Endogenous capital utilization, investor's effort, and optimal fiscal policy

Abstract

The present paper studies the implications of endogenous capital utilization and investor's effort on the structure and time consistency of optimal fiscal policy. The main results are that levies of old capital are distortionary and should therefore not be used at confiscatory rates, that in a steady state capital and labor income should be taxed at the same rate and investment should be subsidized at the same rate as the tax rate, and that the optimal tax policy can be made time-consistent through debt restructuring. © 1996.