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Do taxspots matter?

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  • Citanna, A.
  • Tvede, M.

Abstract

Should the government run an uncertain fiscal policy to finance its liabilities? We call the resulting uncertainty taxspots, and study conditions that make taxspots optimal and recurrent in standard Ramsey problems. We show that prudence and market incompleteness play a role in sustaining taxspots, and that equal-treatment randomizations can be decentralized via taxspots even in the absence of financial markets.

Suggested Citation

  • Citanna, A. & Tvede, M., 2024. "Do taxspots matter?," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 220(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jetheo:v:220:y:2024:i:c:s0022053124000905
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jet.2024.105884
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Ramsey taxation; Sunspots; Lottery equilibrium;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D51 - Microeconomics - - General Equilibrium and Disequilibrium - - - Exchange and Production Economies
    • D52 - Microeconomics - - General Equilibrium and Disequilibrium - - - Incomplete Markets
    • D84 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Expectations; Speculations
    • E62 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Fiscal Policy; Modern Monetary Theory
    • H21 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Efficiency; Optimal Taxation

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