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Tax, kill or bill: An analysis of unilateral CO2 price floor options in multilateral emissions trading systems

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  • Böhringer, Christoph
  • Fischer, Carolyn

Abstract

As more governments consider minimum domestic CO2 prices, we investigate three unilateral options for jurisdictions operating within a multilateral emissions trading system (ETS): 1) an additional CO2TAX; 2) an auction reserve policy to KILL (invalidate) allowances; and 3) an overcompliance requirement to BILL domestic emitters for extra allowances per ton of emissions. We assess three main economic incentives for unilateral action: environmental benefits, fiscal benefits, and terms-of-trade gains. We derive theoretically optimal unilateral price floors and, based on numerical simulations for the EU ETS, illustrate how a national government's preferred strategy depends on how it values fiscal versus environmental benefits.

Suggested Citation

  • Böhringer, Christoph & Fischer, Carolyn, 2023. "Tax, kill or bill: An analysis of unilateral CO2 price floor options in multilateral emissions trading systems," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jeeman:v:119:y:2023:i:c:s0095069623000347
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jeem.2023.102816
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    CO2 price floor; Emissions trading; Carbon tax;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H23 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Externalities; Redistributive Effects; Environmental Taxes and Subsidies
    • Q58 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environmental Economics: Government Policy
    • D62 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Externalities

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