The Optimal Taxation of Height: A Case Study of Utilitarian Income Redistribution

N. Gregory Mankiw and Matthew Weinzierl ()

American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 2010, vol. 2, issue 1, 155-76

Abstract: Should the income tax include a credit for short taxpayers and a surcharge for tall ones? The standard utilitarian framework for tax analysis answers this question in the affirmative. Moreover, a plausible parameterization using data on height and wages implies a substantial height tax: a tall person earning $50,000 should pay $4,500 more in tax than a short person. One interpretation is that personal attributes correlated with wages should be considered more widely for determining taxes. Alternatively, if policies such as a height tax are rejected, then the standard utilitarian framework must fail to capture intuitive notions of distributive justice. (JEL D64, H21, H23, H24, J11)

JEL-codes: D64 H21 H23 H24 J11 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010
Note: DOI: 10.1257/pol.2.1.155
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (108)

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Working Paper: The Optimal Taxation of Height: A Case Study of Utilitarian Income Redistribution (2009)
Working Paper: The Optimal Taxation of Height: A Case Study of Utilitarian Income Redistribution (2009)
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