There was lots of blogging about the NYT report of increasing joblessness among prime age males; e.g., Don Boudreaux and Mark Perry.

Here are some findings from Laurence Kotlikoff and David Rapson:

--For 30-year-old couples earning $20,000 the marginal tax rate on an additional dollar earned is 42.5 percent ....

--At age 45, couples earning $30,000 a year face a higher marginal tax rate (41.9 percent) than do those earning $200,000 a year (35.9 percent).

--At age 60, couples earning $10,000 a year face a marginal tax rate of 50.9 percent ....

In fairness, I should point out that Kotlikoff and Rapson's findings have stronger implications for hours worked than for the decision to enter the labor force. For some combinations of age, children, and marital status (see their figures I, II, V, VII, and VIII) Kotlikoff and Rapson find low or even negative (presumably because of the EITC) MTRs at the $10,000 level of earnings. By contrast, the high MTRs at the $20,000 of income level and above do provide a strong disincentive against more hours of work.

BTW, Larry Kotlikoff will be speaking at Berry next fall. Alumni, friends, and retired colleagues might find it a good occasion to visit campus. Stay tuned for details.