1、1Chapter 12 Taxation and Income Distribution2Introduction Many policies center around whether the tax burden is distributed fairly. Not as simple as analyzing how much in taxes each person actually paid, because of tax-induced changes to price.3Introduction Two main concepts of how a tax is distribu
2、ted: Statutory incidence who is legally responsible for tax Economic incidence the true change in the distribution of income induced by tax. These two concepts differ because of tax shifting.4Tax Incidence: General Remarks Only people can bear taxes Business paying their fair share simply shifts the
3、 tax burden to different people Can study people whose total income consists of different proportions of labor earnings, capital income, and so on. Sometimes appropriate to study incidence of a tax across regions.5Tax Incidence: General Remarks Both Sources and Uses of Income should be considered Ta
4、x affects consumers, workers in industry, and owners Economists often ignore the sources side6Tax Incidence: General Remarks Incidence depends on how prices are determined Industry structure matters Short- versus long-run responses7Tax Incidence: General Remarks Incidence depends on disposition of t
5、ax revenue Balanced budget incidence computes the combined effects of levying taxes and government spending financed by those taxes. Differential tax incidence compares the incidence of one tax to another, ignoring how the money is spent. Often the comparison tax is a lump sum tax a tax that does no
6、t depend on a persons behavior.8Tax Incidence: General Remarks Tax progressiveness can be measured in a number of ways A tax is often classified as: Progressive Regressive Proportional Proportional taxes are straightforward: ratio of taxes to income is constant regardless of income level.9Tax Incide
7、nce: General Remarks Can define progressive (and regressive) taxes in a number of ways. Can compute in terms of Average tax rate (ratio of total taxes total income) or Marginal tax rate (tax rate on last dollar of income)10Tax Incidence: General Remarks Measuring how progressive a tax system is pres
8、ent additional difficulties. Consider two simple definitions. The first one says that the greater the increase in average tax rates as income rises, the more progressive is the system.vIITITI110110011Tax Incidence: General Remarks The second one says a tax system is more progressive if its elasticit
9、y of tax revenues with respect to income is higher. Recall that an elasticity is defined in terms of percent change in one variable with respect to percent change in another one:vTITTTIII2100100%12Tax Incidence: General Remarks These two measures, both of which make intuitive sense, may lead to diff
10、erent answers. Example: increasing all taxpayers liability by 20%13Partial Equilibrium Models Partial equilibrium models only examine the market in which the tax is imposed, and ignores other markets. Most appropriate when the taxed commodity is small relative to the economy as a whole.14Partial Equ
11、ilibrium Models:Per-unit taxes Unit taxes are levied as a fixed amount per unit of commodity sold Federal tax on cigarettes, for example, is 39 cents per pack. Assume perfect competition. Then the initial equilibrium is determined as (Q0, P0) in Figure 12.1.Figure 12.116Partial Equilibrium Models:Pe
12、r-unit taxes Next, impose a per-unit tax of $u in this market. Key insight: In the presence of a tax, the price paid by consumers and price received by producers differ. Before, the supply-and-demand system was used to determine a single price; now there is a separate price for each.17Partial Equili
13、brium Models:Per-unit taxes How does the tax affect the demand schedule? Consider point a in Figure 12.1. Pa is the maximum price consumers would pay for Qa. The willingness-to-pay by demanders does NOT change when a tax is imposed on them. Instead, the demand curve as perceived by producers changes
14、. Producers perceive they could receive only (Pau) if they supplied Qa. That is, suppliers perceive that the demand curve shifts down to point b in Figure 12.1.18Partial Equilibrium Models:Per-unit taxes Performing this thought experiment for all quantities leads to a new, perceived demand curve sho
15、wn in Figure 12.2. This new demand curve, Dc, is relevant for suppliers because it shows how much they receive for each unit sold.Figure 12.220Partial Equilibrium Models:Per-unit taxes Equilibrium now consists of a new quantity and two prices (one paid by demanders, and the other received by supplie
16、rs). The suppliers price (Pn) is determined by the new demand curve and the old supply curve. The demanders price Pg=Pn+u. Quantity Q1 is obtained by either D(Pg) or S(Pn).21Partial Equilibrium Models:Per-unit taxes Tax revenue is equal to uQ1, or area kfhn in Figure 12.2. The economic incidence of
17、the tax is split between the demanders and suppliers Price demanders face goes up from P0 to Pg, which (in this case) is less than the statutory tax, u.22Numerical Example Suppose the market for champagne is characterized by the following supply and demand curves:QPQPSD202100223Numerical Example If
