The Unintended Consequences of Encouraging Work: Tax Incidence and the EITC

Jesse Rothstein

No 1049, Working Papers from Princeton University, Department of Economics, Center for Economic Policy Studies.

Abstract: The EITC is designed to encourage work. But EITC-induced increases in labor supply may drive wages down, shifting the intended transfer toward employers and hurting non- EITC low-skill workers. I exploit variation across family types and skill levels to identify the effect of a large EITC expansion in the mid 1990s. Ceteris paribus, low-skill single mothers keep only $0.70 of every dollar they receive. Employers of low-skill labor capture $0.72, $0.30 from single mothers plus $0.43 from ineligible workers whose after-tax incomes fall when the EITC is expanded. The net transfer to low-skill workers is less than $0.28 per dollar spent.

Keywords: Earned; Income; Tax; Credit (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D31 H20 H22 J20 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008-05
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (29)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pri:cepsud:165

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