The impact of tax reform in 2004 on the female labour supply in Japan

Kei Sakata, C. R. McKenzie

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

In 2003, the Japanese Diet passed legislation to abolish part of the special deduction for spouses (Haigusha Tokubetsu Kojo) which would take effect in the 2004 tax year. This paper investigates the impact of this tax reform on female labour supply in Japan. A number of earlier studies have shown that married women are likely to adjust their labour supply in order for their husbands to become eligible to take advantage of this deduction. By using the first and second waves of the Keio Household Panel Survey (KHPS) collected in 2004 and 2005, this paper uses the difference-in-differences approach to examine whether there has been any change in the behaviour of female labour supply as a result of this tax reform. The empirical evidence indicates that the tax reform in 2004 had a negative and statistically significant impact on both the decision of female spouses to enter the labour market and on the number of hours they worked conditional on their participation in the labour market. In addition, the empirical evidence obtained does not support the Douglas-Arisawa Law.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationMODSIM05 - International Congress on Modelling and Simulation
Subtitle of host publicationAdvances and Applications for Management and Decision Making, Proceedings
Pages1084-1090
Number of pages7
Publication statusPublished - 2005
EventInternational Congress on Modelling and Simulation: Advances and Applications for Management and Decision Making, MODSIM05 - Melbourne, VIC, Australia
Duration: 2005 Dec 122005 Dec 15

Publication series

NameMODSIM05 - International Congress on Modelling and Simulation: Advances and Applications for Management and Decision Making, Proceedings

Other

OtherInternational Congress on Modelling and Simulation: Advances and Applications for Management and Decision Making, MODSIM05
Country/TerritoryAustralia
CityMelbourne, VIC
Period05/12/1205/12/15

Keywords

  • Difference-in differences
  • Female labour supply
  • Policy reform
  • Program evaluation
  • Tax reform

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Information Systems and Management
  • Modelling and Simulation

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