IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/ces/ceswps/_9583.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Non-Paternalistic Foundation of Sugar Taxation and Missing Markets for Sugar Content

Author

Listed:
  • Thomas Eichner
  • Marco Runkel

Abstract

This paper provides a new foundation of soft drink taxation. We abstract from externalities and internalities previously used to justify such taxation and, instead, emphasize that neither explicit nor implicit markets and prices for sugar content can be expected to emerge. Hence, in the absence of any regulation, the sugar content of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) would be inefficiently high. This market failure can be corrected by a tax on the sugar content per unit of the SSB. However, a sugar content tax alone leads to an unintended downward distortion of the quantity of SSBs, which has to be corrected by an additional revenue-neutral subsidy on each unit of the SSB.

Suggested Citation

  • Thomas Eichner & Marco Runkel, 2022. "Non-Paternalistic Foundation of Sugar Taxation and Missing Markets for Sugar Content," CESifo Working Paper Series 9583, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_9583
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.cesifo.org/DocDL/cesifo1_wp9583.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Zarko Kalamov & Marco Runkel, 2020. "Taxes on unhealthy food and externalities in the parental choice of children's diet," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(8), pages 938-944, August.
    2. Pierre Dubois & Rachel Griffith & Martin O'Connell, 2020. "How Well Targeted Are Soda Taxes?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 110(11), pages 3661-3704, November.
    3. Loewenstein, George & Chater, Nick, 2017. "Putting nudges in perspective," Behavioural Public Policy, Cambridge University Press, vol. 1(1), pages 26-53, May.
    4. Lozachmeur, Jean-Marie & Cremer, Helmuth & Goulão, Catarina, 2019. "Soda tax incidence and design under monopoly," TSE Working Papers 19-992, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE), revised Jul 2020.
    5. Davide Dragone & Francesco Manaresi & Luca Savorelli, 2016. "Obesity and Smoking: can we Kill Two Birds with one Tax?," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 25(11), pages 1464-1482, November.
    6. Helmuth Cremer & Philippe De Donder & Darío Maldonado & Pierre Pestieau, 2012. "Taxing Sin Goods and Subsidizing Health Care," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 114(1), pages 101-123, March.
    7. Rosen, Sherwin, 1974. "Hedonic Prices and Implicit Markets: Product Differentiation in Pure Competition," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 82(1), pages 34-55, Jan.-Feb..
    8. Kotakorpi, Kaisa, 2008. "The incidence of sin taxes," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 98(1), pages 95-99, January.
    9. Ronald W. Jones, 2018. "The Structure of Simple General Equilibrium Models," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: International Trade Theory and Competitive Models Features, Values, and Criticisms, chapter 4, pages 61-84, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    10. Kelvin J. Lancaster, 1966. "A New Approach to Consumer Theory," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 74(2), pages 132-132.
    11. Foley, Duncan K, 1970. "Lindahl's Solution and the Core of an Economy with Public Goods," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 38(1), pages 66-72, January.
    12. Emmanuel Farhi & Xavier Gabaix, 2020. "Optimal Taxation with Behavioral Agents," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 110(1), pages 298-336, January.
    13. Christoph F. Kurz & Adriana N. König, 2021. "The causal impact of sugar taxes on soft drink sales: evidence from France and Hungary," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 22(6), pages 905-915, August.
    14. Jonathan Gruber & Botond Köszegi, 2001. "Is Addiction "Rational"? Theory and Evidence," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 116(4), pages 1261-1303.
    15. Rachel Griffith & Martin O'Connell & Kate Smith & Rebekah Stroud, 2020. "What's on the Menu? Policies to Reduce Young People's Sugar Consumption," Fiscal Studies, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 41(1), pages 165-197, March.
    16. Roberts, Donald John, 1974. "The Lindahl solution for economies with public goods," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 3(1), pages 23-42, February.
    17. Luis Rodrigo Arnabal, 2021. "Optimal design of sin taxes in the presence of nontaxable sin goods," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(7), pages 1580-1599, July.
    18. Zarko Y. Kalamov & Marco Runkel, 2022. "Taxation of unhealthy food consumption and the intensive versus extensive margin of obesity," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 29(5), pages 1294-1320, October.
