Human Capital and Optimal Positive Taxation of Capital Income

Lans Bovenberg and Bas Jacobs

No 5047, CEPR Discussion Papers from C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers

Abstract: This paper analyzes optimal linear taxes on capital and labour incomes in a life-cycle model of human capital investment, financial savings, and labour supply with heterogenous individuals. A dual income tax with a positive marginal tax rate on not only labour income but also capital income is optimal. The positive tax on capital income serves to alleviate the distortions of the labour tax on human capital accumulation. The optimal marginal tax rate on capital income is lower than that on labour income if savings are elastic compared to investment in human capital; substitution between inputs in human capital formation is difficult; and most investments in human capital are verifiable. Numerical calculations suggest that the optimal marginal tax rate on capital income is close to the tax rate on labour income.

Keywords: Human capital; Labour income taxation; Capital income taxation; Life cycle; Education subsidies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H2 H5 I2 J2 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2005-05
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cmp, nep-edu, nep-pbe and nep-pub
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (22)

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Journal Article: Human capital and optimal positive taxation of capital income (2010)
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