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Do Very High Tax Rates Induce Bunching? Implications for the Design of Income Contingent Loan Schemes

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  • BRUCE CHAPMAN
  • ANDREW LEIGH

Abstract

Under the Higher Education Contribution Scheme graduates face a sharp discontinuity in their taxable incomes. At the first repayment threshold, they are required to pay a percentage of their entire income to reduce their debts. This results in an extremely high effective marginal tax rate. Using a sample of taxpayer returns we investigate whether taxpayers bunch below the repayment threshold. We find a statistically significant degree of bunching below the threshold, but the effect is economically small. The result has important implications for the design of income contingent university loan schemes.

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  • Bruce Chapman & Andrew Leigh, 2009. "Do Very High Tax Rates Induce Bunching? Implications for the Design of Income Contingent Loan Schemes," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 85(270), pages 276-289, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:ecorec:v:85:y:2009:i:270:p:276-289
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1475-4932.2009.00554.x
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    1. Braithwaite, Valerie & Ahmed, Eliza, 2005. "A threat to tax morale: The case of Australian higher education policy," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 26(4), pages 523-540, August.
    2. Leora Friedberg, 1998. "The Social Security Earnings Test and Labor Supply of Older Men," NBER Chapters, in: Tax Policy and the Economy, Volume 12, pages 121-150, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. David Card & Richard Blundell & Richard B. Freeman, 2004. "Seeking a Premier Economy: The Economic Effects of British Economic Reforms, 1980–2000," NBER Books, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, number card04-1.
    4. Leora Friedberg, 2000. "The Labor Supply Effects of the Social Security Earnings Test," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 82(1), pages 48-63, February.
    5. Richard Blundell & Hilary W. Hoynes, 2004. "Has 'In-Work' Benefit Reform Helped the Labor Market?," NBER Chapters, in: Seeking a Premier Economy: The Economic Effects of British Economic Reforms, 1980–2000, pages 411-460, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    6. Peter Whiteford, 2006. "The Welfare Expenditure Debate: ‘Economic Myths of the Left and the Right’ Revisited," The Economic and Labour Relations Review, , vol. 17(1), pages 35-77, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Bruce Chapman & Tim Higgins, 2009. "Income Contingent Loans for Paid Parental Leave," CEPR Discussion Papers 596, Centre for Economic Policy Research, Research School of Economics, Australian National University.
    2. Blomquist, Sören & Simula, Laurent, 2019. "Marginal deadweight loss when the income tax is nonlinear," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 211(1), pages 47-60.
    3. Del Rey, Elena & Racionero, María, 2010. "Financing schemes for higher education," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 26(1), pages 104-113, March.
    4. Bruce Chapman & Boyd Hunter, 2009. "Exploring Creative Appliances of Income Contingent Loans," Australian Journal of Labour Economics (AJLE), Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC), Curtin Business School, vol. 12(2), pages 133-144.
    5. Abraham, Katharine G. & Filiz-Ozbay, Emel & Ozbay, Erkut Y. & Turner, Lesley J., 2020. "Framing effects, earnings expectations, and the design of student loan repayment schemes," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    6. Barr, Nicholas & Chapman, Bruce & Dearden, Lorraine & Dynarski, Susan, 2019. "The US college loans system: Lessons from Australia and England," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 32-48.
    7. Chapman, Bruce & Doris, Aedín, 2019. "Modelling higher education financing reform for Ireland," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 109-119.
    8. Bruce Chapman & Mathias Sinning, 2014. "Student loan reforms for German higher education: financing tuition fees," Education Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(6), pages 569-588, December.
    9. Jack W. Britton & Jonathan Gruber, 2019. "Do Income Contingent Student Loan Programs Distort Earnings? Evidence from the UK," NBER Working Papers 25822, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    10. Nicholas Barr & Bruce Chapman & Lorraine Dearden & Susan Dynarski, 2018. "Reflections on the US college loans system: Lessons from Australia and England," CAMA Working Papers 2018-29, Centre for Applied Macroeconomic Analysis, Crawford School of Public Policy, The Australian National University.
    11. Stavrunova, Olena & Yerokhin, Oleg, 2014. "Tax incentives and the demand for private health insurance," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 121-130.
    12. Tim Higgins & Bruce Chapman, 2009. "An Income contingent Loan for Extending Paid Parental Leave," Australian Journal of Labour Economics (AJLE), Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC), Curtin Business School, vol. 12(2), pages 197-216.
    13. Britton, Jack & Gruber, Jonathan, 2020. "Do income contingent student loans reduce labor supply?," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    14. Tomás Monarrez & Lesley J. Turner, 2024. "The Effect of Student Loan Payment Burdens on Borrower Outcomes," Working Papers 24-08, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.
    15. Chapman, Bruce & Lounkaew, Kiatanantha, 2010. "Income contingent student loans for Thailand: Alternatives compared," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(5), pages 695-709, October.
    16. Johnson, Shane & Breunig, Robert & Olivo-Villabrille, Miguel & Zaresani, Arezou, 2024. "Individuals’ responsiveness to marginal tax rates: Evidence from bunching in the Australian personal income tax," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    17. Nicholas Barr & Bruce Chapman & Lorraine Dearden & Susan Dynarski, 2018. "Reflections on the US College Loans System: Lessons from Australia and EnglandAbstract: There is wide agreement the US student loan system faces significant problems. Seven million borrowers are in de," DoQSS Working Papers 18-02, Quantitative Social Science - UCL Social Research Institute, University College London.
    18. repec:fip:fedpwp:97987 is not listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • H31 - Public Economics - - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents - - - Household
    • H52 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Government Expenditures and Education

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