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Intergenerational Allocation of Government Expenditures: Externalities and Optimal Taxation

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  • KAZI IQBAL
  • STEPHEN J. TURNOVSKY

Abstract

This paper studies optimal capital and labor income taxes when the benefits of public goods are age‐dependent. Provided the government can impose a consumption tax, it can attain the first‐best resource allocation. This involves the uniform taxation of the cohorts' labor income and a zero capital income tax. With no consumption tax and optimally chosen government spending, labor income should be taxed nonuniformly across cohorts and the capital income tax should be nonzero. Deviations of the public goods from their respective optima create distortions. These affect the labor supply decisions of both cohorts and capital accumulation, providing a further reason to tax (or subsidize) capital income.

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  • Kazi Iqbal & Stephen J. Turnovsky, 2008. "Intergenerational Allocation of Government Expenditures: Externalities and Optimal Taxation," Journal of Public Economic Theory, Association for Public Economic Theory, vol. 10(1), pages 27-53, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jpbect:v:10:y:2008:i:1:p:27-53
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9779.2008.00350.x
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    1. Květa Kubátová, 2009. "Optimal Taxation - Review of Theory [Optimální zdanění - přehled dosavadní teorie]," Český finanční a účetní časopis, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 2009(3), pages 24-36.
    2. Gaumont, D. & Leonard, D., 2010. "Human capital, externalities and growth in an overlapping generations model," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(3), pages 186-200, September.
    3. Altar, Moisa & Necula, Ciprian & Bobeica, Gabriel, 2008. "Modeling The Economic Growth In Romania. The Influence Of Fiscal Regimes," Journal for Economic Forecasting, Institute for Economic Forecasting, vol. 5(4), pages 146-160, December.
    4. Florencia Amábile & Rómulo A. Chumacero, 2023. "Should I stay or should I go?: the economic incentives of intergenerational taxes and transfers in Uruguay," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 30(2), pages 493-524, April.

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