Is the EITC as Good as an NIT? Conditional Cash Transfers and Tax Incidence

A-Tier
Journal: American Economic Journal: Economic Policy
Year: 2010
Volume: 2
Issue: 1
Pages: 177-208

Score contribution per author:

4.022 = (α=2.01 / 1 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

The EITC is intended to encourage work. But EITC-induced increases in labor supply may drive wages down. I simulate the economic incidence of the EITC. In each scenario that I consider, a large portion of low-income single mothers' EITC payments is captured by employers through reduced wages. Workers who are EITC ineligible also see wage declines. By contrast, a traditional Negative Income Tax (NIT) discourages work, and so induces large transfers from employers to their workers. With my preferred parameters, $1 in EITC spending increases after-tax incomes by $0.73, while $1 spent on the NIT yields $1.39. (JEL H22, H23, H24, H31, J22)

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aejpol:v:2:y:2010:i:1:p:177-208
Journal Field
General
Author Count
1
Added to Database
2026-01-29