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Environmental Protection Tax and Green Innovation: The Mediating Role of Digitalization and ESG

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  • Guixiang Cao

    (College of Business Administration, Capital University of Economics and Business, Beijing 100070, China)

  • Jinghuai She

    (College of Business Administration, Capital University of Economics and Business, Beijing 100070, China)

  • Chengzi Cao

    (College of Business Administration, Capital University of Economics and Business, Beijing 100070, China)

  • Qiuxiang Cao

    (School of Earth Science, East China University of Technology, Nanchang 330013, China
    School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, SW 2033, Australia)

Abstract

In the wave of the digital economy and “carbon neutrality”, digital governance and green governance are effective measures for firms to achieve sustainable development goals. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of environmental protection tax (EPT) policies on green innovation (GI) using panel data from Chinese A-share listed firms from 2010 to 2022. Using fixed effects models, we find that EPT significantly promotes firms’ GI. Mechanism tests reveal that digitalization and environment, social, and governance (ESG) performance both mediate the relationship between EPT and GI. Further analysis shows that government subsidies and analyst coverage both strengthen the effect of EPT on GI, while supplier concentration exerts a reverse moderating influence. Economic outcome tests confirm the multiple impacts of EPT in improving total factor productivity (TFP) and economic performance through GI. Our findings contribute to fulfilling the extant literature gap on the relationship between EPT and GI, and provide practical insights for firms engaged in digital and green governance.

Suggested Citation

  • Guixiang Cao & Jinghuai She & Chengzi Cao & Qiuxiang Cao, 2024. "Environmental Protection Tax and Green Innovation: The Mediating Role of Digitalization and ESG," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-26, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:2:p:577-:d:1315894
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    Cited by:

    1. Mo Zhou & Kaihua Bao & Xiliang Hu & Chen Gao & Ya Wen & Ting Zhang, 2025. "Climate-Resilient City Construction and Firms’ ESG Performance: Mechanism Analysis and Empirical Tests," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(14), pages 1-22, July.
    2. Gomaa Agag & Sameh Aboul-Dahab & Sherif El-Halaby & Said Abdo & Mohamed A. Khashan, 2025. "Leveraging Digitalization to Boost ESG Performance in Different Business Contexts," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-31, July.
    3. Xuejia Zheng & Lei Zhuang, 2025. "The Impact of Environmental Protection Tax on Green Behaviors and ESG Performance of Industrial Enterprises," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-18, September.
    4. ErShang Tian & Sung Ook Park, 2024. "Environmental Protection Tax (EPT) and Its Influence on Firms’ Financial Health and Innovation Capabilities: Evidence from Chinese Listed Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-16, December.
    5. Yasmine Kamal & Mahmoud Mohieldin & Myriam Ramzy, 2025. "Is Egypt ready for the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)? Evidence from firm-level data," International Economics and Economic Policy, Springer, vol. 22(4), pages 1-48, October.
    6. Yin, Hong & Zhang, Lu & Cai, Chuangneng & Zhang, Zenglian & Zhu, Qihong, 2025. "Fiscal & tax incentives, ESG responsibility fulfillments, and corporate green innovation performance," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).

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