The Inequity of Consumption-Based Tax Systems

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Dias, Thiago, Iglesias, José Roberto, Gonçalves, Sebastián
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Dias, Thiago
Iglesias, José Roberto
Gonçalves, Sebastián
author_facet Dias, Thiago
Iglesias, José Roberto
Gonçalves, Sebastián
contents This study examines the lack of redistributive effectiveness of consumption-based tax systems with respect to social fairness. Through numerical simulations, we explore the wealth exchanges among economic agents subject to flat consumption taxes, comparing universal redistribution with optimal targeted approaches. The results demonstrate that consumption taxes exhibit inherent regressivity, disproportionately burdening the poorest 40% of households who contribute over half of total tax revenue for most tax rates. The findings challenge the equity of consumption taxes and provide quantitative insights for designing more fair fiscal policies.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2511_01823
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle The Inequity of Consumption-Based Tax Systems
Dias, Thiago
Iglesias, José Roberto
Gonçalves, Sebastián
Physics and Society
This study examines the lack of redistributive effectiveness of consumption-based tax systems with respect to social fairness. Through numerical simulations, we explore the wealth exchanges among economic agents subject to flat consumption taxes, comparing universal redistribution with optimal targeted approaches. The results demonstrate that consumption taxes exhibit inherent regressivity, disproportionately burdening the poorest 40% of households who contribute over half of total tax revenue for most tax rates. The findings challenge the equity of consumption taxes and provide quantitative insights for designing more fair fiscal policies.
title The Inequity of Consumption-Based Tax Systems
topic Physics and Society
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.01823