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The case for NIT+FT in Europe. An empirical optimal taxation exercise

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  • Nizamul Islam
  • Ugo Colombino
Abstract
We present an exercise in empirical optimal taxation for European countries from three areas: Southern, Central and Northern Europe. For each country, we estimate a microeconometric model of labour supply for both couples and singles. A procedure that simulates the households’ choices under given tax-transfer rules is then embedded in a constrained optimization program in order to identify optimal rules under the public budget constraint. The optimality criterion is the class of Kolm’s social welfare function. The tax-transfer rules considered as candidates are members of a class that includes as special cases various versions of the Negative Income Tax: Conditional Basis Income, Unconditional Basic Income, In-Work Benefits and General Negative Income Tax, combined with a Flat Tax above the exemption level. The analysis show that the General Negative Income Tax strictly dominates the other rules, including the current ones. In most cases the Unconditional Basic Income policy is better than the Conditional Basic Income policy. Conditional Basic Income policy may lead to a significant reduction in labour supply and poverty-trap effects. In-Work-Benefit policy in most cases is strictly dominated by the General Negative Income Tax and Unconditional Basic Income.

Suggested Citation

  • Nizamul Islam & Ugo Colombino, 2017. "The case for NIT+FT in Europe. An empirical optimal taxation exercise," CHILD Working Papers Series 54 JEL Classification: H2, Centre for Household, Income, Labour and Demographic Economics (CHILD) - CCA.
    • Handle: RePEc:cca:wchild:54
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    Cited by:

    1. Colombino, Ugo & Islam, Nizamul, 2020. "Combining microsimulation and optimization to identify optimal flexible tax-transfer rules," EUROMOD Working Papers EM13/20, EUROMOD at the Institute for Social and Economic Research.
    2. Ugo Colombino & Nizamul Islam, 2021. "Global and digitalised economy, new labour demand scenarios and optimal tax-transfer reforms," CHILD Working Papers Series 90 JEL Classification: H2, Centre for Household, Income, Labour and Demographic Economics (CHILD) - CCA.
    3. Ugo Colombino & Nizamul Islam, 2021. "Combining microsimulation and optimization to identify optimal universalistic tax-transfer rule," LISER Working Paper Series 2021-06, Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER).
    4. Day, Creina, 2022. "Increasing inequality and voting for basic income: Could gender inequality worsen?," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 476-487.
    5. repec:ces:ifofor:v:19:y:2018:i:3:p:20-29 is not listed on IDEAS
    6. Rolf Aaberge & Ugo Colombino, 2018. "Structural Labour Supply Models and Microsimulation," International Journal of Microsimulation, International Microsimulation Association, vol. 11(1), pages 162-197.
    7. Ugo Colombino & Nizamul Islam, 2018. "Basic Income and Flat Tax: The Italian Scenario," CESifo Forum, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 19(03), pages 20-29, October.
    8. Bonomi Bezzo, Franco, 2021. "Universal Independence Income. A EUROMOD Utopian Simulation in the UK," EUROMOD Working Papers EM3/21, EUROMOD at the Institute for Social and Economic Research.
    9. Colombino, Ugo & Islam, Nizamul, 2020. "Optimal Tax-Transfer Rules under Equilibrium and New Labour Demand Scenarios," IZA Discussion Papers 13541, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    10. Colombino, Ugo & Islam, Nizamul, 2022. "The "Robot Economy" and Optimal Tax-Transfer Reforms," IZA Discussion Papers 15198, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    11. Ugo Colombino & Nizamul Islam, 2022. "The “Robot Economy†and optimal tax-transfer reforms," CHILD Working Papers Series 101 JEL Classification: H, Centre for Household, Income, Labour and Demographic Economics (CHILD) - CCA.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Basic Income; Negative Income Tax; Optimal tax; Micro-simulation; Welfare;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H21 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Efficiency; Optimal Taxation
    • C18 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Methodolical Issues: General

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