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Progressive Taxation, Nominal Wage Rigidity, and Business Cycle Destabilization

Author

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  • Jang-Ting Guo

    (Department of Economics, University of California Riverside)

  • Miroslav Gabrovski

    (University of Hawaii at Manoa)

Abstract

In the context of a prototypical New Keynesian model, this paper examines the theoretical interrelations between two tractable formulations of progressive taxation on labor income versus (i) the equilibrium degree of nominal wage rigidity as well as (ii) the resulting volatilities of hours worked and output in response to a monetary shock. In sharp contrast to the traditional stabilization view, we analytically show that linearly progressive taxation always operates like an automatic destabilizer which leads to higher cyclical fluctuations within the macroeconomy. We also obtain the same business cycle destabilization result under continuously progressive taxation if the initial degree of tax progressivity is sufficient low.

Suggested Citation

  • Jang-Ting Guo & Miroslav Gabrovski, 2019. "Progressive Taxation, Nominal Wage Rigidity, and Business Cycle Destabilization," Working Papers 201913, University of California at Riverside, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucr:wpaper:201913
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. King, Robert G. & Plosser, Charles I. & Rebelo, Sergio T., 1988. "Production, growth and business cycles : II. New directions," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 21(2-3), pages 309-341.
    2. Fabrizio Mattesini & Lorenza Rossi, 2012. "Monetary Policy and Automatic Stabilizers: The Role of Progressive Taxation," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 44(5), pages 825-862, August.
    3. King, Robert G. & Plosser, Charles I. & Rebelo, Sergio T., 1988. "Production, growth and business cycles : I. The basic neoclassical model," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 21(2-3), pages 195-232.
    4. Dromel, Nicolas L. & Pintus, Patrick A., 2007. "Linearly progressive income taxes and stabilization," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 61(1), pages 25-29, March.
    5. Kleven, Henrik Jacobsen & Kreiner, Claus Thustrup, 2003. "The role of taxes as automatic destabilizers in New Keynesian economics," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(5-6), pages 1123-1136, May.
    6. R. A. Musgrave & Tun Thin, 1948. "Income Tax Progression, 1929-48," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 56(6), pages 498-498.
    7. Agell, Jonas & Dillen, Mats, 1994. "Macroeconomic externalities : Are Pigouvian taxes the answer?," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 53(1), pages 111-126, January.
    8. Ball, Laurence & Romer, David, 1991. "Sticky Prices as Coordination Failure," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 81(3), pages 539-552, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Miroslav Gabrovski & Jang‐Ting Guo, 2022. "Progressive taxation as an automatic stabilizer under nominal wage rigidity and preference shocks," International Journal of Economic Theory, The International Society for Economic Theory, vol. 18(3), pages 232-246, September.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Progressive Taxation; Nominal Wage Rigidity; Automatic Stabilizer; Business Cycles.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E12 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General Aggregative Models - - - Keynes; Keynesian; Post-Keynesian; Modern Monetary Theory
    • E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles
    • E62 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Fiscal Policy; Modern Monetary Theory

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