Are we taxing ourselves?: How deliberation and experience shape voting on taxes

Rupert Sausgruber; Jean-Robert Tyran

doi:10.1016/j.jpubeco.2010.10.002

Are we taxing ourselves? How deliberation and experience shape voting on taxes

Rupert Sausgruber, Jean-Robert Tyran

Økonomisk Institut

24 Citationer (Scopus)

Abstract

We let consumers vote on tax regimes in experimental markets. We test if taxes on sellers are more popular than taxes on consumers, i.e. on voters themselves, even if taxes on sellers are inefficiently high. Taxes on sellers are more popular if voters underestimate the extent of tax-shifting in the market. We show that inexperienced voters are prone to such a tax-shifting bias, that experience is an effective de-biasing mechanism, but that pre-vote deliberation about tax regimes makes initially held opinions more extreme rather than correct. Our results suggest that voting on taxes is prone to bias and that easy-to-interpret facts are needed to de-bias voters.

Originalsprog	Engelsk
Tidsskrift	Journal of Public Economics
Vol/bind	95
Udgave nummer	1
Sider (fra-til)	164–176
Antal sider	13
ISSN	0047-2727
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpubeco.2010.10.002
Status	Udgivet - feb. 2011

Adgang til dokumentet

10.1016/j.jpubeco.2010.10.002

Citationsformater

@article{47f83c8112e54b69b4aff1a7c7c93ab6,

title = "Are we taxing ourselves?: How deliberation and experience shape voting on taxes",

abstract = "We let consumers vote on tax regimes in experimental markets. We test if taxes on sellers are more popular than taxes on consumers, i.e. on voters themselves, even if taxes on sellers are inefficiently high. Taxes on sellers are more popular if voters underestimate the extent of tax-shifting in the market. We show that inexperienced voters are prone to such a tax-shifting bias, that experience is an effective de-biasing mechanism, but that pre-vote deliberation about tax regimes makes initially held opinions more extreme rather than correct. Our results suggest that voting on taxes is prone to bias and that easy-to-interpret facts are needed to de-bias voters.",

keywords = "Voting",

author = "Rupert Sausgruber and Jean-Robert Tyran",

note = "JEL classification: C92, H22, D72",

year = "2011",

month = feb,

doi = "10.1016/j.jpubeco.2010.10.002",

language = "English",

volume = "95",

pages = "164–176",

journal = "Journal of Public Economics",

issn = "0047-2727",

publisher = "Elsevier",

number = "1",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Are we taxing ourselves?

T2 - How deliberation and experience shape voting on taxes

AU - Sausgruber, Rupert

AU - Tyran, Jean-Robert

N1 - JEL classification: C92, H22, D72

PY - 2011/2

Y1 - 2011/2

N2 - We let consumers vote on tax regimes in experimental markets. We test if taxes on sellers are more popular than taxes on consumers, i.e. on voters themselves, even if taxes on sellers are inefficiently high. Taxes on sellers are more popular if voters underestimate the extent of tax-shifting in the market. We show that inexperienced voters are prone to such a tax-shifting bias, that experience is an effective de-biasing mechanism, but that pre-vote deliberation about tax regimes makes initially held opinions more extreme rather than correct. Our results suggest that voting on taxes is prone to bias and that easy-to-interpret facts are needed to de-bias voters.

AB - We let consumers vote on tax regimes in experimental markets. We test if taxes on sellers are more popular than taxes on consumers, i.e. on voters themselves, even if taxes on sellers are inefficiently high. Taxes on sellers are more popular if voters underestimate the extent of tax-shifting in the market. We show that inexperienced voters are prone to such a tax-shifting bias, that experience is an effective de-biasing mechanism, but that pre-vote deliberation about tax regimes makes initially held opinions more extreme rather than correct. Our results suggest that voting on taxes is prone to bias and that easy-to-interpret facts are needed to de-bias voters.

KW - Voting

U2 - 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2010.10.002

DO - 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2010.10.002

M3 - Journal article

SN - 0047-2727

VL - 95

SP - 164

EP - 176

JO - Journal of Public Economics

JF - Journal of Public Economics

IS - 1

ER -