18、the government imposes a per-unit tax on demanders of $8 per unit, the tax creates a wedge between what demanders pay and suppliers get. Before the tax, we can rewrite the system as:QPQPPPSSDDSD202100224Numerical Example After the tax, suppliers receive $8 less per pack than demanders pay. Therefore
19、:PPPPSDDSD825Numerical Example Solving the initial system (before the tax) gives a price of P=20 and Q=60. Solving the system after the tax gives:QQPPPPQSDDDDS 20281002241652,26Numerical Example In this case, the statutory incidence falls 100% on the demanders, but the economic incidence is 50% on d
20、emanders and 50% on suppliers:PPD005$24$20$8.27Partial Equilibrium Models:Taxes on suppliers vs. demanders Incidence of a unit tax is independent of whether it is levied on consumers or producers. If the tax were levied on producers, the supplier curve as perceived by consumers would shift upward. T
21、his means that consumers perceive it is more expensive for the firms to provide any given quantity. This is illustrated in Figure 12.3.Figure 12.329Partial Equilibrium Models:Taxes on suppliers vs. demanders In our previous numerical example, the tax on demanders led to the following relationship:PP
22、PPSDDSD8 If we instead taxed suppliers, this relationship would instead be:PPPPPPDSSDSSD8830Partial Equilibrium Models:Taxes on suppliers vs. demanders Clearly, these equations identical to each other. The same quantity and prices will emerge as before. Implication: The statutory incidence of a tax
23、tells us nothing about the economic incidence of it. The tax wedge is defined as the difference between the price paid by consumers and price received by producers.31Partial Equilibrium Models:Elasticities Incidence of a unit tax depends on the elasticities of supply and demand. In general, the more
24、 elastic the demand curve, the less of the tax is borne by consumers, ceteris paribus. Elasticities provide a measure of an economic agents ability to “escape” the tax. The more elastic the demand, the easier it is for consumers to turn to other products when the price goes up. Thus, suppliers must
25、bear more of tax.32Partial Equilibrium Models:Elasticities Figures 12.4 and 12.5 illustrate two extreme cases. Figure 12.4 shows a perfectly inelastic supply curve Figure 12.5 shows a perfectly elastic supply curve In the first case, the price consumers pay does not change. In the second case, the p
26、rice consumers pay increases by the full amount of the tax.Figure 12.4Figure 12.535Partial Equilibrium Models:Ad-valorem Tax An ad-valorem tax is a tax with a rate given in proportion to the price. A good example is the sales tax. Graphical analysis is fairly similar to the case we had before. Inste
27、ad of moving the demand curve down by the same absolute amount for each quantity, move it down by the same proportion.36Partial Equilibrium Models:Ad-valorem Tax Figure 12.7 shows an ad-valorem tax levied on demanders. As with the per-unit tax, the demand curve as perceived by suppliers has changed,
28、 and the same analysis is used to find equilibrium quantity and prices.Figure 12.738Numerical Example Returning to our previous example, with a per-unit tax on demanders the system was written as:QPQPPPSSDDSDD202100239Numerical Example Now, with an ad-valorem tax (D), the system is written as:QPQPPP
29、SSDDSDD2021002140Numerical Example If the ad-valorem tax on demanders was 10%, then relationship between prices is:PPQQPPPPQSDSDDDDS09202 091002210518955789.,.,.41Partial Equilibrium Models:Ad-valorem Tax The payroll tax, which pays for Social Security and Medicare, is an ad-valorem tax on a factor
30、of production labor. Statutory incidence is split evenly with a total of 15.3%. The statutory distinction is irrelevant the incidence is determined by the underlying elasticities of supply and demand. Figure 12.8 shows the likely outcome on wages.Figure 12.843Partial Equilibrium Models:Competition W
31、e can also loosen the assumption of perfect competition. Figure 12.9 shows a monopolist before a per-unit tax is imposed.Figure 12.945Partial Equilibrium Models:Competition After a per-unit tax is imposed in Figure 12.10, the “effective” demand curve shifts down, as does the “effective” marginal rev
32、enue curve. Monopolists profits fall after the tax, even though it has market power.Figure 12.1047Partial Equilibrium Models:Profits taxes Firms can be taxed on economic profits, defined as the return to the owners of the firm in excess of the opportunity costs of the factors used in production. For
33、 profit-maximizing firms, proportional profit taxes cannot be shifted. Intuition: the same price-quantity combination that initially maximized profits initially still does. Output does not change.48Partial Equilibrium Models:Capitalization Special issues arise when land is taxed. Fixed supply, immob
