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The Achilles Heel of the Dual Income Tax. The Norwegian Case

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Abstract

The dual income tax provides the self-employed individual with large incentives to participate in tax minimizing income shifting. The present paper analyses the income shifting incentives under the Norwegian split model in the presence of technology risk, and it concludes that the widely held corporation serves as a tax shelter for high-income self-employed individuals. In addition, real capital investments with a low risk profile are means to shift income from the labor income tax base to the capital income tax base for the high-income self-employed.

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  • Annette Alstadsæter, 2006. "The Achilles Heel of the Dual Income Tax. The Norwegian Case," Discussion Papers 474, Statistics Norway, Research Department.
    • Handle: RePEc:ssb:dispap:474
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    1. Thor O. Thoresen & Annette Alstadsæter, 2010. "Shifts in Organizational Form under a Dual Income Tax System," FinanzArchiv: Public Finance Analysis, Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, vol. 66(4), pages 384-418, December.
    2. Annette Alstadsæter & Wojciech Kopczuk & Kjetil Telle, 2019. "Social networks and tax avoidance: evidence from a well-defined Norwegian tax shelter," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 26(6), pages 1291-1328, December.
    3. Roberto Iacono & Elisa Palagi, 2020. "Still the lands of equality? On the heterogeneity of individual factor income shares in the Nordics," LEM Papers Series 2020/13, Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy.
    4. Annette Alstadsæter & Erik Fjærli, 2009. "Neutral taxation of shareholder income? Corporate responses to an announced dividend tax," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 16(4), pages 571-604, August.
    5. Annette Alstadsæter & Knut Reidar Wangen, 2008. "Corporations’ Choice of Tax Regime when Transition Costs are Small and Income Shifting Potential is Large," CESifo Working Paper Series 2392, CESifo.
    6. Henrekson, Magnus & Sanandaji, Tino, 2016. "Owner-Level Taxes and Business Activity," Foundations and Trends(R) in Entrepreneurship, now publishers, vol. 12(1), pages 1-94, March.
    7. Wagenhals Gerhard & Buck Jürgen, 2009. "Implementing a Dual Income Tax in Germany – Effects on Labor Supply and Income Distribution," Journal of Economics and Statistics (Jahrbuecher fuer Nationaloekonomie und Statistik), De Gruyter, vol. 229(1), pages 84-102, February.
    8. Savina Princen & Athena Kalyva & Alexander Leodolter & Cécile Denis & Adriana Reut & Andreas Thiemann & Viginta Ivaskaite-Tamosiune, 2020. "Taxation of Household Capital in EU Member States Impact on Economic Efficiency, Revenue and Redistribution," European Economy - Discussion Papers 130, Directorate General Economic and Financial Affairs (DG ECFIN), European Commission.
    9. Erlend Bø & Peter Lambert & Thor Thoresen, 2012. "Horizontal inequity under a dual income tax system: principles and measurement," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 19(5), pages 625-640, October.
    10. Iacono Roberto & Palagi Elisa, 2022. "Still the Lands of Equality? Heterogeneity of Income Composition in the Nordics, 1975–2016," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 22(2), pages 221-268, April.

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    Keywords

    Dual income tax; tax avoidance; risky investments; choice of organizational form;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H24 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Personal Income and Other Nonbusiness Taxes and Subsidies
    • H25 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Business Taxes and Subsidies
    • H32 - Public Economics - - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents - - - Firm

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