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Public Economics Lectures Part 1: Introduction

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Economic vs. Statutory Incidence<br />

Equivalent when prices are constant but not in general<br />

Consider the following argument:<br />

Government should tax capital income b/c it is concentrated at the<br />

high end of the income distribution<br />

Neglects general equilibrium price effects<br />

Tax might be shifted onto workers<br />

If capital taxes → less savings and capital flight, then capital stock<br />

may decline, driving return to capital up and wages down<br />

Some argue that capital taxes are paid by workers and therefore<br />

increase income inequality (Hassett and Mathur 2009)<br />

<strong>Public</strong> <strong>Economics</strong> <strong>Lectures</strong> () <strong>Part</strong> 2: Tax Incidence 5 / 142

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