Silvia Rocha-Akis - Redistribution by the state in Austria

• Presenting author: Silvia Rocha-Akis (WIFO (Austrian Institute of Economic Research))

• Authors: Silvia Rocha-Akis, Jürgen Bierbaumer, Benjamin Bittschi, Julia Bock-Schappelwein, Martina Einsiedl, Marian Fink, Michael Klien, Simon Loretz, Christine Mayrhuber

• Session: A02B - Tax-Benefit - Monday 16:30-18:00 - Marietta-Blau Hall

• Slides: PDF

We examine the income situation of the Austrian population before and after redistribution through government revenues and expenditures over the 15 years preceding the outbreak of the Covid pandemic (2005, 2010, 2015, 2019). Based on market incomes, the distributional effects of cash and in-kind public benefits in the areas of health, education, family, housing, unemployment and social exclusion are analysed. On the revenue side, the distributional effects of social contributions and direct and indirect taxes are highlighted. The evolution of income, the extent of redistribution and the relative contribution of taxes and benefits on income inequality and the at-risk-of-poverty rate are highlighted. For this purpose, we combine information on income, consumption as well as the use of public benefits in kind from different data sources including EU-SILC, the House-hold Budget Survey and the HFCS at the individual and household level.