Tax Inefficiencies and Their Implications for Optimal Taxation

Tax Inefficiencies and Their Implications for Optimal Taxation 20. 1 Taxation and Economic Efficiency 20. 2 Optimal Commodity Taxation 20. 3 Optimal Income Taxes 20. 4 Tax-Benefit Linkages and the Financing of Social Insurance Programs 20. 5 Conclusion Public Finance and Public Policy Jonathan Gruber Third Edition Copyright © 2010 Worth Publishers 1 of 30

G. O. P. Blueprint Would Remake Health Policy By ROBERT PEAR • Published: April 4, 2011 WASHINGTON — The proposal to be unveiled by House Republicans on Tuesday to rein in the long-term costs of Medicaid and Medicare represents a fundamental rethinking of how the two programs work, an ambitious effort by conservatives to address the nation’s fiscal challenges, and a huge political risk. • Under the proposal, Medicaid would be transformed into a block grant, with a lump sum of federal money given to the states to care for low-income people. States would be given more discretion over use of the money than they have under the current federal-state partnership. • For future Medicare beneficiaries — people now under 55 — Mr. Ryan’s proposal calls for the federal government to contribute a specified amount of money toward the premium for private health coverage. Under the traditional Medicare program, the government reimburses doctors and hospitals directly • Medicaid and Medicare now open-ended entitlements. Anyone who meets the eligibility criteria is entitled to benefits defined in detail by federal law. The federal government and the states must pay the additional cost if more people become eligible for Medicaid, as happened in the recent recession Likewise, Medicare bears the cost if doctors perform more numerous, more complex and expensive tests and procedures. Some of those additional costs are passed on to beneficiaries in the form of higher premiums. • • The Congressional Budget Office recently estimated that a Medicaid block grant, of the type proposed by Mr. Ryan and Ms. Rivlin, could save $180 billion over 10 years. House Republicans could save an additional $434 billion by eliminating the expansion in Medicaid eligibility scheduled to take place in 2014 under the new health care law. Public Finance and Public Policy Jonathan Gruber Third Edition Copyright © 2010 Worth Publishers 2 of 30

20. 1 CHAPTER 20 ■ TAX INEFFICIENCIES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR OPTIMAL TAXATION Taxation and Economic Efficiency Graphical Approach Public Finance and Public Policy Jonathan Gruber Third Edition Copyright © 2010 Worth Publishers 3 of 30

20. 1 CHAPTER 20 ■ TAX INEFFICIENCIES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR OPTIMAL TAXATION Taxation and Economic Efficiency Elasticities Determine Tax Inefficiency Public Finance and Public Policy Jonathan Gruber Third Edition Copyright © 2010 Worth Publishers 4 of 30

20. 1 CHAPTER 20 ■ TAX INEFFICIENCIES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR OPTIMAL TAXATION Taxation and Economic Efficiency Elasticities Determine Tax Inefficiency The inefficiency of any tax is determined by the extent to which consumers and producers change their behavior to avoid the tax; deadweight loss is caused by individuals and firms making inefficient consumption and production choices in order to avoid taxation. Public Finance and Public Policy Jonathan Gruber Third Edition Copyright © 2010 Worth Publishers 5 of 30

CHAPTER 20 ■ TAX INEFFICIENCIES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR OPTIMAL TAXATION Efficiency Effects of a Fertilizer Tax: Example D for Fert: Qd=240 -6 P S of Fert: Qs=-60+4 P A $4 tax is imposed on fertilizer producers Illustrate the effect of this tax on producers Find the initial and new equilibrium pts Calculate the DWL Find producer and consumer share What is the revenue generated? Public Finance and Public Policy Jonathan Gruber Third Edition Copyright © 2010 Worth Publishers 6 of 30

20. 1 CHAPTER 20 ■ TAX INEFFICIENCIES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR OPTIMAL TAXATION Taxation and Economic Efficiency APPLICATION Tax Avoidance in Practice 1. The British boat designer Uffa Fox lived in a home he constructed from a floating bridge. When the Inland Revenue (Britain’s tax collectors) attempted to collect property tax on the home, Fox began sailing it up and down the river. By the time he was done, Fox had collected so many different addresses that the Inland Revenue gave up their attempts. 2. An Englishman visiting Cyprus in the early 1980 s asked a tour guide why so many of the houses seemed to have steel reinforcement bars jutting out from their top floors. The guide informed him that Cyprus had a building tax that applied only to finished structures. Owners of those houses could thus claim that they were still in the process of finishing the roof. 3. The Thai government levies a tax on signs in front of businesses. The tax is levied only on external signs and the rate depends on whether the sign is completely in Thai (low), in Thai and English (medium), or completely in English (very high). A walk around Bangkok thus reveals many businesses hanging English signs with a small amount of Thai writing in the upperright-hand corner. Some businesses manage to avoid the tax entirely by printing the message on curtains that are hung in the front window, rendering the sign “internal” and thus tax-exempt. Public Finance and Public Policy Jonathan Gruber Third Edition Copyright © 2010 Worth Publishers 7 of 30

