In this paper we compute the optimal tax and education policy transition in an economy where progressive taxes provide social insurance against idiosyncratic wage risk, but distort the education decision of households. Optimally chosen tertiary education subsidies mitigate these distortions. We...

In this paper we compute the optimal tax and education policy transition in an economy where progressive taxes provide social insurance against idiosyncratic wage risk, but distort the education decision of households. Optimally chosen tertiary education subsidies mitigate these distortions. We...

I provide a simple two-period model comparing lump-sum taxes with proportional labor taxes. The difference to the classical optimal taxation literature is that I introduce a behavioral twist according to which people's aspirations change from one period to another as suggested by empirical...

Technological advancements are playing a transformative role in curtailing the need for labor. These very same forces are catapulting capital in the form of robotics, machinery, and intellectual property to the economic forefront. In virtually every sphere of human existence, labor's decline and...

In the 1970s, work hours in Europe were similar to work hours in America, but today Europeans work less than Americans. Prescott (2004) attributes the decline in European work hours to an increase in the effective marginal tax rate on labour income. The Australian labour market experience...

We experimentally analyze three anti-tax-evasion mechanisms: 1) prefilling of deductions in tax returns, 2) restricting tax evasion opportunities by either disallowing or 3) limiting the deductibility of expenditures. We find that prefilling compared to blank forms reduces tax evasion. Cutting...

Die Umstellung auf die nachgelagerte Besteuerung gesetzlicher Renten wird nach derzeitiger Rechtslage im Jahr 2040 abgeschlossen sein. Bis dahin erhöht sich für Neurentner der steuerpflichtige Anteil der gesetzlichen Rente auf 100 Prozent, während die steuerliche Absetzbarkeit der...

We examine how basic research should be financed. While basic research is a public good benefiting innovating entrepreneurs it also affects the entire economy: occupational choices of potential entrepreneurs, wages of workers, dividends to shareholders, and aggregate output. We show that the...