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Mobility and the lifetime distributional impact of tax and transfer reforms

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  • Peter Levell

    (Institute for Fiscal Studies and Institute for Fiscal Studies)

  • Barra Roantree

    (Institute for Fiscal Studies and Economic and Social Research Institute)

  • Jonathan Shaw

    (Institute for Fiscal Studies and Financial Conduct Authority)

Abstract

The distributional impact of proposed reforms plays a central role in public debates around tax and transfer policy. We show that accounting for realistic patterns of mobility in employment, earnings and household circumstances over the life-cycle greatly affects our assessment of the distributional effects of tax and transfer reforms. We focus on three reforms modelled in the UK context: (i) changes to out-of-work versus in-work benefits, (ii) adjustments to income tax rates, and (iii) reforms to indirect taxation. In all three cases, the long-run distributional impact differs to that implied by a standard crosssection analysis in important ways.

Suggested Citation

  • Peter Levell & Barra Roantree & Jonathan Shaw, 2016. "Mobility and the lifetime distributional impact of tax and transfer reforms," IFS Working Papers W16/17, Institute for Fiscal Studies.
    • Handle: RePEc:ifs:ifsewp:16/17
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    2. Julio López Laborda & Carmen Marín & Jorge Onrubia, 2023. "Observatorio sobre el reparto de los impuestos y las prestaciones entre los hogares españoles," Studies on the Spanish Economy eee2023-01, FEDEA.
    3. Julio López Laborda & Carmen Marín & Jorge Onrubia, 2021. "Observatorio sobre el reparto de los impuestos y las prestaciones entre los hogares españoles. Sexto informe – 2017 y 2018," Studies on the Spanish Economy eee2021-33, FEDEA.
    4. Julio López Laborda & Carmen Marín González & Jorge Onrubia, 2019. "Observatorio sobre el reparto de los impuestos y las prestaciones monetarias entre los hogares españoles. Cuarto informe: 2016 y 2017," Studies on the Spanish Economy eee2019-36, FEDEA.
    5. Brewer, Mike & Joyce, Robert & Waters, Tom & Woods, Joseph, 2020. "A method for decomposing the impact of reforms on the long-run income distribution, with an application to universal credit," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 192(C).
    6. Julio López Laborda & Carmen Marín González & Jorge Onrubia, 2024. "Observatorio sobre el reparto de los impuestos y las prestaciones entre los hogares españoles. Octavo informe – 2021," Studies on the Spanish Economy eee2024-04, FEDEA.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Mobility; tax; transfer reforms;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D31 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Personal Income and Wealth Distribution
    • H20 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - General
    • H24 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Personal Income and Other Nonbusiness Taxes and Subsidies

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