The Surprising Power of Age-Dependent Taxes

Matthew C. Weinzierl

Abstract

This article provides a new, empirically driven application of the dynamic Mirrleesian framework by studying a feasible and potentially powerful tax reform: age-dependent labor income taxation. I show analytically how age dependence improves policy on both the intratemporal and intertemporal margins. I use detailed numerical simulations, calibrated with data from the U.S. PSID, to generate robust policy implications: age dependence (1) lowers marginal taxes on average and especially on high-income young workers and (2) lowers average taxes on all young workers relative to older workers when private saving and borrowing are restricted. Finally, I calculate and characterize the welfare gains from age dependence. Despite its simplicity, age dependence generates a welfare gain equal to between 0.6% and 1.5% of aggregate annual consumption, and it captures more than 60% of the gain from reform to the dynamic optimal policy. The gains are due to substantial increases in both efficiency and equity. When age dependence is restricted to be Pareto-improving, the welfare gain is nearly as large.

Citation:

Weinzierl, Matthew C. "The Surprising Power of Age-Dependent Taxes." Review of Economic Studies 78, no. 4 (October 2011): 1490–1518. (Also Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 11-114, May 2011.)

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Case | HBS Case Collection | February 2014 (Revised October 2019)

Should Corporate Profits Be Taxed? (A)

Matthew Weinzierl, Katrina Flanagan and Michael Cianellli

Taxing corporations is popular, but why? Corporations do not bear the burden of taxes, people do, and the incidence of the corporate income tax burden is likely to be far different from what many of its supporters assume.
Instructors may also obtain a Teaching Note, written by this case's author, that provides suggestions for using this case effectively in the classroom.

Keywords: Economic versus statutory incidence; Basics of corporate taxation; Business Ventures; Taxation; Profit;

Citation:
Weinzierl, Matthew, Katrina Flanagan, and Michael Cianellli. "Should Corporate Profits Be Taxed? (A)." Harvard Business School Case 714-033, February 2014. (Revised October 2019.) View Details

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Supplement | HBS Case Collection | October 2019

Should Corporate Profits Be Taxed? (B)

Matthew C. Weinzierl and Michael Cianelli

Citation:
Weinzierl, Matthew C., and Michael Cianelli. "Should Corporate Profits Be Taxed? (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 720-015, October 2019. View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | February 2015 (Revised August 2019)

Equality of Opportunity and Outcome in the U.S.

Matthew Weinzierl and Alastair Su

Equality of opportunity is endorsed universally even though, or more likely because, it can mean such different things to different people. What definition of equality of opportunity ought to figure into policy decisions? How close, or far, is the United States from providing equal opportunity?
Instructors may also obtain a Teaching Note, written by this case's author, that provides suggestions for using this case effectively in the classroom.

Keywords: equality of opportunity; justice; Opportunities; Equality and Inequality; Policy; United States;

Citation:
Weinzierl, Matthew, and Alastair Su. "Equality of Opportunity and Outcome in the U.S." Harvard Business School Case 715-028, February 2015. (Revised August 2019.) View Details

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The Surprising Power of Age-Dependent Taxes

Abstract

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