J 2023

An error in the theory of seigniorage

MACH, Petr

Basic information

Original name

An error in the theory of seigniorage

Name in Czech

Chyba v teorii ražebného

Authors

MACH, Petr (203 Czech Republic, guarantor, belonging to the institution)

Edition

International Journal of Economic Sciences, Praha, EUROPEAN RESEARCH CENTER (EURREC), 2023, 1804-9796

Other information

Language

English

Type of outcome

Článek v odborném periodiku

Field of Study

50201 Economic Theory

Country of publisher

Czech Republic

Confidentiality degree

není předmětem státního či obchodního tajemství

RIV identification code

RIV/04274644:_____/23:#0001046

Organization unit

University of Finance and Administration

UT WoS

001123624300001

Keywords (in Czech)

Měnová teorie; měnová báze; ražebné; inflační daň; Lafferova křivka

Keywords in English

Monetary Theory; Monetary Base; Seigniorage; Inflation Tax; Laffer curve

Tags

Reviewed
Změněno: 13/2/2024 13:58, Mgr. Jitka Štruncová

Abstract

V originále

The article reveals an error in the theory of seigniorage or government revenue from printing money. Friedman, Cagan, Mankiw, and other economists have repeated the definition of seigniorage as the monetary base multiplied by the rate of inflation (or by the growth in the monetary base). This definition, however, contains a logical error in the formula of seigniorage, confusing the growth rate with the growth rate divided by the growth rate plus one. This often-repeated confusion is consequently common in modern economics textbooks. These many authors have omitted Keynes who – almost one hundred years ago – rightly understood seigniorage to be the monetary base multiplied by the rate of money growth divided by the rate of money growth plus one. This paper presents an unambiguous definition and formula of seigniorage and offers a graphical illustration of seigniorage as a function of monetary growth which corresponds to Keynes’s approach. It is shown that such a graph is an analogy to the Laffer curve in explicit taxation.

In Czech

Článek se zabývá inflační daní a upozorňuje, že v literatuře často používaný vzorec obsahuje chybu. Autor formuluje křivku ražebného jako funkci podílu ražebného na HDP a tempa růstu měnové báze.