Tax-Induced Emigration: Who Flees High Taxes? Evidence from the Netherlands

We study the impact of a policy change in the Netherlands that reduced preferential tax treatment duration for high-skilled migrants arriving from specific countries in certain years. Utilizing comprehensive tax and population data, we document substantial tax-induced emigration responses, primarily driven by the top 1% of earners. Highly mobile individuals within the top 5% also emigrate sooner, particularly to competing countries offering tax-breaks to attract skilled workers. Crucially, we uncover no change in mobility behavior among lower-earning workers. The increased tax receipts from lo... Mehr ...

Verfasser: Giarola, José Victor C.
Marie, Olivier
Cörvers, Frank
Schmeets, Hans
Dokumenttyp: doc-type:workingPaper
Erscheinungsdatum: 2023
Verlag/Hrsg.: Amsterdam and Rotterdam: Tinbergen Institute
Schlagwörter: ddc:330 / F22 / H31 / J61 / Taxation / immigration / labor income / Netherlands
Sprache: Englisch
Permalink: https://search.fid-benelux.de/Record/base-26846764
Datenquelle: BASE; Originalkatalog
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Link(s) : http://hdl.handle.net/10419/282866

We study the impact of a policy change in the Netherlands that reduced preferential tax treatment duration for high-skilled migrants arriving from specific countries in certain years. Utilizing comprehensive tax and population data, we document substantial tax-induced emigration responses, primarily driven by the top 1% of earners. Highly mobile individuals within the top 5% also emigrate sooner, particularly to competing countries offering tax-breaks to attract skilled workers. Crucially, we uncover no change in mobility behavior among lower-earning workers. The increased tax receipts from lower-income individuals who remain offset the loss from fleeing high earners, making the policy fiscally cost-neutral.