IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/regeco/v70y2018icp373-383.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Local sales taxes, employment, and tax competition

Author

Listed:
  • Rohlin, Shawn M.
  • Thompson, Jeffrey P.

Abstract

Most analysis of the economic impacts of sales taxes does not include local taxes, despite the fact that they account for one-fifth of all sales tax collections and vary widely across states. This paper addresses that omission, estimating the effect of sales taxes on employment at state borders using county-level quarterly data and a newly developed data set of local county tax rates. The findings indicate that sales tax increases, relative to cross-border neighbors, lead to losses of employment, as well as payroll and hiring, but these effects are only found in counties with large shares of residents working in another state. The employment effects are also likely to be relatively short-lived, as they occur in the period before tax competition occurs and competitive jurisdictions are able to strategically respond and minimize cross-border tax differentials. Comparing estimates of sales tax effects with and without local county sales taxes show that omitting county taxes does not lead to meaningfully different estimates.

Suggested Citation

  • Rohlin, Shawn M. & Thompson, Jeffrey P., 2018. "Local sales taxes, employment, and tax competition," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 373-383.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:regeco:v:70:y:2018:i:c:p:373-383
    DOI: 10.1016/j.regsciurbeco.2017.10.012
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166046217303046
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.regsciurbeco.2017.10.012?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Gilles Duranton & Laurent Gobillon & Henry G. Overman, 2011. "Assessing the Effects of Local Taxation using Microgeographic Data," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 121(555), pages 1017-1046, September.
    2. Rohlin, Shawn & Rosenthal, Stuart S. & Ross, Amanda, 2014. "Tax avoidance and business location in a state border model," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 34-49.
    3. Burge, Gregory & Ihlanfeldt, Keith, 2009. "Development impact fees and employment," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 54-62, January.
    4. Agrawal, David R., 2016. "Local fiscal competition: An application to sales taxation with multiple federations," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 122-138.
    5. Thompson, Jeffrey P. & Rohlin, Shawn M., 2012. "The Effect of Sales Taxes on Employment: New Evidence From Cross-Border Panel Data Analysis," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 65(4), pages 1023-1041, December.
    6. Thomas J. Holmes, 1998. "The Effect of State Policies on the Location of Manufacturing: Evidence from State Borders," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 106(4), pages 667-705, August.
    7. John M. Abowd & Bryce E. Stephens & Lars Vilhuber & Fredrik Andersson & Kevin L. McKinney & Marc Roemer & Simon Woodcock, 2009. "The LEHD Infrastructure Files and the Creation of the Quarterly Workforce Indicators," NBER Chapters, in: Producer Dynamics: New Evidence from Micro Data, pages 149-230, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. Mohammad Arzaghi & J. Vernon Henderson, 2008. "Networking off Madison Avenue," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 75(4), pages 1011-1038.
    9. Walsh, Michael J. & Jones, Jonathan D., 1988. "More Evidence on the "Border Tax" Effect: The Case of West Virginia, 1979-84," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association, vol. 41(2), pages 261-65, June.
    10. David R. Agrawal, 2015. "The Tax Gradient: Spatial Aspects of Fiscal Competition," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 7(2), pages 1-29, May.
    11. Walsh, Michael J. & Jones, Jonathan D., 1988. "More Evidence on the "Border Tax" Effect: The Case of West Virginia, 1979-84," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 41(2), pages 261-265, June.
    12. Luna, LeAnn & Bruce, Donald J. & Hawkins, Richard R., 2007. "Maxing Out: An Analysis of Local Option Sales Tax Rate Increases," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 60(1), pages 45-63, March.
    13. Agrawal, David R., 2014. "LOST in America: Evidence on local sales taxes from national panel data," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 147-163.
    14. repec:kap:iaecre:v:16:y:2010:i:2:p:135-148 is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Stuart S. Rosenthal & William C. Strange, 2008. "Agglomeration and Hours Worked," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 90(1), pages 105-118, February.
    16. William H. Hoyt & J. William Harden, 2005. "MSA Location and the Impact of State Taxes on Employment and Population: A Comparison of Border and Interior MSA's," Working Papers 2005-01, University of Kentucky, Institute for Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Button, Patrick, 2019. "Do tax incentives affect business location and economic development? Evidence from state film incentives," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 315-339.
    2. Agrawal, David R. & Trandel, Gregory A., 2019. "Dynamics of policy adoption with state dependence," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    3. Melissa Gentry & Nadia Greenhalgh-Stanley & Shawn M. Rohlin & Jeffrey P. Thompson, 2020. "Dynamic Sales Tax Competition: Evidence from Panel Data at the Border," Working Papers 20-5, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
    4. Zhao, Jianqiang J. & Kaiser, Harry M. & Zheng, Yuqing, 2022. "Do grocery food taxes incentivize participation in SNAP?," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    5. Enami, Ali & Reynolds, C. Lockwood & Rohlin, Shawn M., 2023. "The effect of property taxes on businesses: Evidence from a dynamic regression discontinuity approach," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    6. Yulong Chen & Kevin D. Duncan & Liyuan Ma & Peter F. Orazem, 2023. "How relative marginal tax rates affect establishment entry at state borders," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 60(3), pages 1081-1103, March.

