In this paper we construct measures of tax incidence over the life-cycle and compare these measures to traditional measures based on annual data. We show that annual measures of the incidence of taxes on consumption goods may differ from life-cycle measures for three reasons. First, annual...

In this paper, we use tax policy choices to illustrate and investigate the more general problem of using uncertain parameter values in models to evaluate policy choices. We show, for this tax example, how debate on an elasticity parameter translates into a debate about policy choices, andvice...

Economists have generally argued that income redistribution comes at a cost in aggregate incomes. We provide a counter-example in a model where private information gives rise to incentive constraints. In the model, a wage tax creates the usual distortion in labor-leisure choices, but the grants...

Foreign tax credit systems limit the extent to which foreign tax credits can be used to offset tax liability in the taxpayer’s home country. We examine how two methods of limiting foreign tax credits, separate limitations based on type or source of income or an overall limitation aggregating...

This paper examines the extent to which U.S.-based multinational corporations are affected by the alternative minimum tax. More than half of all foreign-source income received by corporations in 1990 was earned by corporations subject to the alternative minimum tax. The AMT rules potentially...

Alternative corporate tax systems differ in their ability to adapt to changes in the rate of inflation. Absent complete indexing of depreciation allowances, a tax system may use the expected inflation rate to set accelerated depreciation allowances in a way that minimizes the welfare loss from...

In this paper I examine the effect of changes in tax laws on the value of firm stock prices. The behavior of oil firm stock prices in 1969 (at the time of congressional votes to reduce the percentage depletion allowance) is studied to test the hypothesis that this legislation resulted in a...

When tax rates vary by asset, a "hidden" industrial policy may aid industries that invest in a certain mix of assets. In this paper, we examine whether differential use of depreciable assets gives rise to differential tax treatment of high technology industries relative to other industries....

We provide new data on capital gains realizations using a five-year stratified panel of taxpayers covering 1985-1989. We find, as earlier studies have, that capital gains realizations are very concentrated among the highest income groups. We use these data and data from the Federal Reserve Board...