Journal
JOURNAL OF PENSION ECONOMICS & FINANCE
Volume 14, Issue 4, Pages 525-553Publisher
CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1017/S1474747215000244
Keywords
Savings; life insurance; interest and dividend taxes; bequests
Categories
Funding
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft [GRK 801]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
This paper studies the role of taxation and bequest motives in households' demand for life insurance. We develop a stylized three-period life cycle model of life insurance demand and test its predictions regarding tax changes and bequests motives. An unexpected halving of the tax exemption limit for interest and dividend income in Germany allows us to identify the impact of changes in taxation on the demand for life insurance in a difference-in-differences setting. In line with our theoretical predictions, we document that ownership of life insurance products increased significantly among households affected by the reform. We also find some evidence of a more pronounced response among households with stronger bequest motives.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available