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The Deadweight Loss from `Non-Neutral' Capital Income Taxation

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  • Alan J. Auerbach

Abstract

This paper develops an overlapping generations general equilibrium growth model with an explicit characterization of the role of capital goods in the production process. The model is rich enough in structure to evaluate and measure simultaneously the different distortions associated with capital income taxation (across sectors, across assets and across time) yet simple enough to yield intuitive analytical results as well. The main result is that uniform capital income taxation is almost certainly suboptimal, theoretically, but that empirically, optimal deviations from uniform taxation are inconsequential. We also find that though the gains from a move to uniform taxation are not large in absolute magnitude these gains would be offset only by an overall rise in capital income tax rates of several percentage points. A separate contribution of the paper is the development of a technique for distinguishing intergenerational transfers from efficiency gains in analyzing the effects of policy changes on long-run welfare.

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  • Alan J. Auerbach, 1988. "The Deadweight Loss from `Non-Neutral' Capital Income Taxation," NBER Working Papers 2510, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:2510
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    Cited by:

    1. Kenneth L. Judd, 2011. "The Importance of Asymmetric Tax Policy and Dangers of Aggregation," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 43, pages 175-205, August.
    2. Hagen, Kare P. & Kanniainen, Vesa, 1995. "Optimal taxation of intangible capital," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 11(2), pages 361-378, June.
    3. William M. Gentry & R. Glenn Hubbard, 1998. "Fundamental Tax Reform and Corporate Financial Policy," NBER Working Papers 6433, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Blackorby, Charles & Brett, Craig, 2004. "Capital Taxation In A Simple Finite-Horizon Olg Model," The Warwick Economics Research Paper Series (TWERPS) 709, University of Warwick, Department of Economics.
    5. Ctirad Slavík & Hakki Yazici, 2019. "On the consequences of eliminating capital tax differentials," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 52(1), pages 225-252, February.
    6. David A. Weisbach, 2004. "Measurement and Tax Depreciation Policy: The Case of Short-Term Intangibles," The Journal of Legal Studies, University of Chicago Press, vol. 33(1), pages 199-229, January.
    7. Jinyong Cai & Jagadeesh Gokhale, 1997. "The welfare loss from a capital income tax," Economic Review, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, issue Q I, pages 2-10.
    8. Herings, P.J.J., 2000. "Universally stable adjustment processes - a unifying approach," Research Memorandum 003, Maastricht University, Maastricht Research School of Economics of Technology and Organization (METEOR).
    9. Sijbren Cnossen & Lans Bovenberg, 2001. "Fundamental Tax Reform in The Netherlands," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 8(4), pages 471-484, August.
    10. Hines, James R. & Park, Jongsang, 2019. "Investment ramifications of distortionary tax subsidies," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 172(C), pages 36-51.
    11. Jinyong Cai & Jagadeesh Gokhale, 1990. "What does the capital income tax distort?," Working Papers (Old Series) 9013, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.
    12. Gravelle, Jane G & Kotlikoff, Laurence J, 1995. "Corporate Taxation and the Efficiency Gains of the 1986 Tax Reform Act," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 6(1), pages 51-81, June.
    13. Brita Bye & Snorre Kverndokk & Knut Rosendahl, 2002. "Mitigation costs, distributional effects, and ancillary benefits of carbon policies in the Nordic countries, the U.K., and Ireland," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 7(4), pages 339-366, December.
    14. Peter Sørensen, 2007. "The theory of optimal taxation: what is the policy relevance?," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 14(4), pages 383-406, August.
    15. Holmoy, Erling & Vennemo, Haakon, 1995. "A general equilibrium assessment of a suggested reform in capital income taxation," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 17(6), pages 531-556, December.
    16. Darrel Cohen & Kevin Hassett & R. Glenn Hubbard, 1999. "Inflation and the User Cost of Capital: Does Inflation Still Matter?," NBER Chapters, in: The Costs and Benefits of Price Stability, pages 199-234, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    17. Lawrence H. Goulder, 1990. "Implications of Introducing US Withholding Taxes on Foreigners' Interest Income," NBER Chapters, in: Tax Policy and the Economy: Volume 4, pages 103-142, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    18. Federico Revelli, 2013. "Tax incentives for cultural heritage conservation," Chapters, in: Ilde Rizzo & Anna Mignosa (ed.), Handbook on the Economics of Cultural Heritage, chapter 6, pages i-i, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    19. Peter Birch Sørensen, 2006. "The Theory of Optimal Taxation: What is the Policy Relevance?," EPRU Working Paper Series 06-07, Economic Policy Research Unit (EPRU), University of Copenhagen. Department of Economics.
    20. Brita Bye & Turid Åvitsland, 2001. "The welfare effects of housing taxation in a distorted economy: A general equilibrium analysis," Discussion Papers 306, Statistics Norway, Research Department.
    21. Cnossen, S. & Bovenberg, A.L., 2000. "Fundamental tax reform in the Netherlands," Research Memorandum 024, Maastricht University, Maastricht Research School of Economics of Technology and Organization (METEOR).
    22. Jack, William & Viard, Alan D., 1996. "Production efficiency and the design of temporary investment incentives," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 61(1), pages 87-106, July.
    23. Bye, Brita, 2000. "Environmental Tax Reform and Producer Foresight: An Intertemporal Computable General Equilibrium Analysis," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 22(6), pages 719-752, November.
    24. David Weisbach, 2014. "The use of neutralities in international tax policy," Working Papers 1414, Oxford University Centre for Business Taxation.

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