Four levers of redistribution: The impact of tax and transfer systems on inequality reduction

Elvire Guillaud (), Matthew Olckers and Michaël Zemmour ()
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Elvire Guillaud: CES - Centre d'économie de la Sorbonne - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, LIEPP - Laboratoire interdisciplinaire d'évaluation des politiques publiques (Sciences Po) - Sciences Po - Sciences Po
Michaël Zemmour: CLERSÉ - Centre Lillois d’Études et de Recherches Sociologiques et Économiques - UMR 8019 - Université de Lille - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, LIEPP - Laboratoire interdisciplinaire d'évaluation des politiques publiques (Sciences Po) - Sciences Po - Sciences Po

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Abstract: Using observational micro data from the Luxembourg Income Study (LIS) we assess the redistributive impact of tax and transfer cofigurations across 22 OECD countries for the period 1999-2013. After imputing missing tax data (employer social security contributions), we measure the reduction of income inequality due to four key levers of tax and transfer systems: the average tax rate, tax progressivity, the average transfer rate, and transfer targeting. Our methodological improvements provide the following results: First, tax redistribution dominates transfer redistribution (excluding pensions) in most countries. Second, targeting explains very little of the cross-country variation in inequality reduction. In contrast, both progressivity of taxes and the average tax rate have large impacts on redistribution. Third, we observe the trace of political trade-offs. High average tax rates do not appear in conjunction with highly progressive tax systems.

Keywords: tax-benefit policies; social security contributions; inequality reduction (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017-07
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-02735326v1
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Related works:
Journal Article: Four Levers of Redistribution: The Impact of Tax and Transfer Systems on Inequality Reduction (2020)
Working Paper: Four Levers of Redistribution: The Impact of Tax and Transfer Systems on Inequality Reduction (2020)
Working Paper: Four Levers of Redistribution: The Impact of Tax and Transfer Systems on Inequality Reduction (2020)
Working Paper: Four Levers of Redistribution: The Impact of Tax and Transfer Systems on Inequality Reduction (2020)
Working Paper: Four Levers of Redistribution: The Impact of Tax and Transfer Systems on Inequality Reduction (2020)
Working Paper: Four levers of redistribution: The impact of tax and transfer systems on inequality reduction (2017)
Working Paper: Four levers of redistribution: The impact of tax and transfer systems on inequality reduction (2017)
Working Paper: Four levers of redistribution: The impact of tax and transfer systems on inequality reduction (2017)
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