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Using Elasticities to Derive Optimal Income Tax Rates
Abstract
This paper derives optimal income tax formulas using compensated and uncompensated elasticities of earnings with respect to tax rates. A simple formula for the high income optimal tax rate is obtained as a function of these elasticities and the thickness of the top tail of the income distribution. In the general non-linear income tax problem, this method using elasticities shows precisely how the different economic effects come into play and which are the key relevant parameters in the optimal income tax formulas of Mirrlees. The optimal non-linear tax rate formulas are expressed in terms of elasticities and the shape of the income distribution. These formulas are implemented numerically using empirical earning distributions and a range of realistic elasticity parameters.
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Citations
Cited by
Optimal Income Transfer Programs: Intensive versus Extensive Labor Supply Responses
Saez, E. (2002) · The Quarterly Journal of Economics · doi:10.1162/003355302760193959 · Cited by 727
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Piketty, T., Saez, E., & Stantcheva, S. (2014) · American Economic Journal: Economic Policy · doi:10.1257/pol.6.1.230 · Cited by 713
Self-citationA unified welfare analysis of government policies.
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The Shape of Production Functions and the Direction of Technical Change
Jones, C. I. (2005) · The Quarterly Journal of Economics · doi:10.1093/qje/120.2.517 · Cited by 380
The Effect of Wealth on Individual and Household Labor Supply: Evidence from Swedish Lotteries
Cesarini, D., Lindqvist, E., Notowidigdo, M. J., & Östling, R. (2017) · American Economic Review · doi:10.1257/aer.20151589 · Cited by 285
Globalization, inequality and welfare
Antràs, P., de Gortari, A., & Itskhoki, O. (2017) · Journal of International Economics · doi:10.1016/j.jinteco.2017.07.009 · Cited by 181
Redistributive Taxation in the Roy Model*
Rothschild, C., & Scheuer, F. (2013) · The Quarterly Journal of Economics · doi:10.1093/qje/qjs076 · Cited by 167
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Fairfield, T. (2013) · World Development · doi:10.1016/j.worlddev.2013.02.011 · Cited by 134
Reported Incomes and Marginal Tax Rates, 1960-2000: Evidence and Policy Implications
Saez, E. (2004) · Tax Policy and the Economy · doi:10.1086/tpe.18.20061888 · Cited by 120
Self-citationThe AI economist: taxation policy design via two-level deep multiagent reinforcement learning
Zheng, S., Trott, A., Srinivasa, S., Parkes, D. C., & Socher, R. (2022) · Science Advances · doi:10.1126/sciadv.abk2607 · Cited by 105
How Americans Respond to Idiosyncratic and Exogenous Changes in Household Wealth and Unearned Income
Golosov, M., Graber, M., Mogstad, M., & Novgorodsky, D. (2024) · The Quarterly Journal of Economics · doi:10.1093/qje/qjad053 · Cited by 69
Generalized Social Marginal Welfare Weights for Optimal Tax Theory
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Metadata
- Authors
- Saez, E.
- Venue
- The Review of Economic Studies
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2001-01-01
- Volume
- 68
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 205-229
- ISSN
- 0034-6527 (ISSN-L)
- 1467-937X
- OpenAlex
- W2265679842
- Cited by
- 938
- References
- 0
- FWCI
- 18.79
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
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