Bracket Creep

Filed Under » ,
Dictionary Says

Definition of 'Bracket Creep'

A situation where inflation pushes income into higher tax brackets. The result is an increase in income taxes but no increase in real purchasing power.
Investopedia Says

Investopedia explains 'Bracket Creep'

This is a problem during periods of high inflation as income tax codes typically take a longer time to change.

Related Definitions

  • Inflation

    The rate at which the general level of prices for goods and services is rising, and, subsequently, purchasing power is falling. Central banks attempt to stop severe inflation, along with ...
    Read More »
  • Purchasing Power

    1. The value of a currency expressed in terms of the amount of goods or services that one unit of money can buy. Purchasing power is important because, all else being equal, inflation ...
    Read More »
  • Purchasing Power Parity - PPP

    An economic theory that estimates the amount of adjustment needed on the exchange rate between countries in order for the exchange to be equivalent to each currency's purchasing ...
    Read More »
    • Economic Recovery Tax Act Of 1981 - ERTA

      A law that lowered income tax rates and allowed for expensing of depreciable assets. The Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981 (ERTA) also included several incentives for small business and ...
      Read More »
    • Tax Indexing

      The adjustment of the various rates of taxation done in response to inflation and to avoid bracket creep. Indexing is a method of tying taxes, wages or other rates to an index to ...
      Read More »

Articles Of Interest

Partner Links