CHAPTER 20 ■ TAX INEFFICIENCIES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR OPTIMAL TAXATION The real tax avoidance scandal centers on dividends and capital gains By Robert J. Samuelson, Sunday, April 3, 7: 53 PM GE $14 billion, no taxes Public Finance and Public Policy Jonathan Gruber Third Edition Copyright © 2010 Worth Publishers 8 of 30

20. 1 CHAPTER 20 ■ TAX INEFFICIENCIES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR OPTIMAL TAXATION Taxation and Economic Efficiency Determinants of Deadweight Loss The formula for DWL is marginal deadweight loss The increase in deadweight loss per unit increase in the tax. Public Finance and Public Policy Jonathan Gruber Third Edition Copyright © 2010 Worth Publishers 9 of 30

20. 1 CHAPTER 20 ■ TAX INEFFICIENCIES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR OPTIMAL TAXATION Taxation and Economic Efficiency Determinants of Deadweight Loss Public Finance and Public Policy Jonathan Gruber Third Edition Copyright © 2010 Worth Publishers 10 of 30

20. 1 CHAPTER 20 ■ TAX INEFFICIENCIES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR OPTIMAL TAXATION Taxation and Economic Efficiency Deadweight Loss and the Design of Efficient Tax Systems A Tax System’s Efficiency Is Affected by a Market’s Preexisting Distortions preexisting distortions Market failures, such as externalities or imperfect competition, that are in place before any government intervention. Public Finance and Public Policy Jonathan Gruber Third Edition Copyright © 2010 Worth Publishers 11 of 30

20. 1 CHAPTER 20 ■ TAX INEFFICIENCIES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR OPTIMAL TAXATION Taxation and Economic Efficiency Deadweight Loss and the Design of Efficient Tax Systems A Tax System’s Efficiency Is Affected by a Market’s Preexisting Distortions Public Finance and Public Policy Jonathan Gruber Third Edition Copyright © 2010 Worth Publishers 12 of 30

20. 1 CHAPTER 20 ■ TAX INEFFICIENCIES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR OPTIMAL TAXATION Taxation and Economic Efficiency Deadweight Loss and the Design of Efficient Tax Systems Progressive Tax Systems Can Be Less Efficient Public Finance and Public Policy Jonathan Gruber Third Edition Copyright © 2010 Worth Publishers 13 of 30

20. 1 CHAPTER 20 ■ TAX INEFFICIENCIES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR OPTIMAL TAXATION Taxation and Economic Efficiency Deadweight Loss and the Design of Efficient Tax Systems Progressive Tax Systems Can Be Less Efficient Why is the deadweight loss larger for the higher-wage worker despite the same reduction in hours worked? Because in a competitive labor market, the wage rate equals the marginal product of labor, so the highwage worker has a higher marginal product of labor. As a result, society loses more efficiency when the high-wage worker reduces her hours (at a marginal product of $20 per hour) than when the low-wage worker reduces her hours (at a marginal product of $10 per hour). The guiding principle for efficient taxation is to create a broad and level playing field rather than taxing some groups or goods particularly highly and others not at all. Public Finance and Public Policy Jonathan Gruber Third Edition Copyright © 2010 Worth Publishers 14 of 30

20. 1 CHAPTER 20 ■ TAX INEFFICIENCIES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR OPTIMAL TAXATION Taxation and Economic Efficiency Deadweight Loss and the Design of Efficient Tax Systems Governments Should “Smooth” Tax Rates Over Time Just as individual utility is maximized by full consumption smoothing, government efficiency in taxation over time is maximized by tax smoothing, by having a relatively constant tax rate over time rather than high taxes in some periods and low taxes in others. Public Finance and Public Policy Jonathan Gruber Third Edition Copyright © 2010 Worth Publishers 15 of 30

20. 1 CHAPTER 20 ■ TAX INEFFICIENCIES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR OPTIMAL TAXATION Taxation and Economic Efficiency APPLICATION The Deadweight Loss of Taxing Wireless Communications Hausman (2000) estimated the deadweight loss from a particularly dynamic sector of our economy: wireless communications services: • In 1999, the state and federal tax burden on wireless communication in the typical state was 14. 5%, although the rate was 25% in high-tax states. • Hausman estimated that for every dollar the government raised in taxes, social welfare was reduced by 53¢. This figure is high for three reasons: • Demand for wireless communications is fairly price sensitive. • There is already a large preexisting distortion in this market. • The taxes are fairly high, and the marginal deadweight loss rises with the tax rate. Hausman estimated that the marginal deadweight loss caused by an additional tax on wireless services ranged from 72¢ to 90¢ per dollar raised. Public Finance and Public Policy Jonathan Gruber Third Edition Copyright © 2010 Worth Publishers 16 of 30

