Ergebnisse der aktuellen WIFO-Umverteilungsstudie

We examine the income situation of the Austrian population before and after redistribution through government revenues and expenditures over the 15 years preceding the outbreak of the Covid pandemic (2005, 2010, 2015, 2019). Based on market incomes, the distributional effects of cash and in-kind public benefits in the areas of health, education, family, housing, unemployment, and social exclusion are analysed. On the revenue side, the distributional effects of social contributions and direct and indirect taxes are highlighted. We show how incomes, the extent of redistribution and the relative contribution of taxes and benefits on income inequality and the at-risk-of-poverty rate have evolved over time. For this purpose, we combine information on income, consumption, as well as the use of public benefits in kind from different data sources including EU-SILC, the consumption survey and the HFCS at the individual and household level.