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Examines the government policies that influence how much money families put into savings in the seven industrialized countries known as the G-7. Among the topics are the types of accumulated household saving and debt, tax policies toward capital income, saving in the form of public and private pensions, and insurance and saving. Of interest to economists who are puzzled and dismayed at the low rate of saving in the US. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

The declining U.S. national saving rate has prompted economists and policymakers to ask, should the federal government encourage household saving, and if so, through which policies? In order to better understand saving programs, this volume provides a systematic and detailed description of saving policies in the G-7 industrialized nations: the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom.

Each of the seven chapters focuses on one country and addresses a core set of topics: types of accumulated household savings and debt; tax policies toward capital income; saving in the form of public and private pensions, including Social Security and similar programs; saving programs that receive special tax treatment; and saving through insurance.

This detailed summary of the saving incentives of the G-7 nations will be an invaluable reference for policymakers and academics interested in personal saving behavior.