20. 2 CHAPTER 20 ■ TAX INEFFICIENCIES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR OPTIMAL TAXATION Optimal Commodity Taxation Ramsey Taxation: Theory of Optimal Commodity Taxation optimal commodity taxation Choosing the tax rates across goods to minimize deadweight loss for a given government revenue requirement. Ramsey Rule To minimize the deadweight loss of a tax system while raising a fixed amount of revenue, taxes should be set across commodities so that the ratio of the marginal deadweight loss to marginal revenue raised is equal across commodities. value of additional government revenues The value of having another dollar in the government’s hands relative to its next best use in the private sector. Public Finance and Public Policy Jonathan Gruber Third Edition Copyright © 2010 Worth Publishers 17 of 30

20. 2 CHAPTER 20 ■ TAX INEFFICIENCIES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR OPTIMAL TAXATION Optimal Commodity Taxation Inverse Elasticity Rule If we assume that the supply side of commodity markets is perfectly competitive (elasticity of supply is infinite), then the Ramsey result implies that This formulation of Ramsey’s rule shows that two factors must be balanced when setting optimal commodity taxes: The elasticity rule: When elasticity of demand for a good is high, it should be taxed at a low rate; when elasticity is low, the tax rate should be high. The broad base rule: It is better to tax a wide variety of goods at a moderate than to tax very few goods at a high rate. Because the marginal deadweight loss from a tax rises with the tax rate, the government should spread taxes across a large number of commodities and not tax any one commodity at a very high rate. Public Finance and Public Policy Jonathan Gruber Third Edition Copyright © 2010 Worth Publishers 18 of 30

20. 2 CHAPTER 20 ■ TAX INEFFICIENCIES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR OPTIMAL TAXATION Optimal Commodity Taxation Equity Implications of the Ramsey Model Imagine that the government had only two goods it could tax, cereal and caviar: • The elasticity of demand for caviar is much higher than that for cereal, so the inverse elasticity rule would suggest that the government tax cereal much more highly than caviar. • This would mean imposing a tax on a good consumed exclusively by higher-income groups that was much lower than the tax imposed on a good consumed by all. This outcome, while efficient, might violate a government’s sense of tax fairness across income groups (vertical equity). Public Finance and Public Policy Jonathan Gruber Third Edition Copyright © 2010 Worth Publishers 19 of 30

20. 2 CHAPTER 20 ■ TAX INEFFICIENCIES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR OPTIMAL TAXATION Optimal Commodity Taxation APPLICATION Price Reform in Pakistan Angus Deaton (1997) studied the demands for commodities in several developing nations. He used variation in prices encountered by consumers of rice, wheat, and other commodities to estimate their elasticities of demand. Public Finance and Public Policy Jonathan Gruber Third Edition Copyright © 2010 Worth Publishers 20 of 30

20. 2 CHAPTER 20 ■ TAX INEFFICIENCIES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR OPTIMAL TAXATION Optimal Commodity Taxation Efficiency Consequences of Subsidies and Taxes in Pakistan • In panel (a), the market for wheat, demand is fairly inelastic and supply is subsidized, leading quantity to increase from Q 1 to Q 2 with a deadweight loss of BAC. In panel (b), the market for rice, demand is very elastic, so when supply is subsidized the quantity rises by much more (from Q 1 to Q 2), and the deadweight loss is larger (BAC). In panel (c), the market for oils and fats, demand is also very elastic, so even the small tax leads to a large reduction in quantity from Q 1 to Q 2, with a deadweight loss of BAC. Public Finance and Public Policy Jonathan Gruber Third Edition Copyright © 2010 Worth Publishers 21 of 30

20. 3 CHAPTER 20 ■ TAX INEFFICIENCIES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR OPTIMAL TAXATION Optimal Income Taxes optimal income taxation Choosing the tax rates across income groups to maximize social welfare subject to a government revenue requirement. Public Finance and Public Policy Jonathan Gruber Third Edition Copyright © 2010 Worth Publishers 22 of 30

20. 3 CHAPTER 20 ■ TAX INEFFICIENCIES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR OPTIMAL TAXATION Optimal Income Taxes General Model with Behavioral Effects Public Finance and Public Policy Jonathan Gruber Third Edition Copyright © 2010 Worth Publishers 23 of 30

