The relation and development of expenditure inequality and income inequality of Czech households

Abstract

The paper focuses on an analysis of income inequality and expenditure inequality of households in the Czech Republic for the period 2001 - 2009, based on data from the Statistics of Family Accounts. The basic methodological tool is the Gini coefficient and its decomposition according to individual categories of consumer expenditure. The conducted research reaches the conclusion that income inequality is higher than inequality in consumer expenditure, and income inequality for the analyzed period is growing at a higher rate than expenditure inequality. Tax-transfer tools effectively eliminate income inequality, but nevertheless inequality of disposable income exceeds the inequality of net monetary expenditure. As regards the mutual relationship of income inequality and expenditure inequality, expenditure inequality within a period of economic growth and boom copied the course of income inequality, while within a period of economic decline and recession both inequalities showed a completely different development. The main determinant affecting income inequality may be considered to be non-consumer expenditure, particularly expenditure for the acquisition of real estate.