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Income Tax Progressivity: Trends and Implications

Author

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  • Claudia Gerber
  • Alexander Klemm
  • Li Liu
  • Victor Mylonas

Abstract

This paper discusses how the structure of the tax system affects its progressivity. It suggests a measure of progressive capacity of tax systems, based on the Kakwani index, but independent of pretax income distributions. Using this and other progressivity measures, the paper (i) documents a decline in progressivity over the last decades and (ii) examines the relationship between progressivity and economic growth. On this relationship, regressions do not reveal a significant impact, suggesting that efficiency costs may be small – at least for degrees of progressivity observed in the sample. Finally, the paper finds that increasing tax progressivity reduces pretax inequality.

Suggested Citation

  • Claudia Gerber & Alexander Klemm & Li Liu & Victor Mylonas, 2020. "Income Tax Progressivity: Trends and Implications," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 82(2), pages 365-386, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:obuest:v:82:y:2020:i:2:p:365-386
    DOI: 10.1111/obes.12331
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    Cited by:

    1. Keane, Michael P., 2022. "Recent research on labor supply: Implications for tax and transfer policy," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    2. Nanak Kakwani & Xiaobing Wang & Jing Xu & Ximing Yue, 2021. "Assessing the Social Welfare Effects of Government Transfer Programs: Some International Comparisons☆," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 67(4), pages 1005-1028, December.
    3. João Tovar Jalles & Georgios Karras, 2023. "Tax Progressivity and Output: Evidence from OECD countries," Working Papers REM 2023/0293, ISEG - Lisbon School of Economics and Management, REM, Universidade de Lisboa.
    4. Krajňák, Michal & Krzikallová, Kateřina & Friedrich, Václav, 2022. "Does political orientation affect economic indicators in the Czech Republic?," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 44(6), pages 1219-1231.
    5. Bruno Bises & Francesco Bloise & Antonio Scialà, 2024. "Labor share as an "automatic stabilizer" of income inequality," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 31(2), pages 511-532, April.
    6. Nanak Kakwani & Xiaobing Wang & Jing Xu & Ximing Yue, 2020. "Assessing the Social Welfare Effects of Government Transfer Programs: Some International Comparisons," LIS Working papers 786, LIS Cross-National Data Center in Luxembourg.
    7. Kyle McNabb & Hazel Granger, 2023. "The taxation of employment income in African countries: Findings from a new dataset," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 35(7), pages 1595-1618, October.
    8. Massimo Baldini, 2021. "Redistribution and progressivity of the Italian personal income tax, 40 years later," Fiscal Studies, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 42(2), pages 345-366, June.

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