Family Tax Splitting: A Microsimulation of its Potential Labour Supply and Intra-household Welfare Effects in Germany

This paper assesses the effects that an introduction of the French family splitting mechanism would have on German families' labour supply and intra-household consumption behaviour. We use simulated real world microdata created by means of a 'deterministic' collective labour supply model. The data are generated by a compound procedure of estimation and calibration based on GSOEP data. In a microsimulation the present tax-benefit system with child benefit/allowance is replaced by a tax scheme with family splitting. The resulting changes in labour supply are surprisingly small, even for women. Welfare effects are also modest, but differ for husbands and wives.