This paper considers the question whether it is possible, using information about only the distribution of earnings, to identify some of the labour supply incentive effects of a tax and transfer system.

The earnings distribution of full-time employee male and female immigrants to Australia are contrasted with those of native-born workers using data from ABS Income Distribution Surveys spanning the period 1982 to 1996. In addition to presentation of summary measures of distributional features,...

Much of the work that has been carried out since the early 1970s on the properties of alternative inequality measures has been concerned with the relationship between the inequality measures and basic value judgements. In the empirical measurement of inequality and in tax policy simulation...

The conventional formula for estimating the extended Gini coefficient is a covariance formula provided by Lerman and Yitzhaki (1989). We suggest an alternative estimator obtained by approximating the Lorenz curve by a series of linear segments. In a Monte Carlo experiment designed to assess the...

There is now a large and complex literature on optimal income taxation, within the context of second-best welfare economics. This paper considers the potential role of this analysis in the practical design of direct tax and transfer structures. It is stressed that few results are robust, even in...

This paper examines the pattern of income changes over the life cycle for both males and females, using information from a special data set compiled by the New Zealand Inland Revenue Department.

The purpose of this paper is to extend the analysis of built-in flexibility to various forms of consumption taxation. This is useful in view of the extensive use of indirect taxes. Section 2 begins with basic definitions and a discussion of income taxation, concentrating on the multi-step case....

This paper examines the Gini (1912) coefficient of concentration using the framework set out by Dalton (1920) for evaluating a measure of inequality. Particular attention is paid to limited distributions and the associated concept of 'perfect inequality'. It is argued that a rescaled version of...

This paper decomposes the redistributive effect on annual and lifetime inequality of a range of taxes and transfers in Australia, using a dynamic cohort lifetime simulation model. The model allows for family formation, births of children, labour force participation of male and females, along...

It is important to understand how labour markets in different regions are affected by ‘common’ or ‘national’ shocks including national macroeconomic, monetary and fiscal policies. This paper applies a new econometric approach - involving an unobserved components model - to identify the...