Generational Accounting in New Zealand: Is There Generational Balance?

This paper uses a recently-developed technique, calledgenerational accounting, to assess New Zealand's long-term fiscalposition. Generational accounting has become a popular alternativeto traditional deficit accounting, because it provides a moreaccurate picture of the intergenerational distribution of fiscalburdens and the associated macroeconomic effects, particularlyin the presence of demographic transitions and large unfundedpublic transfer programs. Past studies have suggested the existenceof significant generational imbalances in several countries. We find that behind New Zealand's projectedbudget surpluses, there is indeed a sound fiscal picture. Evenunder the base case scenario, which entails substantial short-runtax reductions, the burden on future generations (relative toincome) is projected to fall slightly below that on current newborns.New Zealand appears to have avoided the large fiscal imbalancesplaguing the United States and other OECD countries not by placinglarge tax burdens on young current generations, but by limitingthe size of its commitments. Copyright Kluwer Academic Publishers 1997