Preference for wealth taxation

Last registered on July 08, 2024
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Preference for wealth taxation
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0013939
Initial registration date
July 05, 2024

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
July 08, 2024, 1:44 PM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

Country
Austria
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Peter Lindner
Affiliation
Oesterreichische Nationalbank
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Nicolas Albacete
PI Affiliation
Oesterreichische Nationalbank
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Pirmin Fessler
PI Affiliation
Oesterreichische Nationalbank
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Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2016-11-01
End date
2017-07-31
Keywords
Other
Additional Keywords
Wealth taxation, tax preference, experiment, HFCS
JEL code(s)
H20, C92, D10, D31
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
We set up a customized random experiment within the Austrian segment of the most comprehensive European wealth survey, the Household Finance and Consumption Survey (HFCS). The randomization was implemented a priori so that each household in the sample had a 50% chance of being selected for the treated group.

The group of non-treated households went through the questionnaire from one question to the next without a break before the questions on taxation. The treated group was given specific information on net wealth. This information included their own net wealth recorded in the survey, their position in the net wealth distribution (decile), as well as information on the overall net wealth distribution (in 10 percentiles). Thus, depending on the actual level of wealth reported in the survey, the information individual households received varied as well.

After receiving the information, the treated group was asked about their attitudes towards taxation with the same questions as the non-treated households.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Albacete, Nicolas, Pirmin Fessler and Peter Lindner. 2024. "Preference for wealth taxation." AEA RCT Registry. July 08. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.13939-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Information treatment:
The group of non-treated households went through the questionnaire from one question to the next without a break before the questions on taxation. The treated group was given specific information on net wealth. This information included their own net wealth recorded in the survey, their position in the net wealth distribution (decile), as well as information on the overall net wealth distribution (in 10 percentiles). Thus, depending on the actual level of wealth reported in the survey, the information individual households received varied as well.

After receiving the information, the treated group was asked about their attitudes towards taxation with the same questions as the non-treated households.
Intervention (Hidden)
Intervention Start Date
2016-11-01
Intervention End Date
2017-07-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
preference on wealth taxation
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
For the gross sample of a large survey on wealth, half of the households were selected for the treatment group. The randomization was implemented a priori so that each household in the sample had a 50% chance of being selected for the treated group. This selection was stratified by federal state to prevent a large regional disparity.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
randomization done in office by a computer
Randomization Unit
household
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
no cluster
Sample size: planned number of observations
about 3000 households
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
about 1500 households in each group treated and non-treated
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
IRB Approval Date
IRB Approval Number
Analysis Plan

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials