Tax Rules to Prevent Expectations-driven Liquidity Trap

Author: Yoichiro Tamanyu
Date: 2019/1/29
No: DP2019-005
JEL Classification codes: E61,E62,E63
Language: English
[ Abstract / Highlights ]

This paper demonstrates that a simple Ricardian tax policy responding to inflation can prevent expectations-driven liquidity trap (ELT) using a standard New Keynesian model. I show that the extent to which tax rates must respond to inflation is affected by the persistence of remaining at the ELT and higher persistence requires larger response to inflation. I further find that if the ELT is assumed to be recurrent, the tax rate needs to respond to inflation by a larger extent compared to the case where the targeted regime is assumed to be absorbing. This last finding indicates that it is crucial for the fiscal authority to entertain the possibility of moving back to the ELT when it sets their policy parameters.