The impact of payroll taxes on unemployment and welfare are examined in a m
odel with household production and union-firm wage bargaining. The analysis
shows that unemployment typically falls as the payroll tax rate in the mar
ket sector for household substitutes (the service sector) is reduced. This
holds even when the payroll tax rate in the non-service sector is raised in
order to maintain a balanced government budget. Welfare improves with a re
duced-service-sector payroll tax rate only if unions are equally strong and
firms are equally labour intensive across the sectors.