Editions
All stories that have been tagged with Inequality
Wealth tax: a minimum tax on the rich
- Inequality
- KOF Bulletin
Despite having very high incomes, the rich and super-rich often pay much lower income tax in percentage terms than middle-income households. In Switzerland, too, the income-tax burden on billionaires is often significantly lower than that on the rest of taxpayers thanks to the privileges enjoyed by business owners. However, wealth tax makes a significant difference here by stepping into the breach when income tax is no longer effective.
“The welfare state is not an outdated model”
- Inequality
- KOF Bulletin
Michael Graff, Co-Head of the Research Division Macroeconomic Forecasting and Data Science, explains his views on the successful initiative for a 13th monthly AHV pension payment and the future of the welfare state in an age of demographic change. He also reveals what plans he has for his retirement.
Falling wealth taxes contributing to rising wealth concentration
- Inequality
- KOF Bulletin
As in many other countries, wealth concentration in Switzerland has increased in recent decades and remains high. At the same time, taxes have regularly been reduced over the last 50 years. Wealth tax cuts explain around a quarter of the observed growth in wealth concentration. This means that there are other key drivers of wealth inequality besides taxes.
“The pension system is one of the great achievements of the welfare state”
- KOF Bulletin
- Inequality
Michael Graff, head of the Macroeconomic Forecasting research division at KOF, explains the advantages and disadvantages of the Swiss pension system and why pension reforms are so difficult to implement.
“Economics is about the question of the good life”
- Inequality
- KOF Bulletin
Michael Graff, Head of the Research Division "Macroeconomic Forecasting", explains why inequality should be a key topic in economics and why redistribution and efficiency do not necessarily have to be opposites.
Obwalden’s low-tax strategy under the microscope
- Public Finances
- Inequality
- KOF Bulletin
Countries, as well as constituent states within countries, compete for high-income taxpayers. Tax competition and attempts to keep aggressive tax practices in check have increased in recent decades. However, even if low income-tax rates attract top earners, this does not necessarily mean that simple tax cuts alone will pay off. Typically, only a combination of measures leads to success.
Income and wealth over the life cycle
- Inequality
- KOF Bulletin
Using Swiss tax data, KOF economists Isabel Z. Martínez and Regina Pleninger are investigating the role of income and wealth over the life cycle as part of an ongoing research project. This article provides an initial insight into this work.
What progress has been made on gender equality in the labour market?
- Labour Market
- Inequality
- KOF Bulletin
The main reason for the persistent gender differences in the labour market is the unequal distribution of unpaid work. This leads to women doing less work than men, which has a negative impact on their performance in the labour market.