20. 3 CHAPTER 20 ■ TAX INEFFICIENCIES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR OPTIMAL TAXATION Optimal Income Taxes General Model with Behavioral Effects The optimal income tax system meets the following condition: Where MU is the marginal utility of individual i, MR is the marginal revenue raised from taxing that individual, is the value of additional government revenues. In the case of income taxation, the optimal tax system reflects a different balancing: Vertical Equity: Social welfare is maximized when those who have a high level of consumption, and thus a low marginal utility, are taxed more heavily, and those who have a low level of consumption, and thus a high marginal utility, are taxed less heavily. Behavioral Responses: As taxes rise on any one group, individuals in that group may respond by earning less income. Public Finance and Public Policy Jonathan Gruber Third Edition Copyright © 2010 Worth Publishers 24 of 30

20. 3 CHAPTER 20 ■ TAX INEFFICIENCIES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR OPTIMAL TAXATION Optimal Income Taxes An Example Public Finance and Public Policy Jonathan Gruber Third Edition Copyright © 2010 Worth Publishers 25 of 30

20. 4 CHAPTER 20 ■ TAX INEFFICIENCIES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR OPTIMAL TAXATION Tax-Benefit Linkages and the Financing of Social Insurance Programs tax-benefit linkages Direct ties between taxes paid and benefits received. Public Finance and Public Policy Jonathan Gruber Third Edition Copyright © 2010 Worth Publishers 26 of 30

20. 4 CHAPTER 20 ■ TAX INEFFICIENCIES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR OPTIMAL TAXATION Tax-Benefit Linkages and the Financing of Social Insurance Programs The Model Public Finance and Public Policy Jonathan Gruber Third Edition Copyright © 2010 Worth Publishers 27 of 30

20. 4 CHAPTER 20 ■ TAX INEFFICIENCIES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR OPTIMAL TAXATION Tax-Benefit Linkages and the Financing of Social Insurance Programs Issues Raised by Tax-Benefit Linkage Analysis If There Is No Inefficiency to Providing a Benefit, Why Doesn’t the Employer Just Do So Without Government Involvement? Public Finance and Public Policy Jonathan Gruber Third Edition Copyright © 2010 Worth Publishers 28 of 30

20. 4 CHAPTER 20 ■ TAX INEFFICIENCIES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR OPTIMAL TAXATION Tax-Benefit Linkages and the Financing of Social Insurance Programs Issues Raised by Tax-Benefit Linkage Analysis When Are There Tax-Benefit Linkages? The tax-benefit linkage is strongest when taxes paid are linked directly to a benefit for workers. What Is the Empirical Evidence on Tax-Benefit Linkages? The existing literature suggests that the cost of social insurance financing is borne by workers in the form of lower wages and not lower employment. Public Finance and Public Policy Jonathan Gruber Third Edition Copyright © 2010 Worth Publishers 29 of 30

20. 4 CHAPTER 20 ■ TAX INEFFICIENCIES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR OPTIMAL TAXATION Tax-Benefit Linkages and the Financing of Social Insurance Programs EM P I R I C A L E V I D E N C E A GROUP-SPECIFIC EMPLOYER MANDATE Gruber (1994) examined the impact on wages and labor supply of a groupspecific mandated benefit. Before the mid-1970 s, health insurance plans provided very little coverage for the costs associated with normal pregnancy and childbirth. This was viewed as discriminatory by some state governments, leading to the state laws mandating that pregnancy costs be covered as completely as other medical costs. These laws significantly increased the insurance costs for women of childbearing age in those states, thereby raising the costs of employing a specific group of workers (treatment group). There were two possible control groups: similar workers in other states that did not pass these laws, or other groups of workers within the states that did pass these laws. Gruber’s study compared the changes in wages and labor supply of the treatment group around the time of the passage of these laws to the changes in both of these control groups. The results show that the cost of this new mandate was fully passed on to the wages of the affected groups, with little effect on their labor supply. Public Finance and Public Policy Jonathan Gruber Third Edition Copyright © 2010 Worth Publishers 30 of 30

20. 5 CHAPTER 20 ■ TAX INEFFICIENCIES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR OPTIMAL TAXATION Conclusion The fundamental issue in designing tax policy is the equity-efficiency tradeoff. Understanding tax efficiency really comes down to remembering two key principles: • The more elastically supplied or demanded the good, the larger the deadweight loss from the tax. • The higher the tax rate, the larger the incremental deadweight loss of taxation. Trading off these two considerations is the key to understanding the efficiency aspects of the tax policies. Public Finance and Public Policy Jonathan Gruber Third Edition Copyright © 2010 Worth Publishers 31 of 30