Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/201287 
Title (translated): 
Turning Housing Equity into Income in Old Age
Year of Publication: 
2013
Series/Report no.: 
ETLA Report No. 5
Publisher: 
The Research Institute of the Finnish Economy (ETLA), Helsinki
Abstract (Translated): 
Elderly people could markedly increase they standard of living by releasing their housing equity. Purchase of a single-payment life annuity would increase the benefits of this release. The tax treatment of these annuities is, however, very strict in Finland, because both yield and capital are taxed without deductibility of premiums. This study describes the wealth structure of households, assesses the options of taxing single-payment life annuities and analyses how launching of these products would influence tax receipts. We recommend that a rate-of-return allowance should be applied, leaving risk-free interest rate and mortality bonus untaxed. We show that adoption of this tax rule is likely to increase tax revenue, since it would reduce tax-preferred housing.
Subjects: 
Single-payment life annuity
Equity release
Taxation
JEL: 
H24
G22
Document Type: 
Research Report

Files in This Item:
File
Size





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.