How can retirement savings be increased? We explore a unique policy change in the context of the German pension system to study this question. In 2004, pension authorities started to send out annual letters providing information about the pension system and expected pension payments. Using...

How can retirement savings be increased? We explore a unique policy change in the context of the German pension system to study this question. As of 2005 (with a phase-in period between 2002-04), the German pension administration started to send out annual letters providing detailed and...

In der aktuellen Reformdiskussion stehen Steuer- und Abgabenentlastungen für geringe und mittlere Einkommen im Fokus. Berechnungen des DIW Berlin zeigen, wie sich verschiedene Entlastungskonzepte auswirken. So entlastet ein Grundfreibetrag für Sozialbeiträge alle Einkommensgruppen, wobei...

The aim of the paper is to provide a description of the latest public release of EUROMOD (version F5.0), a microsimulation model of taxes and benefits in the EU. After giving a brief account of the process of constructing EUROMOD, we present headline indicators for income inequality and risk of...

In this paper we analyse how income taxation interferes with the logic and aims of the social security system. We investigate the distributional effects of the tax treatment of social benefits, and more specifically of old age pensions and unemployment benefits. We present a brief overview of...

How can retirement savings be increased? We explore a unique policy change in the context of the German pension system to study this question. As of 2004, the German pension authority started to send out annual letters providing detailed and comprehensible information about the pension system...

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...

This paper examines the growth effects of an increase of capital income taxes with additional revenue being devoted to cut wage-related social security contributions to reduce unemployment. The analysis is carried out in an overlapping generations model with endogenous growth, unemployment and a...

The paper discusses possible directions and magnitudes of the relationship between the social security driven tax wedge, employment and shadow employment in Russia and Ukraine. The first section presents a summary of the economic and institutional background for development of the current size...

Ökonomische Effizienz und soziale Gerechtigkeit stehen nicht im Widerspruch zueinander. Workfare ist sozial gerecht. Durch das Prinzip von Leistung und Gegenleistung wird dafür gesorgt, dass sich die Inanspruchnahme von Leistungen der Grundsicherung auf diejenigen beschränkt, die tatsächlich...