On the Optimal Timing of Capital Taxes

University of Zurich, Institute for Empirical Research in Economics Working Paper Series No. 343

37 Pages Posted: 13 Dec 2007

See all articles by John Hassler

John Hassler

Stockholm University - Institute for International Economic Studies (IIES); Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR); CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute); IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Per Krusell

Princeton University - Department of Economics; Stockholm University - Institute for International Economic Studies (IIES); Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

Kjetil Storesletten

University of Oslo - Department of Economics; Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

Fabrizio Zilibotti

Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR); Yale University

Date Written: December 1, 2007

Abstract

For many kinds of capital, depreciation rates change systematically with the age of the capital. Consider an example that captures essential aspects of human capital, both regarding its accumulation and its depreciation: a worker obtains knowledge in period 0, then uses this knowledge in production in periods 1 and 2, and thereafter retires. Here, depreciation accelerates: it occurs at a 100% rate after period 2, and at a lower (perhaps zero) rate before that. The present paper analyzes the implications of non-constant depreciation rates for the optimal timing of taxes on capital income. The main finding is that under natural assumptions, the path of tax rates over time must be oscillatory. Oscillatory tax rates are optimal when depreciation rates accelerate with the age of the capital (as in the above example), and provided that the government can commit to the path of future tax rates but cannot apply different tax rates in a given year to different vintages of capital.

Keywords: Asset depreciation, Human capital, Optimal taxation, Oscillations, State-contingent taxes, Tax dynamics

JEL Classification: D90, E61, E62, H21, H30

Suggested Citation

Hassler, John and Krusell, Per L. and Storesletten, Kjetil and Zilibotti, Fabrizio and Zilibotti, Fabrizio, On the Optimal Timing of Capital Taxes (December 1, 2007). University of Zurich, Institute for Empirical Research in Economics Working Paper Series No. 343, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1071705 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1071705

John Hassler (Contact Author)

Stockholm University - Institute for International Economic Studies (IIES) ( email )

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Sweden
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Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

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CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute)

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IZA Institute of Labor Economics

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Per L. Krusell

Princeton University - Department of Economics ( email )

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HOME PAGE: http://rincewind.iies.su.se/%7Ekrusell/

Stockholm University - Institute for International Economic Studies (IIES) ( email )

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Sweden
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HOME PAGE: http://rincewind.iies.su.se/%7Ekrusell/

Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

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United Kingdom

Kjetil Storesletten

University of Oslo - Department of Economics ( email )

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Norway
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HOME PAGE: http://folk.uio.no/kjstore/

Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

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United Kingdom

Fabrizio Zilibotti

Yale University ( email )

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United States

Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

London
United Kingdom