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Optimal Enforcement Policy and Firm's Emissions and Compliance with Environmental Taxes

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  • Inés Macho-Stadler
  • David Pérez-Castrillo

Abstract

In a market where firms with different characteristics decide upon both the level of emissions and their reports, we study the optimal audit policy for an enforcement agency whose objective is to minimize the level of emissions. We show that it is optimal to devote the resources primarily to the easiest-to-monitor firms and to those firms that value pollution the less. Moreover, unless the budget for monitoring is very large, there are always firms that do not comply with the environmental objective and others that do comply; but all of them evade the environmental taxes.

Suggested Citation

  • Inés Macho-Stadler & David Pérez-Castrillo, 2004. "Optimal Enforcement Policy and Firm's Emissions and Compliance with Environmental Taxes," Working Papers 124, Barcelona School of Economics.
  • Handle: RePEc:bge:wpaper:124
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Environmental taxes; optimal audit policy;

    JEL classification:

    • K32 - Law and Economics - - Other Substantive Areas of Law - - - Energy, Environmental, Health, and Safety Law
    • K42 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law
    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design

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