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Tax-Preferred Savings Accounts and Marginal Tax Rates: Evidence on RRSP Participation

Author

Listed:
  • Kevin Milligan
Abstract
The percentage of Canadian with earned income who contributed to a Registered Retirement Savings Plan increased from 18.7 per cent in 1982 to 46.0 per cent in 1996. This period also saw many changes to the income tax structure. Using household expenditure survey data, I examine the influence of taxes on the decision to contribute to Registered Retirement Savings Plans. I improve on existing work by identifying the tax effect from within jurisdiction variation through time, rather than cross-sectional variation alone. I find that taxes do play a role in the contribution decision, but the effect of taxes is much smaller than suggested by the existing literature. A 10 percentage point increase in the marginal tax rate is estimated to increase the probability of participation by 8 per cent. This suggests that increases in marginal tax rates can explain only 5.1 per cent of the increase in Registered Retirement Savings Plan participation between 1982 and 1996. A carryforward mechanism for unused contribution room was introduced in 1991. I find evidence that the sensitivity of participation to future marginal tax rates increased after the introduction of the carryforward. This is consistent with the predictions of the model.

Suggested Citation

  • Kevin Milligan, 2001. "Tax-Preferred Savings Accounts and Marginal Tax Rates: Evidence on RRSP Participation," Social and Economic Dimensions of an Aging Population Research Papers 52, McMaster University.
    • Handle: RePEc:mcm:sedapp:52
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    File URL: http://socserv.mcmaster.ca/sedap/p/sedap52.pdf
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    Cited by:

    1. Michael Baker & Jonathan Gruber & Kevin Milligan, 2003. "The retirement incentive effects of Canada's Income Security programs," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 36(2), pages 261-290, May.
    2. Marianne Laurin & Derek Messacar & Pierre-Carl Michaud, 2021. "Financial Literacy and the Timing of Tax-Preferred Savings Account Withdrawals," CIRANO Working Papers 2021s-36, CIRANO.
    3. Adam M. Lavecchia, 2018. "Tax-Free Savings Accounts: Who uses them and how?," Working Papers 1802E, University of Ottawa, Department of Economics.
    4. Håkan Selin, 2012. "Marginal Tax Rates and Tax‐Favoured Pension Savings of the Self‐Employed: Evidence from Sweden," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 114(1), pages 79-100, March.
    5. M. Martin Boyer & Philippe d’Astous & Pierre-Carl Michaud, 2019. "Tax-Sheltered Retirement Accounts: Can Financial Education Improve Decisions?," Cahiers de recherche 1902, Chaire de recherche Industrielle Alliance sur les enjeux économiques des changements démographiques.
    6. Bev Dahlby & Kevin Milligan, 2017. "From theory to practice: Canadian economists contributions to public finance," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 50(5), pages 1324-1347, December.
    7. Michael Baker & Jonathan Gruber & Kevin Milligan, 2007. "Simulating the Response to Reform of Canada," NBER Chapters, in: Social Security Programs and Retirement around the World: Fiscal Implications of Reform, pages 83-118, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. Sule Alan & Kadir Atalay & Thomas F. Crossley, 2006. "Do the Rich Save More in Canada?," Quantitative Studies in Economics and Population Research Reports 406, McMaster University.
    9. Alan, Sule & Atalay, Kadir & Crossley, Thomas F. & Jeon, Sung-Hee, 2010. "New evidence on taxes and portfolio choice," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(11-12), pages 813-823, December.
    10. Michael Baker & Jonathan Gruber & Kevin Milligan, 2003. "Simulating the Response to Reform of Canada's Income Security Programs," NBER Working Papers 9455, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    11. Derek Messacar, 2018. "The Effects of Vesting and Locking in Pension Assets on Participation in Employer-Sponsored Pension Plans," Journal of Labor Research, Springer, vol. 39(2), pages 178-200, June.
    12. Athiphat Muthitacharoen & Trongwut Burong, 2022. "How do taxpayers respond to tax subsidy for long-term savings? Evidence from Thailand’s tax return data," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 29(3), pages 726-750, June.
    13. Engelhardt, Gary V. & Madrian, Brigitte C., 2004. "Employee Stock Purchase Plans," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 57(2), pages 385-406, June.
    14. Sule Alan & Kadir Atalay & Thomas F. Crossley, 2015. "Do the Rich Save More? Evidence from Canada," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 61(4), pages 739-758, December.
    15. Steeve Marchand, 2018. "Who Benefits from Tax-Preferred Savings Accounts?," Cahiers de recherche 1812, Chaire de recherche Industrielle Alliance sur les enjeux économiques des changements démographiques.
    16. Juan Ayuso & Juan F. Jimeno & Ernesto Villanueva, 2019. "The effects of the introduction of tax incentives on retirement saving," SERIEs: Journal of the Spanish Economic Association, Springer;Spanish Economic Association, vol. 10(3), pages 211-249, November.
    17. Garcia-Medina Cecilia, 2016. "You, Me and the Mean: a Semiparametric Approach to the Redistributive Effects of Transfer Programs," Working Papers 2016-16, Banco de México.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    retirement savings plan; income tax rates;

    JEL classification:

    • H24 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Personal Income and Other Nonbusiness Taxes and Subsidies

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