Taxation challenges of population ageing: comparative evidence from the European Union, the United States and Japan

Series: Occasional Papers. 2102.

Author: Fructuoso Borrallo, Susana Párraga-Rodríguez and Javier J. Pérez.

Full document

Taxation challenges of population ageing: comparative evidence from the European Union, the United States and Japan (684 KB)

Abstract

Using microdata from the European Union, the United States and Japan, we show that the elderly bear lower effective tax rates than the young. This difference is explained by the income gap and the different generational consumption baskets. However, tax reforms enacted in recent decades have led to an increase in the relative contribution of the elderly to public finances.