Capital Income Taxes with Heterogeneous Discount Rates

A-Tier
Journal: American Economic Journal: Economic Policy
Year: 2011
Volume: 3
Issue: 4
Pages: 52-76

Authors (2)

Score contribution per author:

2.011 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

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

Abstract

With heterogeneity in both skills and discount factors, the Atkinson- Stiglitz theorem that savings should not be taxed does not hold. In a model with heterogeneity of preferences at each earnings level, introducing a savings tax on high earners or a savings subsidy on low earners increases welfare, regardless of the correlation between ability and discount factor. Extending Emmanuel Saez (2002), a uniform savings tax increases welfare if that correlation is sufficiently high. Key for the results is that types who value future consumption less are more tempted by a lower paid job. Some optimal tax results and empirical evidence are presented. (JEL D14, H21, H24)

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aejpol:v:3:y:2011:i:4:p:52-76
Journal Field
General
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-25