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Sin taxes in differentiated product oligopoly: an application to the butter and margarine market

Author

Listed:
  • Rachel Griffith

    (Institute for Fiscal Studies and University of Manchester)

  • Lars Nesheim

    (Institute for Fiscal Studies and University College London)

  • Martin O'Connell

    (Institute for Fiscal Studies and University of Wisconsin)

Abstract

There is policy interest in using tax to change food purchasing behaviour. The literature has not accounted for the oligopolistic structure of the industry. In oligopoly the impact of taxes depend on preferences, and how firms pass tax onto prices. We consider a tax on saturated fat. Using transaction level data we find that the form of tax and firms' strategic behaviour are important determinants of the impact. Our results suggest that an excise tax is more efficient than an ad valorem tax at reducing saturated fat purchases and an ad valorem tax is more efficient at raising revenue.

Suggested Citation

  • Rachel Griffith & Lars Nesheim & Martin O'Connell, 2010. "Sin taxes in differentiated product oligopoly: an application to the butter and margarine market," CeMMAP working papers CWP37/10, Centre for Microdata Methods and Practice, Institute for Fiscal Studies.
    • Handle: RePEc:ifs:cemmap:37/10
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    File URL: http://cemmap.ifs.org.uk/wps/cwp3710.pdf
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Crawford, Gregory S., 2012. "Endogenous product choice: A progress report," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 30(3), pages 315-320.
    2. Allais, Olivier & Etilé, Fabrice & Lecocq, Sébastien, 2015. "Mandatory labels, taxes and market forces: An empirical evaluation of fat policies," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 27-44.
    3. Harding, Matthew & Lovenheim, Michael, 2017. "The effect of prices on nutrition: Comparing the impact of product- and nutrient-specific taxes," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 53-71.
    4. Cornelsen, Laura & Mazzocchi, Mario & Smith, Richard D., 2019. "Fat tax or thin subsidy? How price increases and decreases affect the energy and nutrient content of food and beverage purchases in Great Britain," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 230(C), pages 318-327.
    5. Salgado, Juan Carlos & Ng, Shu Wen, 2019. "Understanding heterogeneity in price changes and firm responses to a national unhealthy food tax in Mexico," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    6. Griffith, Rachel & Smith, Kate & Krol, Michal, 2015. "Store Brands and the Role of Advertising," CEPR Discussion Papers 10877, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    7. Irz, Xavier & Mazzocchi, Mario & Réquillart, Vincent & Soler, Louis-Georges, 2015. "Research in Food Economics: past trends and new challenges," Revue d'Etudes en Agriculture et Environnement, Editions NecPlus, vol. 96(01), pages 187-237, March.
    8. Finkelstein, Eric A. & Zhen, Chen & Bilger, Marcel & Nonnemaker, James & Farooqui, Assad M. & Todd, Jessica E., 2013. "Implications of a sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) tax when substitutions to non-beverage items are considered," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 219-239.
    9. Crawford, Gregory S., 2012. "Endogenous Product Choice: A Progress Report," Economic Research Papers 270745, University of Warwick - Department of Economics.
    10. Gračner, Tadeja & Kapinos, Kandice A. & Gertler, Paul J., 2022. "Associations of a national tax on non-essential high calorie foods with changes in consumer prices," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).
    11. Ryota Nakamura & Marc Suhrcke & Daniel John Zizzo, 2017. "A triple test for behavioral economics models and public health policy," Theory and Decision, Springer, vol. 83(4), pages 513-533, December.

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    Keywords

    tax;

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