Curbing the Fiscal Drag — A Provisional Assessment

Abstract It took decades of political discussion for lawmakers to begin adjusting the income tax tariff for inflation in order to curb the fiscal drag. Since 2016, the fiscal drag has been reduced by almost € 32 billion according to our estimates. That is certainly a substantial amount given the low...

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Main Author: Matthias Warneke
Format: Article
Language:deu
Published: Sciendo 2021-06-01
Series:Wirtschaftsdienst
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1007/s10273-021-2945-y
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author Matthias Warneke
author_facet Matthias Warneke
author_sort Matthias Warneke
collection DOAJ
description Abstract It took decades of political discussion for lawmakers to begin adjusting the income tax tariff for inflation in order to curb the fiscal drag. Since 2016, the fiscal drag has been reduced by almost € 32 billion according to our estimates. That is certainly a substantial amount given the low inflation rates in the period 2016–2021. We illustrate these effects graphically and also numerically for individual taxpayers. We find that further reforms are needed. A specific formula should be integrated into the Income Tax Act so that the tariff is adjusted automatically to inflation. In the long run, average income growth rates should be used for indexation instead of inflation rates.
format Article
id doaj-art-e3a16ca9ca634f1c8098234abc5453be
institution Kabale University
issn 0043-6275
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language deu
publishDate 2021-06-01
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spelling doaj-art-e3a16ca9ca634f1c8098234abc5453be2025-02-02T03:07:23ZdeuSciendoWirtschaftsdienst0043-62751613-978X2021-06-01101648148310.1007/s10273-021-2945-yCurbing the Fiscal Drag — A Provisional AssessmentMatthias Warneke0des Bundes der Steuerzahler e. V., Dsi - Deutsches SteuerzahlerinstitutAbstract It took decades of political discussion for lawmakers to begin adjusting the income tax tariff for inflation in order to curb the fiscal drag. Since 2016, the fiscal drag has been reduced by almost € 32 billion according to our estimates. That is certainly a substantial amount given the low inflation rates in the period 2016–2021. We illustrate these effects graphically and also numerically for individual taxpayers. We find that further reforms are needed. A specific formula should be integrated into the Income Tax Act so that the tariff is adjusted automatically to inflation. In the long run, average income growth rates should be used for indexation instead of inflation rates.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10273-021-2945-y
spellingShingle Matthias Warneke
Curbing the Fiscal Drag — A Provisional Assessment
Wirtschaftsdienst
title Curbing the Fiscal Drag — A Provisional Assessment
title_full Curbing the Fiscal Drag — A Provisional Assessment
title_fullStr Curbing the Fiscal Drag — A Provisional Assessment
title_full_unstemmed Curbing the Fiscal Drag — A Provisional Assessment
title_short Curbing the Fiscal Drag — A Provisional Assessment
title_sort curbing the fiscal drag a provisional assessment
url https://doi.org/10.1007/s10273-021-2945-y
work_keys_str_mv AT matthiaswarneke curbingthefiscaldragaprovisionalassessment