    19. Bonnet, Céline & Réquillart, Vincent, 2013. "Tax incidence with strategic firms in the soft drink market," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 77-88.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Luis Rodrigo Arnabal, 2021. "Optimal design of sin taxes in the presence of nontaxable sin goods," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(7), pages 1580-1599, July.
    2. Zarko Y. Kalamov & Marco Runkel, 2022. "Taxation of unhealthy food consumption and the intensive versus extensive margin of obesity," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 29(5), pages 1294-1320, October.
    3. Bossi, Luca & Calcott, Paul & Petkov, Vladimir, 2013. "Optimal tax rules and addictive consumption," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 37(5), pages 984-1000.
    4. Cremer, Helmuth & Goulão, Catarina & Roeder, Kerstin, 2016. "Earmarking and the political support of fat taxes," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 258-267.
    5. Martin O'Connell & Pierre Dubois & Rachel Griffith, 2022. "The Use of Scanner Data for Economics Research," Annual Review of Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 14(1), pages 723-745, August.
    6. Paul Calcott & Vladimir Petkov, 2023. "Choosing between imperfect proxies for a corrective tax," Journal of Public Economic Theory, Association for Public Economic Theory, vol. 25(2), pages 245-275, April.
    7. Trojanek, Radoslaw & Huderek-Glapska, Sonia, 2018. "Measuring the noise cost of aviation – The association between the Limited Use Area around Warsaw Chopin Airport and property values," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 103-114.
    8. Shimizu, Chihiro, 2014. "How Are Property Investment Returns Determined? : Estimating the Micro-Structure of Asset Prices, Property Income, and Discount Rates," HIT-REFINED Working Paper Series 12, Institute of Economic Research, Hitotsubashi University.
    9. Dan Horsky & Sanjog Misra & Paul Nelson, 2006. "Observed and Unobserved Preference Heterogeneity in Brand-Choice Models," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 25(4), pages 322-335, 07-08.
    10. Ilir Nase & Jim Berry & Alastair Adair, 2016. "Impact of quality-led design on real estate value: a spatiotemporal analysis of city centre apartments," Journal of Property Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(4), pages 309-331, October.
    11. Pierre Pestieau & Gregory Ponthiere, 2012. "The Public Economics of Increasing Longevity," Hacienda Pública Española / Review of Public Economics, IEF, vol. 200(1), pages 41-74, March.
    12. Laura Blow & Martin Browning & Ian Crawford, 2004. "Nonparametric methods for the characteristic model," CeMMAP working papers 18/04, Institute for Fiscal Studies.
    13. Marco Helbich & Wolfgang Brunauer & Eric Vaz & Peter Nijkamp, 2014. "Spatial Heterogeneity in Hedonic House Price Models: The Case of Austria," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 51(2), pages 390-411, February.
    14. Frondel, Manuel & Kussel, Gerhard & Sommer, Stephan & Vance, Colin, 2019. "Local cost for global benefit: The case of wind turbines," Ruhr Economic Papers 791, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen, revised 2019.
    15. Brockmeier, M., 1991. "Entwicklung und Aufhebung von Reinheitsgeboten im Nahrungsmittelbereich – Analyse und Bewertung," Proceedings “Schriften der Gesellschaft für Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaften des Landbaues e.V.”, German Association of Agricultural Economists (GEWISOLA), vol. 27.
    16. Celia Bilbao-Terol, 2009. "Impacts of an Iron and Steel Plant on Residential Property Values," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(9), pages 1421-1436, September.
    17. Marcelo Arbex & Enlinson Mattos, 2017. "Optimal Paternalistic Health and Human Capital Policies," Working Papers 1709, University of Windsor, Department of Economics.
    18. Buller, Virginia & Hudson, Darren & Parkhurst, Gregory M. & Whittington, Andrew, 2006. "The Impact of Hunting Package Attributes on Hunting Package Prices in Mississippi," Research Reports 15798, Mississippi State University, Department of Agricultural Economics.
    19. Matthias Staudigel & Aleksej Trubnikov, 2022. "High price premiums as barriers to organic meat demand? A hedonic analysis considering species, cut and retail outlet," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 66(2), pages 309-334, April.
    20. Schilling, Brian J. & Sullivan, Kevin P. & Duke, Joshua M., 2013. "Do Residual Development Options Increase Preserved Farmland Values?," Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Western Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 38(3), pages 1-17.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    obesity; sugar-sweetened beverages; sugar content; sugar content tax; soft drink subsidy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D50 - Microeconomics - - General Equilibrium and Disequilibrium - - - General
    • H21 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Efficiency; Optimal Taxation
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_9583. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Klaus Wohlrabe (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/cesifde.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.