Inflation exaggerates the size of capital gainsand increases the tax burden on this type ofincome.With progressive taxation, capital gains aretaxed more heavily.Inflation-Induced Tax DistortionThe income tax treats the nominal interestearned on savings as income, even though partof the nominal interest rate merely compensatesfor inflation.The after-tax real interest rate falls, makingsaving less attractive.Table 1 How Inflation Raises the Tax Burden onSavingConfusion and InconvenienceWhen the Fed increases the money supply andcreates inflation, it erodes the real value of theunit of account.Inflation causes dollars at different times tohave different real values.Therefore, with rising prices, it is more difficultto compare real revenues, costs, and profits overtime.A Special Cost of Unexpected Inflation:Arbitrary Redistribution of WealthUnexpected inflation redistributes wealthamong the population in a way that has nothingto do with either merit or need.These redistributions occur because many loansin the economy are specified in terms of the unitof account—money.
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