Marginal cost of public funds: from the theory to the empirical application for the evaluation of the efficiency of the tax-benefit systems

Authors

Francesco Figari, Luca Gandullia, Emanuela Lezzi

Publication Date

Oct 2018

Summary

We estimate the marginal cost of public funds (MCF) as an overall indicator of the efficiency of tax-benefit systems and their reforms. The novelty of our work is the calculation of a MCF indicator fully based on empirical micro-data representative of the Italian population. This indicator combines the incentives embodied in the tax-benefit system at the intensive and extensive margins with the respective elasticities of labour supply at both margins. Our results first show the importance of taking into account the heterogeneity of the population with women (both single and in couples) facing a more inefficient system than men. Second, our micro-data based indicator shows the potential bias of MCF indicators based on stylized and hypothetical measures of work incentives.

Volume

Volume: 18

DOI

https://dx.doi.org/10.1515/bejeap-2018-0132

Publication type

Journal Article

Research areas

Family and gender, Population changes and labour market dynamics, Tax and benefit systems

Links

University of Essex, Albert Sloman Library Periodicals *restricted to University of Essex registered users* - http://serlib0.essex.ac.uk/record=b2287769~S5

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