The Tax System and Labor Supply - Regarding Empirical Analysis in Japan

摘要

This article surveys empirical analysis in Japan regarding labor supply, keeping in mind the policy assertion that "reducing taxes will vitalize the economy." The following two points characterize empirical analysis in Japan. First, there has been no comprehensive estimation done on the labor supply of prime working-age males who make up the core labor force, and no empirical analysis exists that could support the basis of the policy assertion. Second, although many empirical analyses exist regarding elderly and female labor, they are based on inappropriate specifications, and, even using such estimates, the effects of the tax system on labor supply cannot be identified. Therefore, an appropriate empirical analysis regarding the proposition "reducing taxes will vitalize the economy " has not been conducted, and with respect to core male labor, no real empirical analysis has been done.