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Cigarette Tax Pass-Through by Product Characteristics: Evidence from Nielsen ScanTrack Data

Author

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  • Wang, Xiaojin
  • Zheng, Yuqing
  • Reed, Michael
  • Zhen, Chen

Abstract

We use market-level scanner data collected from U.S. convenience stores in 2011 and 2012 to examine who bears the economic burden of cigarette taxes. We find cigarette taxes are fully passed through to consumer prices, suggesting consumers pay all the excess burden of these taxes. Tax incidence differs by class of cigarette; pass-through rates for premium packs and cartons are higher than those for discount packs and cartons, indicating possibilities of substitution in consumptions across tiers and brands.

Suggested Citation

  • Wang, Xiaojin & Zheng, Yuqing & Reed, Michael & Zhen, Chen, 2015. "Cigarette Tax Pass-Through by Product Characteristics: Evidence from Nielsen ScanTrack Data," 2015 AAEA & WAEA Joint Annual Meeting, July 26-28, San Francisco, California 205375, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:aaea15:205375
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.205375
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    File URL: https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/205375/files/Cigarette%20Tax%20Pass.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Yuqing Zheng & Chen Zhen & Daniel Dench & James M. Nonnemaker, 2017. "U.S. Demand for Tobacco Products in a System Framework," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(8), pages 1067-1086, August.
    2. Dean R. Lillard & Andrew Sfekas, 2013. "Just passing through: the effect of the Master Settlement Agreement on estimated cigarette tax price pass-through," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(4), pages 353-357, March.
    3. Matthew Harding & Ephraim Leibtag & Michael F. Lovenheim, 2012. "The Heterogeneous Geographic and Socioeconomic Incidence of Cigarette Taxes: Evidence from Nielsen Homescan Data," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 4(4), pages 169-198, November.
    4. Kelejian, Harry H. & Piras, Gianfranco, 2014. "Estimation of spatial models with endogenous weighting matrices, and an application to a demand model for cigarettes," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 140-149.
    5. DeCicca, Philip & Kenkel, Donald & Liu, Feng, 2013. "Excise tax avoidance: The case of state cigarette taxes," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 32(6), pages 1130-1141.
    6. Kathleen P. Bell & Nancy E. Bockstael, 2000. "Applying the Generalized-Moments Estimation Approach to Spatial Problems Involving Microlevel Data," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 82(1), pages 72-82, February.
    7. Pesko, M.F. & Kruger, J. & Hyland, A., 2012. "Cigarette price minimization strategies used by adults," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 102(9), pages 19-21.
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    Cited by:

    1. James E. Prieger, 2023. "Tax noncompliance: The role of tax morale in smokers' behavior," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 41(4), pages 653-673, October.

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    Keywords

    Agribusiness; Agricultural and Food Policy; Demand and Price Analysis; Health Economics and Policy;
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