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Distributional and employment effects of labour tax changes in Finland

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  • Lehmus, Markku

Abstract

Labour income taxes in Finland decreased considerably during the period 1996–2008. At the same time the Finnish economy grew rapidly. Nevertheless, there was another coincidental trend in this period: a rapid rise in inequality. This study aims to answer to what extent labour income tax reductions between 1996 and 2008 contributed to this trend in inequality. The study also examines how much more employment was achieved owing to the labour tax reforms. To answer these questions, I build a dynamic general equilibrium model with heterogeneous agents. The model is calibrated to fit the Finnish economy. The study finds that the labour income tax cuts fractionally raised the Gini coefficient for net labour income. They also increased the concentration of wealth. The employment gains due to the reforms have been modest, but nevertheless significant.

Suggested Citation

  • Lehmus, Markku, 2014. "Distributional and employment effects of labour tax changes in Finland," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 36(1), pages 107-120.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jpolmo:v:36:y:2014:i:1:p:107-120
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jpolmod.2013.10.015
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    3. Philander, Kahlil S. & Bernhard, Bo J. & Wimmer, Bradley S. & Singh, Ashok K. & Eadington, William R., 2015. "U.S. casino revenue taxes and short-run labor outcomes," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 35-46.
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    6. Coda Moscarola, Flavia & Colombino, Ugo & Figari, Francesco & Locatelli, Marilena, 2020. "Shifting taxes away from labour enhances equity and fiscal efficiency," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 42(2), pages 367-384.
    7. Christophe André & Hyunjeong Hwang, 2018. "Tax reform to support growth and employment in Finland," OECD Economics Department Working Papers 1468, OECD Publishing.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Labour taxes; Income distribution; Heterogeneous agents; General equilibrium;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D31 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Personal Income and Wealth Distribution
    • E60 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - General
    • H24 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Personal Income and Other Nonbusiness Taxes and Subsidies
    • C68 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Mathematical Methods; Programming Models; Mathematical and Simulation Modeling - - - Computable General Equilibrium Models

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