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Tax Reform and Progressivity

Author

Listed:
  • Keen, Michael
  • Papapanagos, Harry
  • Shorrocks, Anthony

Abstract

The established theory of tax progressivity cannot handle basic tax reform questions, such as whether an increase in personal allowances makes the tax system more progressive, because the core results assume that tax liability is never zero. This paper generalises the core theory to allow for zero tax payments, and applies the new framework to the analysis of allowances, income-related deductions and tax credits. Log concavity of the tax schedule--a property quite distinct from any existing notion of progressivity--emerges as the critical determinant of whether the distribution of the tax burden becomes more progressive as allowances are increased.

Suggested Citation

  • Keen, Michael & Papapanagos, Harry & Shorrocks, Anthony, 2000. "Tax Reform and Progressivity," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 110(460), pages 50-68, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:ecj:econjl:v:110:y:2000:i:460:p:50-68
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Junyi Zhu, 2014. "Bracket Creep Revisited - with and without r > g: Evidence from Germany," Journal of Income Distribution, Ad libros publications inc., vol. 23(3), pages 106-158, November.
    2. Vincenzo Prete & Alessandro Sommacal & Claudio Zoli, 2016. "Optimal Non-Welfarist Income Taxation for Inequality and Polarization Reduction," Working Papers 23/2016, University of Verona, Department of Economics.
    3. Damjanovic, Tatiana, 2005. "Lorenz dominance for transformed income distributions: A simple proof," Mathematical Social Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 50(2), pages 234-237, September.
    4. Damjanovic, Tatiana & Ulph, David, 2010. "Tax progressivity, income distribution and tax non-compliance," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 54(4), pages 594-607, May.
    5. André Decoster & Isabelle Standaert & Christian Valenduc & Guy Van Camp, 2002. "What makes personal income taxes progressive? The case of Belgium," Brussels Economic Review, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles, vol. 45(3), pages 91-112.
    6. Santiago Díaz de Sarralde Míguez & Jesús Ruiz-Huerta Carbonell, "undated". "Assessing Tax Reforms. Critical Comments And A Proposal: The Level And Distance Effects (*)," Working Papers 3-06 Classification-JEL :, Instituto de Estudios Fiscales.
    7. Herwig Immervoll & David Barber, 2005. "Can Parents Afford to Work?: Childcare Costs, Tax-Benefit Policies and Work Incentives," OECD Social, Employment and Migration Working Papers 31, OECD Publishing.
    8. Estrada, Fernando & González, Jorge Iván, 2014. "Tax Power and Economics," MPRA Paper 59075, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    9. Jorge Onrubia & Fidel Picos-Sánchez & María Carmen Rodado, 2014. "Rethinking the Pfähler–Lambert decomposition to analyse real-world personal income taxes," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 21(4), pages 796-812, August.
    10. Damjanovic, Tatiana & Ulph, David, 2010. "Tax progressivity, income distribution and tax non-compliance," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 54(4), pages 594-607, May.
    11. Immervoll, Herwig, 2004. "Falling up the stairs: an exploration of the effects of ‘bracket creep’ on household incomes," EUROMOD Working Papers EM3/04, EUROMOD at the Institute for Social and Economic Research.
    12. Dardanoni, Valentino & Lambert, Peter J., 2002. "Progressivity comparisons," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 86(1), pages 99-122, October.
    13. 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.
    14. Chang Woon Nam & Christoph Zeiner, 2015. "Effects of Bracket Creep and Tax Reform on Average Personal Income Tax Burden in Germany," CESifo Working Paper Series 5626, CESifo.
    15. Daniela Mantovani, 2017. "Comparing redistributive efficiency of tax-benefit systems in Europe," Center for the Analysis of Public Policies (CAPP) 0155, Universita di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Dipartimento di Economia "Marco Biagi".
    16. A. Fa𨐠 & J. L󰥺-Rodr z & L. Varela-Candamio, 2013. "Nontaxable income and necessary consumption: the Rousseau's paradox of fiscal egalitarianism," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(30), pages 4248-4259, October.
    17. Daniela Mantovani & Simone Pellegrino & Achille Vernizzi, 2020. "A note on the maximum value of the Kakwani index," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 58(2), pages 869-874, February.
    18. Estrada, Fernando, 2010. "Política tributaria y economía fiscal La posición Hayek (1959, 1979) con comentarios de Brenann/Buchanan (1980) [Fiscal tax policy and economy]," MPRA Paper 20094, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    19. Mantovani, Daniela, 2018. "Comparing redistributive efficiency of tax-benefit systems in Europe," EUROMOD Working Papers EM12/18, EUROMOD at the Institute for Social and Economic Research.
    20. Fernando, Estrada, 2010. "A reading Hayek on power to tax," MPRA Paper 21526, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    21. Daniela Mantovani, 2017. "Comparing redistributive efficiency of tax-benefit systems in Europe," Department of Economics 0114, University of Modena and Reggio E., Faculty of Economics "Marco Biagi".

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