Top Incomes in Brazil, 1933-2012: A Research Note

Abstract

This research note presents estimates of top income shares for Brazil based on tax return data from 1933 to 2012, as well as a brief overview of personal income taxation in the country. I also discuss some of the major methodological challenges, especially pertaining to data availability, and contrast my preferred top incomes series with alternative possibilities as a robustness check. The main results do not suggest any clear-cut pattern towards rising or declining inequality over time. Income concentration at the top ebbs and flows at generally very high levels.

Keywords: income distribution, income tax, top incomes, income inequality, Brazil

JEL Classification: D3, N36