We analyze the distribution and taxation of top incomes in Germany during the 1990s on the basis of individual tax … returns data. We derive a measure of economic income from taxable gross income as reported in the tax returns. Thanks to … concentrated in Germany, more than commonly thought; (iv) although effective tax rates are significantly lower than statutory ones …

We analyze the taxation of top personal incomes in Germany on the basis of an integrated data file of individual tax … includes all taxpayers in the top percentile of the gross income distribution. We show that despite substantial tax base … erosion and significant reductions of top statutory marginal tax rates, German income taxation has remained effectively …

We propose a theory of tax centralization and inter governmental grants in politico-economic equilibrium. The cost of … the local level. This renders the degree of tax centralization and the tax burden determinate even if none of the …

policy. The model predicts population ageing to lead to larger social security systems, but eventually lower benefits per … retiree. Under realistic parameter values, it predicts a social-security tax rate close to the actual one, but higher than the … Ramsey tax rate. Closed-form solutions for the case with endogenous labor supply, tax distortions, and multiple policy …

I analyze how lack of commitment affects the maturity structure of sovereign debt. Governments balance benefits of … default induced redistribution and costs due to income losses in the wake of a default. Their choice of short- versus long …

observations on wage (skill premium) and wealth inequality. We find that the tax rate for high income agents is optimally the least … volatile and the tax rate for low income agents the least counter-cyclical. In contrast, the path of optimal taxes for the …

that, relative to the other tax reforms, capital tax cuts lead to the highest aggregate welfare but are skill-biased and … labour, falls in the capital tax can result in welfare losses for unskilled workers, even in the absence of other frictions … show that including the transition period in the welfare evaluation lowers the inequality effects of capital tax reduc …