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2 nd Microsimulation research workshop Bucharest, 11-12 October 2012 . Economic well-being and distributional effects of housing-related policies in 3 EU countries. Virginia Maestri AIAS – University of Amsterdam. Introduction and motivation.
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2ndMicrosimulation research workshop Bucharest, 11-12 October 2012 Economic well-being and distributional effects of housing-related policies in 3 EU countries Virginia Maestri AIAS – University of Amsterdam
Introduction and motivation • Increasing importance of housing (wealth, spending) • Role of policy (favorable tax treatment of housing) • Cross-country differences in housing policies and tenure structure • The different aims of housing-related policies: re-pricing, tax revenues, redistribution V. Maestri, AIAS-UvA - Economic well-being and housing-related policies in 3 EU countries
Aim of the paper • Extend the existing literature by considering a comprehensive set of housing policies together with imputed rent • Impact of each housing-related policies on inequality and poverty • Impact of housing-related policies on different tenure and age groups V. Maestri, AIAS-UvA - Economic well-being and housing-related policies in 3 EU countries
Data and methodology • Input data Euromod 3+: 2006 EE-SILC & IT-SILC, 2003 UK FRS (IR and paid property taxes) • Benefit incidence approach • Distinction between market and social imputed rent • Quantile (extended) income share at each step, inequality and poverty, by age and tenure groups • Original market income (A1) • Original market income plus private imputed rent (A2) • Income net of taxes and benefits, excluding those housing-related (B1) • Income net of taxes and benefits, excluding those housing-related plus private imputed rent (B2) • B2 plus mortgage interests deductions (C) • C plus other housing-related deductions (D) • D minuspropertytax (E) • E plus deduction for property tax (F) • F plus housing benefits (G) • G plus social imputed rent (H) V. Maestri, AIAS-UvA - Economic well-being and housing-related policies in 3 EU countries
Overview of housingpolicies & IR V. Maestri, AIAS-UvA - Economic well-being and housing-related policies in 3 EU countries
Results - Estonia • IR reduces inequality by 15-10% and poverty by 17-22% and the redistributive power of taxes • Limited effect of mortgage relief, Land tax and social IR • Small redistributive effect of housing benefits and on poverty and inequality V. Maestri, AIAS-UvA - Economic well-being and housing-related policies in 3 EU countries
Results - IT • IR reduces inequality by 8-2%, slightly poverty and the redistributive power of taxes • No effect of mortgage and other reliefs, property tax and housing benefits (small) • Property tax slightly increases the poverty rate V. Maestri, AIAS-UvA - Economic well-being and housing-related policies in 3 EU countries
Results – UK • IR reduces inequality by 5-4%, poverty by <1% but not the poverty reduction power of taxes • The Council tax is regressive, even after the deduction but this reduces poverty • Housing benefits and social IR reduce inequality and considerably poverty (-40%), but reranking V. Maestri, AIAS-UvA - Economic well-being and housing-related policies in 3 EU countries
Results by tenure group • Within > between inequality • Winners: outright owners in IT, &free tenants in EE, & social tenants in UK • Losers: owners with mortgage in UK and EE, private tenants in IT and EE V. Maestri, AIAS-UvA - Economic well-being and housing-related policies in 3 EU countries
Results by age group • Within > between inequality • Winners: over 60 year-old • Losers: under 40 in EE, 40-60 in UK, both age groups in IT V. Maestri, AIAS-UvA - Economic well-being and housing-related policies in 3 EU countries
Comparative assessment of HP • Housing-related policies are the most effective in reducing inequality in EE (-11%) and poverty in UK (-56%), small effect in IT • Housing policies are a more important tool for reducing inequality (-7%) and poverty (-46%) than imputed rent only in the UK (fig) V. Maestri, AIAS-UvA - Economic well-being and housing-related policies in 3 EU countries
Conclusions • Housing polices are relevant for reducing inequality and poverty in UK, poverty in EE, not relevant in IT • Common features: the design of property taxes is not progressive, inequality is higher within than between tenure categories, housing-related policies follow a life-cycle redistributive pattern • The redistributive effect of housing policies mirrors the the size of public expenditure on housing • The importance of the non-progressive effect of property taxes reflects the relative importance of property taxes in total tax revenues • Limitation of analysis: static, no capital gains & transaction taxes • Policy debate on housing taxation V. Maestri, AIAS-UvA - Economic well-being and housing-related policies in 3 EU countries