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Who Responds to Tax Reforms? Evidence from the Life Insurance Market


Carolin Hecht


affiliation not provided to SSRN

Katja Hanewald


University of New South Wales - ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research and School of Risk and Actuarial Studies

June 22, 2011

Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance - Issues and Practice, Vol. 37, No. 1, pp. 5-26, 2012

Abstract:     
We exploit the natural experiment of the 2005 income tax reform in Germany to study the effects of tax incentives on consumer behavior in life insurance markets. Our empirical analysis of sociodemographic, economic, and psychological household characteristics elicited in the German SAVE study shows that two very different consumer groups buy (endowment) life insurance before and after the tax reform. We find that education plays a central role in reactions to the modified tax environment. Our stylized characterization of “arbitrageur” and “straggler” buyers will assist both life insurance firms and regulatory authorities design effective policies.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 35

Keywords: Life Insurance Demand, Tax Incentives, Financial Literacy

JEL Classification: D12, D14, D91, G22, K34

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Date posted: July 7, 2010 ; Last revised: January 11, 2012

Suggested Citation

Hecht, Carolin and Hanewald, Katja, Who Responds to Tax Reforms? Evidence from the Life Insurance Market (June 22, 2011). Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance - Issues and Practice, Vol. 37, No. 1, pp. 5-26, 2012. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1635309

Contact Information

Carolin Hecht
affiliation not provided to SSRN ( email )
Katja Hanewald (Contact Author)
University of New South Wales - ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research and School of Risk and Actuarial Studies ( email )
Sydney, NSW 2052
Australia
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