Unconventional monetary policy and income disparity in an aging society

ABSTRACT The main objective of the Bank of Japan’s monetary policy is inflation targeting; however, it may be associated with the recently increased income disparity in Japan. Using the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) estimation model, this study conducted in the context of an aging society revealed that the bank’s monetary policy increased income inequality through increased financial asset prices, resulting in a widening of the income gap. We also find that in the long run, the aging population will increase income disparity in Japan; however, tax policy will partially mitigate the adverse effect on income inequality. Unconventional monetary policy will not bring a desirable result for the Japanese economy and the nation as a whole. In addition, the government needs to revise the incremental tax system so that wealthier groups pay more tax than before. In addition, expanding the tax system by adopting the carbon taxation scheme would be beneficial. The government with this kind of tax can pursue two major goals: reducing poverty and environmental pollution, which are ongoing challenges in Japan.