34、ile, durable Assume annual rental rate is $Rt at time t. If market for land is competitive, its value is simply equal to the present discounted value of rental payments:PRRrRrRrRTT $.$012211149Partial Equilibrium Models:Capitalization Assume a tax of $ut is then imposed in each period t. The returns
35、 on owning land therefore fall, and purchasers take this into account. Thus, the price falls to: PRuRurRurRurRTTT$.$001122211150Partial Equilibrium Models:Capitalization The difference in these prices is simply the present discounted value of tax payments:PPuurururRRTT $.0122111 At the time the tax
36、is imposed (not collected), the price of the land falls by the present value of all future tax payments, a process known as capitalization.51Partial Equilibrium Models:Capitalization The person who bears the full burden of the tax forever is the landlord at the time the tax is levied. Future landlor
37、ds write the checks to the tax authority, but these payments are not a “burden” because they paid a lower price for the land from the current landlord. Also works the other way, when a new benefit is announced (e.g., better schools).52General Equilibrium Models Looking at one particular market may b
38、e insufficient when a sector is large enough relative to the economy as a whole. General equilibrium analysis takes into account the ways in which various markets are interrelated. Accounts for both inputs and output, and related commodities53General Equilibrium Models In a GE model, usually assume:
39、 2 commodities (F=food, M=manufactures) 2 factors of production (L=labor, K=capital) No savings54General Equilibrium Models:Tax equivalence Nine possible ad-valorem taxes in such a model: Four partial factor taxes tKF=tax on capital used in production of food tKM=tax on capital used in production of
40、 manufactures tLF=tax on labor used in production of food tLM=tax on labor used in production of manufactures55General Equilibrium Models:Tax equivalence Five other possible ad-valorem taxes: Two consumption taxes (on food and manufactures) tF =tax on consumption of food tM=tax on consumption of man
41、ufactures Two factor taxes tK=tax on capital in both sectors tL=tax on labor in both sectors Income tax t=general income tax56General Equilibrium Models:Tax equivalence Certain combinations of these nine taxes are equivalent to others. Equal consumption taxes equivalent to an income tax. Equal facto
42、r taxes equivalent to an income tax. Equal partial factor taxes equivalent to a consumption tax on that commodity. See Table 12.2 for the equivalences.57General Equilibrium Models:Tax equivalence Certain combinations of these nine taxes are equivalent to others. Equal consumption taxes equivalent to
43、 an income tax. Equal factor taxes equivalent to an income tax. Equal partial factor taxes equivalent to a consumption tax on that commodity. See Table 12.2 for the equivalences.58General Equilibrium Models:Harberger ModelApply GE models to tax incidence. Principal assumptions include: Technology: C
44、onstant returns to scale, production may differ with respect to elasticity of substitution (either capital intensive or labor intensive). Behavior of factor suppliers: Labor and capital perfectly mobile (net return equalized across sectors). Market structure: Perfectly competitive Total factor suppl
45、ies: Fixed (but mobile across sector) Consumer preferences: Identical Tax incidence framework: Differential tax incidence59General Equilibrium Models:Harberger Model Commodity tax: A tax on food leads to Relative price of food increasing Consumers substitute away from food and toward manufactures Le
46、ss food produced, more manufactures produced As food production falls, labor and capital relocate toward manufacturing Because labor-capital ratios differ across sectors, relative prices of inputs have to change for manufacturing to be willing to absorb unemployed factors.60General Equilibrium Model
47、s:Harberger Model Commodity tax: A tax on food leads to If food production is relatively capital intensive, relatively large amounts of capital must be absorbed by manufacturing. Relative price of capital falls (including capital already used in manufacturing) All capital is relatively worse off, no
48、t just capital used in the food sector. In general, tax on the output of a particular sector induces a decline in the relative price of the input that is used intensively in that sector.61General Equilibrium Models:Harberger Model Conclusion: food tax tends to hurt people who receive a relatively la
49、rge proportion of income from capital. Would also hurt those who consume a large proportion of food (if dropped identical preferences).62General Equilibrium Models:Harberger Model Income tax: Since it is equivalent to set of taxes on labor and capital at same rate, and factors are fixed, income tax
50、cannot be shifted. Labor tax: No incentive to switch use between sectors, labor bears full burden. Partial factor tax: Two initial effects Output effect Factor substitution effect See Figure 12.11 for flowchart of effects.Figure 12.1164Recap of Taxation and Income Distribution Partial Equilibrium An
