Radim Bohacek

A Flat Tax Reform in an Economy with Occupational Choice and Financial Frictions

This article studies a flat tax reform and capital tax reform in an economy with occupational choice and borrowing constraints. Building on previous models with heterogeneous agents and the flat tax reform within the representative firm framework, we introduce entrepreneurs as an occupation. We model endogenous entry and exit of firms whose size, number and production decisions are affected by the tax system. We compare steady state allocations in the benchmark economy with a progressive tax schedule to steady states with a flat tax at different exemption levels with or without a capital tax reform. We find that for low exemption levels the flat tax reform is efficient as well as welfare improving for both occupations.

Optimal government policies in models with heterogeneous agents

In this paper we develop a new methodology for finding optimal government policies in economies with heterogeneous agents. The methodology is solely based on three classes of equilibrium conditions from the government’s and individual agent’s optimization problems: 1) the first order conditions; 2) the stationarity condition on the distribution function; and, 3) the aggregate market clearing conditions. These conditions form a system of functional equations which we solve numerically. The solution takes into account simultaneously the effect of government policy on individual allocations and (from the government’s point of view) optimal distribution of agents in the steady state. This general methodology is applicable to a wide range of optimal government policies in models with heterogeneous agents. We illustrate it on a steady state Ramsey problem with heterogeneous agents, finding the optimal tax schedule. JEL Keywords: Optimal macroeconomic policy, optimal taxation, computational techniques, heterogeneous agents, distribution of wealth and income