Fiscal drag in theory and in practice: A European perspective

This paper presents a comprehensive characterization of “fiscal drag”—the increase in tax revenue that occurs when nominal tax bases grow but nominal parameters of progressive tax legislation are not updated accordingly—across 21 European countries using a microsimulation approach. First, we estimate tax-to-base elasticities, showing that the progressivity built in each country’s personal income tax system induces elasticities around 1.7–2 for many countries, indicating a potential for large fiscal drag effects. We unpack these elasticities to show stark heterogeneity in their underlying mechanisms (tax brackets or tax deductions and credits), across income sources (labor, capital, self-employment, public benefits), and across the individual income distribution. Second, we extend the analysis beyond these elasticities to study fiscal drag in practice between 2019 and 2023, incorporating observed income growth and legislative changes. We quantify the actual impact of fiscal drag and the extent to which government policies have offset it, either through indexation or other reforms. Our results provide new insights into the fiscal and distributional effects of fiscal drag in Europe, as well as useful statistics for modeling public finances.

GARCIA MIRALLES Esteban;  FREIER Maximilian;  RISCADO Sara;  LEVENTI Chrysa;  MAZZON Alberto;  ABELA Glenn;  BOYD Laura;  BRUSBARDE Baiba;  COCHARD Marion;  CORNILLE David;  DICARLO Emanuele;  DEBATTISTA Ian;  DELGADO-TELLEZ Mar;  DOLLS Mathias;  FADEJEVA Ludmila;  FLEVOTOMOU Maria;  HENNE Florian;  HARRER-BACHLEITNER Alena;  JASZBERENYI-KIRALY Viktor;  LAY Max;  LEHTONEN Laura;  MASTROGIACOMO Mauro;  MCINDOE-CALDER Tara;  MOSER Mathias;  NEVICKY Martin;  PEICHL Andreas;  PIDKUYKO Myroslav;  ROTER Mojca;  SAVIGNAC Frederique;  STROJAN KASTELEC Andreja;  TUZIKAS Vaidotas;  VENTOURIS Nikos;  WEMANS Lara; 

2026-03-05

ELSEVIER

JRC146000

1873-572X (online),   

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S001429212600019X,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC146000,   

10.1016/j.euroecorev.2026.105275 (online),