Taxation of Labor Income and the Demand for Risky Assets

This article analyzes the effect of labor income risk on the joint saving/portfolio-composition problem. Given decreasing absolute prudence, we find that even when labor income risk increases overall saving, it tends to lower investment in a risky asset. Applying the theory to public finance, we argue that realistic increases in marginal tax rates on labor can cause large enough reductions in after-tax labor income risk to cause significant increases in risky investment.