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Elasticity of Taxable Income: Evidence from Changes in Municipal Income Tax Rates in Finland

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  • Tuomas Matikka

Abstract

The elasticity of taxable income (ETI) is a key parameter in income tax analysis, in terms of both efficiency and tax revenue. In this paper, I use Finnish data to analyze the ETI. I use changes in flat municipal income tax rates as an instrument for overall changes in marginal tax rates. This instrument is not a function of individual income, and thus the ETI estimates are less susceptible to bias caused by differential trends across the income distribution. In general, instruments used in previous studies do not have this feature. My preferred estimate for the average ETI is 0.21.

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  • Tuomas Matikka, 2018. "Elasticity of Taxable Income: Evidence from Changes in Municipal Income Tax Rates in Finland," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 120(3), pages 943-973, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:scandj:v:120:y:2018:i:3:p:943-973
    DOI: 10.1111/sjoe.12236
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    3. Mangyo, Eiji & Haapanen, Mika & Böckerman, Petri, 2024. "Born under the Bad Sign: Intergenerational Effects of the Finnish Great Depression of the Early 1990s," IZA Discussion Papers 16750, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    4. Engström, Per & Nordblom, Katarina & Stefansson, Arnaldur, 2018. "Multiple Misbehaving:Loss Averse and Inattentive to Monetary Incentives," Working Papers in Economics 729, University of Gothenburg, Department of Economics.
    5. Ali-Yrkkö, Jyrki & Koski, Heli & Kässi, Otto & Pajarinen, Mika & Valkonen, Tarmo & Hokkanen, Marja & Hyvönen, Noora & Koivusalo, Elina & Laaksonen, Jarno & Laitinen, Juha & Nyström, Enni, 2020. "The Size of the Digital Economy in Finland and Its Impact on Taxation," ETLA Reports 106, The Research Institute of the Finnish Economy.
    6. Michaël Sicsic, 2022. "Does labour income react more to income tax or means‐tested benefits reforms?," Fiscal Studies, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 43(3), pages 291-319, September.
    7. Kristoffer Berg & Thor O. Thoresen, 2020. "Problematic response margins in the estimation of the elasticity of taxable income," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 27(3), pages 721-752, June.
    8. Lundberg, Jacob, 2024. "Top Income Taxation: Efficiency, Social Welfare and the Laffer Curve," Working Paper Series 1492, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.
    9. Miao, Dingquan & Selin, Håkan & Söderström, Martin, 2022. "Earnings responses to even higher taxes," Working Paper Series 2022:12, IFAU - Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy.
    10. Joerg Paetzold, 2019. "How do taxpayers respond to a large kink? Evidence on earnings and deduction behavior from Austria," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 26(1), pages 167-197, February.
    11. Boris Cournède & Jean-Marc Fournier & Peter Hoeller, 2018. "Public finance structure and inclusive growth," OECD Economic Policy Papers 25, OECD Publishing.
    12. Miguel Almunia & Jarkko Harju & Kaisa Kotakorpi & Janne Tukiainen & Jouko Verho, 2019. "Expanding access to administrative data: the case of tax authorities in Finland and the UK," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 26(3), pages 661-676, June.
    13. Engström, Per & Nordblom, Katarina & Stefánsson, Arnaldur, 2022. "Loss aversion and indifference to tax rates: Evidence from tax filing data," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 200(C), pages 287-311.
    14. Spencer Bastani, 2023. "The Marginal Cost of Public Funds: A Brief Guide," CESifo Working Paper Series 10322, CESifo.
    15. Frank M. Fossen & Viktor Steiner, 2018. "The Tax†rate Elasticity of Local Business Profits," German Economic Review, Verein für Socialpolitik, vol. 19(2), pages 162-189, May.
    16. Bohne, Albrecht & Nimczik, Jan Sebastian, 2018. "Information Frictions and Learning Dynamics: Evidence from Tax Avoidance in Ecuador," IZA Discussion Papers 11536, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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