Why a Funded Pension System is Useful and Why It is Not Useful

Hans-Werner Sinn

No 7592, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: Based on explicit present value calculations, the paper criticizes the view that the PAYGO system wastes economic resources. In present value terms, there is nothing to be gained from a transition to funded system even though the latter offers a permanently higher rate of return. The sum of the implicit and explicit tax burdens that result from the need to respect the existing pension claims is the same under all systems and transition strategies. Nevertheless a partial transition to a funded system may be a way to overcome the current demographic crisis because it replaces missing human capital with real capital and helps smooth tax and child reading costs across the generations.

JEL-codes: H5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2000-03
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-lab and nep-pub
Note: AG PE
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (47)

Published as Sinn, Hans-Werner. "Why A Funded Pension System Is Needed And Why It Is Not Needed," International Tax and Public Finance, 2000, v7(4/5,Aug), 389-410.

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