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  5. How Can Scandinavians Tax So Much?

Journal of Economic Perspectives

ISSN 0895-3309 (Print) | ISSN 1944-7965 (Online)

How Can Scandinavians Tax So Much?

  • Henrik Jacobsen Kleven
Journal of Economic Perspectives
vol. 28, no. 4, Fall 2014
(pp. 77–98)
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Abstract

American visitors to Scandinavian countries are often puzzled by what they observe: despite large income redistribution through distortionary taxes and transfers, these are very high-income countries. They rank among the highest in the world in terms of income per capita, as well as most other economic and social outcomes. The economic and social success of Scandinavia poses important questions for economics and for those arguing against large redistribution based on its supposedly detrimental effect on economic growth and welfare. How can Scandinavian countries raise large amounts of tax revenue for redistribution and social insurance while maintaining some of the strongest economic outcomes in the world? Combining micro and macro evidence, this paper identifies three policies that can help explain this apparent anomaly: the coverage of third-party information reporting (ensuring a low level of tax evasion), the broadness of tax bases (ensuring a low level of tax avoidance), and the strong subsidization of goods that are complementary to working (ensuring a high level of labor force participation). The paper also presents descriptive evidence on a variety of social and cultural indicators that may help in explaining the economic and social success of Scandinavia.

Citation

Kleven, Henrik Jacobsen. 2014. "How Can Scandinavians Tax So Much?" Journal of Economic Perspectives 28 (4): 77–98. DOI: 10.1257/jep.28.4.77

Additional Materials

JEL Classification

  • D31 Personal Income, Wealth, and Their Distributions
  • H23 Taxation and Subsidies: Externalities; Redistributive Effects; Environmental Taxes and Subsidies
  • H24 Personal Income and Other Nonbusiness Taxes and Subsidies; includes inheritance and gift taxes
  • H26 Tax Evasion and Avoidance
  • I38 Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty: Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs