Borradores de Economia
Number:
1278
Published:
Classification JEL:
E10, E62, E26, F41
Keywords:
General Equilibrium; Heterogeneous Agents; Taxes; Government Expenditure
The most recent
Alejandro Ome, Laura Giles Álvarez, Gerson Javier Pérez-Valbuena, Cristhian Larrahondo
Juan Camilo Laborde-Vera
Oscar Iván Ávila-Montealegre, Juan José Ospina-Tejeiro, Anderson Grajales, Mario Andrés Ramos-Veloza
Abstract
Healthcare expenditure in Colombia is expected to increase by 35% over the next eight years, due to population aging, rising costs, and domestic policies. These trends, in a context of high levels of informality and affiliation to the subsidized regime, add significant pressure to public finances. Using a dynamic general equilibrium model with heterogeneous households, we analyze the macroeconomic impact of financing a higher public healthcare expenditure through different taxes. The funding sources play a significant role in shaping the aggregate dynamics and income inequality. While consumption taxes are the best option in terms of output, financing with taxes on high-skilled labor improves income distribution.