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Winners and Losers: the Distributional Effects of the French Feebate on the Automobile Market

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  • Isis Durrmeyer

Abstract

I quantify the welfare and environmental gains and losses from a policy establishing an environmental tax/subsidy for new cars in France in 2008. I estimate a structural model of demand and supply that features heterogeneity in consumer preferences to go beyond the average policy effects and analyse distributional aspects. The policy reduces average carbon emissions by 1.6% at the cost of additional emissions of local pollutants. The regulation favours middle-income individuals but has redistributive effects when combined with a tax that is proportional to income. Moreover, local pollutant emissions increase least in poor and rural areas, suggesting another redistribution channel.

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  • Isis Durrmeyer, 2022. "Winners and Losers: the Distributional Effects of the French Feebate on the Automobile Market," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 132(644), pages 1414-1448.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:econjl:v:132:y:2022:i:644:p:1414-1448.
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    Cited by:

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    3. Daniel Chaves, 2022. "Market Power, Taxation and Product Variety in the Brazilian Automobile Industry," University of Western Ontario, Departmental Research Report Series 20227, University of Western Ontario, Department of Economics.
    4. Mathias Reynaert, 2021. "Abatement Strategies and the Cost of Environmental Regulation: Emission Standards on the European Car Market," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 88(1), pages 454-488.
    5. Vatsala Shreeti, 2024. "Tracing the adoption of digital technologies," BIS Working Papers 1166, Bank for International Settlements.
    6. Kessler, Louise & Morvillier, Florian & Perrier, Quentin & Rucheton, Keyvan, 2023. "An ex-ante evaluation of the French car feebate," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    7. Lu, Tingmingke, 2023. "On the income elasticity and regressivity of emission taxation," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 223(C).
    8. Marion Leroutier & Philippe Quirion, 2021. "Tackling Transport-Induced Pollution in Cities: A case Study in Paris," Working Papers 2021.07, FAERE - French Association of Environmental and Resource Economists.

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