Progressive taxes and top income shares: A historical perspective on pre- and post-tax income concentration in Switzerland

C-Tier
Journal: Economics Letters
Year: 2016
Volume: 148
Issue: C
Pages: 5-9

Authors (2)

Score contribution per author:

0.503 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 0.5x C-tier

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

Abstract

The literature on income concentration largely focuses on pre-tax income; the current study provides new data concerning both pre- and post-tax top income shares in Switzerland, from the 1945–2012 period. Redistribution due to progressive income taxes increased until the 1970s, and since then, the highest-income households have avoided increased cantonal income taxes by taking residence in low-tax cantons. Lower-level top income groups are less mobile than the highest-level groups, but have benefited from tax policy reforms since the 1980s. Nonetheless, despite fiscal federalism, redistribution and post-tax income concentration have been exceptionally stable in Switzerland.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:eee:ecolet:v:148:y:2016:i:c:p:5-9
Journal Field
General
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-29