Fiscal cost of demographic transition in Japan |
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Institution: | 1. CEPAR, University of New South Wales, Sydney NSW 2052, Australia;2. Research School of Economics, Australian National University, Canberra ACT 0200, Australia;3. School of Economics and CEPAR, University of New South Wales, Sydney NSW 2052, Australia |
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Abstract: | This paper quantifies the fiscal cost of demographic transition that Japan is projected to experience over the next several decades, in a life-cycle model with endogenous saving, consumption, and labor supply in both intensive and extensive margins. Retirement waves of baby-boom generations, combined with a rise in longevity and low fertility rates, raise the old-age dependency ratio to 85% by 2050, the highest among major developed countries, and generate a significant budget imbalance, as the government faces rising costs of public pension and health and long-term care insurance. Preserving the current level of the transfers will require a major increase in taxation. Using consumption taxes to balance the government budget, the tax rate reaches the maximal value of 48% in late 2070s. A pension reform to reduce benefits by 20% results in a peak tax rate of 37%, which can be reduced further to 28% if the retirement age is also gradually raised by 5 years. |
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Keywords: | Social security reform Demographic transition Public pension program Health insurance Long-term care insurance Japanese economy |
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