The complexity of the income tax is an unending source of complaint, and compliance costs are estimated to be very large. Yet most recognize that some degree of complexity is necessary if income is to be measured accurately. This article presents a framework for analyzing the value of greater...

The IMF has advised country authorities to roll back tax expenditures as a way to support fiscal consolidation efforts - urging them to evaluate tax expenditures according to clear criteria, and assessing their impact on public finances, economic efficiency, equity, and administrative and...

The IMF has advised country authorities to roll back tax expenditures as a way to support fiscal consolidation efforts — urging them to evaluate tax expenditures according to clear criteria, and assessing their impact on public finances, economic efficiency, equity, and administrative and...

We develop a model that allows for public goods and status signaling through charitable contributions. This model provides a unified framework in which contributions are driven both by altruism and status signaling. We use this setup to re-examine the conventional practice of rendering a...

This paper follows the theory of optimal taxation and the goal is to identify a tax/benefit design that maximizes social welfare. A two stage process is proposed where the individuals preferred choice of leisure and consumption is solved in the first stage, and the second stage identifies the...

This paper introduces a model of optimal health insurance. This model provides theoretical guidance of the relationship between household preferences, cost-sharing, and premiums. It applies this model to understand how the income tax subsidy distorts optimal cost-sharing in health insurance....

This paper follows the theory of optimal taxation and the goal is to identify a tax/benefit design that maximizes social welfare. A two stage process is proposed where the individuals preferred choice of leisure and consumption is solved in the first stage, and the second stage identifies the...

In this paper we characterize the optimal linear and piecewise linear EITC schedule. In the linear framework we demonstrate that in the presence of unemployment, an increase of social inequality aversion and a decrease in labor aversion both derive in a lower optimal EITC. For the piecewise...

Every spring, more than a half trillion dollars flow into and out of the financial accounts of American families as they reconcile taxes paid against taxes owed for the prior year. The JPMorgan Chase Institute analyzed daily financial flows and balances for families who receive tax refunds or...

Governments implementing an Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) aim at increasing Working Poor's propensity to work, in order to alleviate poverty. If this goal is attained in the long-run: shall the optimal EITC increase or decrease? We deal with this question using simulations with endogenous...