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Empirical Estimates for Environmental Policy Making in a Second- Best Setting

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Author Info
Sarah E. West (Macalester College)
Roberton C. Williams III (University of Texas at Austin & NBER)

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Abstract

This study estimates parameters necessary to calculate the optimal second-best gasoline tax, most notably the cross-price elasticity between gasoline and leisure. Prior work indicates that in a second-best setting with distortionary income taxes, both the cost of environmental regulation and the optimal environmental tax rate depend crucially on the cross-price elasticity between a polluting good and leisure. However, no prior study on second-best environmental regulation has estimated this elasticity. Using household data, we find that gasoline is a relative complement to leisure, and thus that the optimal gasoline tax is significantly higher than marginal damages–the opposite of the result suggested by the prior literature. Following this approach to estimate cross-price elasticities with leisure for other major polluting goods could strongly influence estimates of optimal environmental taxes.

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Publisher Info
Paper provided by EconWPA in its series Public Economics with number 0402005.

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Length: 36 pages
Date of creation: 16 Feb 2004
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Handle: RePEc:wpa:wuwppe:0402005

Note: Type of Document - pdf; pages: 36; figures: none
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Web page: http://129.3.20.41

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Related research
Keywords: second-best environmental taxes; optimal taxes; tax interactions; demand system;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
H21 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Efficiency; Optimal Taxation
H23 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Externalities; Redistributive Effects; Environmental Taxes and Subsidies

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References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
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  2. Moschini, GianCarlo, 2002. "Units of Measurement and the 'Stone Index' in Demand System Estimation," Staff General Research Papers 5058, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
  3. WilliamsIII, Roberton C., 2001. "Tax normalizations, the marginal cost of funds, and optimal environmental taxes," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 71(1), pages 137-142, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. West, Sarah E., 2004. "Distributional effects of alternative vehicle pollution control policies," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(3-4), pages 735-757, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  6. Williams III, Roberton C., 1999. "Revisiting the cost of protectionism:: The role of tax distortions in the labor market," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 47(2), pages 429-447, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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    Other versions:
  8. A. Lans Bovenberg & Lawrence H. Goulder, 1995. "Costs of Environmentally Motivated Taxes in the Presence of Other Taxes:General Equilibrium Analyses," NBER Working Papers 5117, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  12. Lawrence H. Goulder & Roberton C. Williams III, 2003. "The Substantial Bias from Ignoring General Equilibrium Effects in Estimating Excess Burden, and a Practical Solution," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 111(4), pages 898-927, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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    Other versions:
  16. Goulder, Lawrence H. & Parry, Ian W. H. & Williams III, Roberton C. & Burtraw, Dallas, 1999. "The cost-effectiveness of alternative instruments for environmental protection in a second-best setting," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 72(3), pages 329-360, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  17. Lawrence Goulder, 1995. "Environmental taxation and the double dividend: A reader's guide," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer, vol. 2(2), pages 157-183, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  25. Parry, Ian W. H. & Williams, Roberton III & Goulder, Lawrence H., 1999. "When Can Carbon Abatement Policies Increase Welfare? The Fundamental Role of Distorted Factor Markets," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 52-84, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  26. Abbott, Michael & Ashenfelter, Orley, 1976. "Labour Supply, Commodity Demand and the Allocation of Time," Review of Economic Studies, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 43(3), pages 389-411, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  27. Seung-Rae Kim, 2002. "Optimal Environmental Regulation in the Presence of Other Taxes: The Role of Non-separable Preferences and Technology," Contributions to Economic Analysis & Policy, Berkeley Electronic Press, vol. 1(1), pages 1025-1025. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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Full references

Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Louis Kaplow, 2006. "Optimal Control of Externalities in the Presence of Income Taxation," NBER Working Papers 12339, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Sarah E. West & Roberton C. Williams, 2005. "The Cost of Reducing Gasoline Consumption," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 95(2), pages 294-299, May. [Downloadable!]
  3. Burtraw, Dallas & Pizer, William & Harrington, Winston & Sanchirico, James & Newell, Richard, 2005. "Modeling Economywide versus Sectoral Climate Policies Using Combined Aggregate-Sectoral Models," Discussion Papers dp-05-08, Resources For the Future. [Downloadable!]
  4. Parry, Ian W.H., 2006. "Are the Costs of Reducing Greenhouse Gases from Passenger Vehicles Negative?," Discussion Papers dp-06-14-rev, Resources For the Future. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  5. Jean-Christophe Caffet, 2005. "Health effects and optimal environmental taxes in welfare state countries," Cahiers de la Maison des Sciences Economiques v05049, Université Panthéon-Sorbonne (Paris 1). [Downloadable!]
  6. Parry, Ian, 2005. "Should Fuel Taxes Be Scrapped in Favor of Per-Mile Charges?," Discussion Papers dp-05-36, Resources For the Future. [Downloadable!]
  7. Sarah E. West & Roberton C. Williams III, 2002. "Estimates from a Consumer Demand System: Implications for the Incidence of Environmental Taxes," NBER Working Papers 9152, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  8. Brian Murray & Andrew Keeler & Walter Thurman, 2005. "Tax Interaction Effects, Environmental Regulation, and “Rule of Thumb” Adjustments to Social Cost," Environmental & Resource Economics, European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 30(1), pages 73-92, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  9. Sofronis Clerides & Theodoros Zachariadis, 2006. "Are standards Effective in Improving Automobile Fuel Economy?," University of Cyprus Working Papers in Economics 6-2006, University of Cyprus Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
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