    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. Melissa Gentry & Nadia Greenhalgh-Stanley & Shawn M. Rohlin & Jeffrey P. Thompson, 2020. "Dynamic Sales Tax Competition: Evidence from Panel Data at the Border," Working Papers 20-5, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
    2. Agrawal, David R., 2014. "LOST in America: Evidence on local sales taxes from national panel data," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 147-163.
    3. Shawn M. Rohlin & Jeffrey P. Thompson, 2013. "The effect of state and local sales taxes on employment at state borders," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2013-49, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    4. Agrawal, David R. & Trandel, Gregory A., 2019. "Dynamics of policy adoption with state dependence," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    5. Enami, Ali & Reynolds, C. Lockwood & Rohlin, Shawn M., 2023. "The effect of property taxes on businesses: Evidence from a dynamic regression discontinuity approach," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    6. Saxon, Nicholas & Tosun, Mehmet S. & Yang, Jingjing, 2015. "State and Local Sales Taxes and Business Activity in the United States," IZA Discussion Papers 9413, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    7. Eric James Stokan, 2019. "An Estimate of the Local Economic Impact of State-Level Earned Income Tax Credits," Economic Development Quarterly, , vol. 33(3), pages 170-186, August.
    8. Thompson, Jeffrey P. & Rohlin, Shawn M., 2012. "The Effect of Sales Taxes on Employment: New Evidence From Cross-Border Panel Data Analysis," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 65(4), pages 1023-1041, December.
    9. Yulong Chen & Kevin D. Duncan & Liyuan Ma & Peter F. Orazem, 2023. "How relative marginal tax rates affect establishment entry at state borders," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 60(3), pages 1081-1103, March.
    10. Agrawal, David R., 2016. "Local fiscal competition: An application to sales taxation with multiple federations," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 122-138.
    11. Beatrix Eugster & Raphaël Parchet, 2019. "Culture and Taxes," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 127(1), pages 296-337.
    12. Burge Gregory S. & Rogers Cynthia L., 2018. "Do State Sales Taxes Crowd Out Local Option Sales Taxes?," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 18(3), pages 1-9, July.
    13. Georgeanne M. Artz & Kevin D. Duncan & Arthur P. Hall & Peter F. Orazem, 2016. "Do State Business Climate Indicators Explain Relative Economic Growth At State Borders?," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 56(3), pages 395-419, June.
    14. Rohlin, Shawn & Rosenthal, Stuart S. & Ross, Amanda, 2014. "Tax avoidance and business location in a state border model," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 34-49.
    15. Beem, Richard & Bruce, Donald, 2021. "Failure to launch: Measuring the impact of sales tax nexus standards on business activity," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 201(C).
    16. Carlianne Patrick, 2014. "Does Increasing Available Non-Tax Economic Development Incentives Result in More Jobs?," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 67(2), pages 351-386, June.
    17. Raphaël Parchet, 2019. "Are Local Tax Rates Strategic Complements or Strategic Substitutes?," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 11(2), pages 189-224, May.
    18. Bo Zhao, 2021. "Opting in with the Joneses: What Affects the Timing of Municipal Adoption of a Local-option Meals Tax?," Working Papers 21-14, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
    19. Li,Yue - ETICI & Sinha Roy,Sutirtha, 2020. "The Employment Effect of Place-Based Policies : Evidence from India," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9477, The World Bank.
    20. Kaitlyn Harger & Amanda Ross, 2016. "Do Capital Tax Incentives Attract New Businesses? Evidence Across Industries From The New Markets Tax Credit," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 56(5), pages 733-753, November.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    H2; H7; R5; Inter-state tax competition; Sales tax; Local taxes; Border models; Cross-border shopping;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H2 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue
    • H7 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations
    • R5 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Regional Government Analysis

    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:eee:regeco:v:70:y:2018:i:c:p:373-383. 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: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/regec .

    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.