SFB 303 Discussion Paper No. A - 328
Author: Keuschnigg, Christian
Title: Intergenerational Incidence and Pareto Improving Tax Reform
Abstract: I. Introduction II. The Life Cycle Growth Model.
III. Intergenerational Incidence of Taxes. IV. Pareto Improving Tax
Reform. V. Conclusions.
The paper clarifies the intergenerational incidence of taxes in the
overlapping generations model when agents have a pure life cycle motive of
savings. The intergenerational incidence also characterizes the tax policy's
potential for redistribution across generations. Since present and future
generations are not linked via an operative altruistic bequest motive, such
intergenerational redistribution is non-neutral in the pure life cycle model.
The Ricardian neutrality proposition does not hold. If the tax policy is
concerned with Pareto improvements of an initially distorted equilibrium,
it is important to control for possibly adverse effects on utility of some
agents by unintended intergenerational redistribution. For example,
intertemporal distortions may be reduced by granting investment incentives.
The paper shows how taxes with different intergenerational incidence must
be combined, first, to preserve revenue neutrality and, second, to keep
the reform Pareto improving by properly controlling for redistribution
across generations.
Keywords:
JEL-Classification-Number:
Creation-Date: January 1991
Unfortunately this paper is not available. Please order a hardcopy via e-mail.
SFB 303 Homepage
23.03.1998, Webmaster