International Capital Mobility Redefines Optimal Taxation for Small Economies
The article explores how international capital mobility affects the optimal income tax policy in a small open economy where people care about their relative consumption. If the government can see and tax returns on savings abroad, the tax rules for labor and capital income are similar to a closed economy. But if these returns are hidden, capital income taxes won't work, as people will move their savings abroad. In this case, labor income tax must also serve the purpose of the missing capital tax.