The Impact of Indirect Tax on the Income Distribution in Iran: Computable General Equilibrium Model (CGE(

One of the main economic tasks of governments is to support low-income groups and to distribute incomes fairly. Achieving this goal requires the use of economic instruments such as taxes. This study aims to investigate the effect of indirect taxes on income distribution based on a computable general equilibrium (CGE)model. Today, this model is known as one of the best tools for assessing economic shocks and policies. Concerning the subject of the study, three general scenarios are simulated: 1) Taxes on import; 2) Exemption of imports from taxes; 3) Subsidies to import. The effects of these policies on the personal and functional distribution of income are calculated. The findings show that indirect taxes change income distribution at the expense of urban households, and improve the income distribution. Subsidies to imports change income distribution to the detriment of rural household, and increase inequality. Applied scenarios upon the functionalincome distribution indicate that firstly, capital income increases more than labor income in the scenarios 1 and 2; and secondly, the payment of subsidies reduces the capital income and increases the labor income.