesia is in the range of 0.302-0.368 depending on the income definition applied. The findings confirm with most literature on this subject and closely near to what was specified by Saez, et. al (2010) as “a consensus value.” But it should be underlined that these magnitudes are just in the short run period. This also found that the short run and medium period produce varying magnitudes. The medium run period calculation generates the number of close to zero. It might be due to the existence of income shifting, as stated by Goolsbee (2000). Another argument is myopic phenomenon. As taxpayers only focus on the situation that just happen surroundings them.The difference in the effect highpoints what Slemrod (2001) said that the magnitude of reported income elasticity is not an unchanged parameter; indeed, it is subject to government policy. Moreover, the surroundings of the tax reform and after all may also have influences.  


2002 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
David H. Eaton

This paper uses a series of two-year panels of tax return data to estimate the effects of two sources of tax rate changes on the participation in Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs). This paper uses a panel logit approach to control for individual specific fixed effects, which may also influence IRA participation behavior. This paper examines participation during the years of open eligibility for IRAs, as well as examining the impact of the 1986 tax reform on participation. A key finding of this paper is that taxpayers' IRA participation decisions are more sensitive to changes in tax rates due to changes in taxable income than to direct changes in the tax tables.


2015 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 380-394 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yolande Jordaan ◽  
Nicholaas J Schoeman

This paper is primarily concerned with the revenue and tax efficiency effects of adjustments to marginal tax rates on individual income as an instrument of possible tax reform. The hypothesis is that changes to marginal rates affect not only the revenue base, but also tax efficiency and the optimum level of taxes that supports economic growth. Using an optimal revenue-maximising rate (based on Laffer analysis), the elasticity of taxable income is derived with respect to marginal tax rates for each taxable-income category. These elasticities are then used to quantify the impact of changes in marginal rates on the revenue base and tax efficiency using a microsimulation (MS) tax model. In this first paper on the research results, much attention is paid to the structure of the model and the way in which the database has been compiled. The model allows for the dissemination of individual taxpayers by income groups, gender, educational level, age group, etc. Simulations include a scenario with higher marginal rates which is also more progressive (as in the 1998/1999 fiscal year), in which case tax revenue increases but the increase is overshadowed by a more than proportional decrease in tax efficiency as measured by its deadweight loss. On the other hand, a lowering of marginal rates (to bring South Africa’s marginal rates more in line with those of its peers) improves tax efficiency but also results in a substantial revenue loss. The estimated optimal individual tax to gross domestic product (GDP) ratio in order to maximise economic growth (6.7 per cent) shows a strong response to changes in marginal rates, and the results from this research indicate that a lowering of marginal rates would also move the actual ratio closer to its optimum level. Thus, the trade-off between revenue collected and tax efficiency should be carefully monitored when personal income tax reform is being considered.


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