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Effects of taxes and safety net pensions on life-cycle labor supply, savings and human capital: The case of Australia

Fedor Iskhakov and Michael Keane ()

Journal of Econometrics, 2021, vol. 223, issue 2, 401-432

Abstract: We structurally estimate a life-cycle model of consumption, labor supply and retirement, using data from the Australian HILDA panel. We use the model to evaluate effects of Australia’s Age Pension system and income tax policy on labor supply, consumption and retirement. Our model accounts for human capital, savings, uninsurable wage risk and credit constraints. We account for “bunching” of hours by assuming a discrete set of hours levels, and we investigate labor supply on both the intensive and extensive margins. Our model allows us to quantify the effects of anticipated and unanticipated tax and pension policy changes at different points of the life-cycle. Our results imply that Australia’s Age Pension system as currently designed is poorly targeted. Our simulations suggest that a doubling of taper rates, combined with a 5.9% reduction of income tax rates, would be budget neutral and Pareto improving.

Keywords: Labor supply; Human capital; Retirement; Pensions; Income taxes; Dynamic structural model; Superannuation; Age Pension; Means tests (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C63 J22 J24 J26 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:econom:v:223:y:2021:i:2:p:401-432

DOI: 10.1016/j.jeconom.2020.01.023

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Journal of Econometrics is currently edited by T. Amemiya, A. R. Gallant, J. F. Geweke, C. Hsiao and P. M. Robinson

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