Implementing a Dual Income Tax in Germany - Effects on Labor Supply and Income Distribution

Abstract

Existing quantitative studies on the impact of a dual income tax on the German economy usually are based on computable general equilibrium models. They assume one representative household. Their results are sensitive to one behavioral parameter, the labor supply elasticity, which is assumed to be given exogenously. This paper presents a microeconometric evaluation of the labor supply and distribution effects of a dual income tax in Germany based on a representative sample of the German population. We observe small positive effects on labor supply and a small increase in economic inequality.