IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/luc/wpaper/25-16.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Floorspace price discontinuities and taxation in cross-border commuting areas

Author

Listed:
  • Raian Kudashev

    (DEM, Université du Luxembourg)

  • Pierre M. Picard

    (DEM, Université du Luxembourg)

Abstract

Cross-border housing markets have become more prevalent in Europe since the establishment of the European Union. Using data from the functional urban area of Luxembourg, we document significant floorspace price discontinuities at the borders of Luxembourg with Belgium, France, and Germany. Employing a quantitative spatial urban model and spatial regression discontinuity techniques, we show that differences in tax rates and tax importation account for 9% and 17% of the observed price jump, respectively. The remaining price discrepancy is explained by differences in productivity and amenities.

Suggested Citation

  • Raian Kudashev & Pierre M. Picard, 2025. "Floorspace price discontinuities and taxation in cross-border commuting areas," DEM Discussion Paper Series 25-16, Department of Economics at the University of Luxembourg.
  • Handle: RePEc:luc:wpaper:25-16
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://hdl.handle.net/10993/66030
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Pierre-Philippe Combes & Gilles Duranton & Laurent Gobillon, 2021. "The Production Function for Housing: Evidence from France," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 129(10), pages 2766-2816.
    2. Pierre-Philippe Combes & Gilles Duranton & Laurent Gobillon, 2019. "The Costs of Agglomeration: House and Land Prices in French Cities," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 86(4), pages 1556-1589.
    3. Pieretti, Patrice & Zanaj, Skerdilajda, 2011. "On tax competition, public goods provision and jurisdictions' size," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 84(1), pages 124-130, May.
    4. Gabriel M. Ahlfeldt & Stephen J. Redding & Daniel M. Sturm & Nikolaus Wolf, 2015. "The Economics of Density: Evidence From the Berlin Wall," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 83, pages 2127-2189, November.
    5. Henrik Kleven & Camille Landais & Mathilde Muñoz & Stefanie Stantcheva, 2020. "Taxation and Migration: Evidence and Policy Implications," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 34(2), pages 119-142, Spring.
    6. Ahlfeldt, Gabriel M. & Heblich, Stephan & Seidel, Tobias, 2023. "Micro-geographic property price and rent indices," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    7. Enea Baselgia & Isabel Z. Martínez, 2022. "Behavioral Responses to Special Tax Regimes for the Super-Rich: Insights from Swiss Rich Lists," CESifo Working Paper Series 9778, CESifo.
    8. Graham, Daniel J. & Gibbons, Stephen, 2019. "Quantifying Wider Economic Impacts of agglomeration for transport appraisal: Existing evidence and future directions," Economics of Transportation, Elsevier, vol. 19(C), pages 1-1.
    9. David R. Agrawal & William H. Hoyt, 2018. "Commuting and Taxes: Theory, Empirics and Welfare Implications," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 128(616), pages 2969-3007, December.
    10. Baldwin, Richard E. & Krugman, Paul, 2004. "Agglomeration, integration and tax harmonisation," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 48(1), pages 1-23, February.
    11. Kanbur, Ravi & Keen, Michael, 1991. "Jeux Sans Frontieres: Tax Competition and Tax Coordination when Countries Differ in Size," Queen's Economics Department Working Papers 273217, Queen's University - Department of Economics.
    12. Thomas Y. Mathä & Alessandro Porpiglia & Michael Ziegelmeyer, 2018. "Wealth differences across borders and the effect of real estate price dynamics: Evidence from two household surveys," Journal of Income Distribution, Ad libros publications inc., vol. 26(1), pages 1-35, March.
    13. repec:jid:journl:y:2018:v:26:i:3:p:15-49 is not listed on IDEAS
    14. Akos Valentinyi & Berthold Herrendorf, 2008. "Measuring Factor Income Shares at the Sector Level," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 11(4), pages 820-835, October.
    15. Kanbur, Ravi & Keen, Michael, 1993. "Jeux Sans Frontieres: Tax Competition and Tax Coordination When Countries Differ in Size," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 83(4), pages 877-892, September.
    16. Jonathan Eaton & Samuel Kortum, 2002. "Technology, Geography, and Trade," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 70(5), pages 1741-1779, September.
    17. Roback, Jennifer, 1982. "Wages, Rents, and the Quality of Life," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 90(6), pages 1257-1278, December.
    18. Janeba, Eckhard & Osterloh, Steffen, 2013. "Tax and the city — A theory of local tax competition," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 89-100.
    19. Delventhal, Matthew J. & Kwon, Eunjee & Parkhomenko, Andrii, 2022. "JUE Insight: How do cities change when we work from home?," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    20. Thisse, Jacques-François & Turner, Matthew A. & Ushchev, Philip, 2024. "Foundations of cities," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    21. Pierre-Philippe Combes & Gilles Duranton & Laurent Gobillon, 2021. "The Production Function for Housing: Evidence from France," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 129(10), pages 2766-2816.
    22. Fujita, Masahisa & Ogawa, Hideaki, 1982. "Multiple equilibria and structural transition of non-monocentric urban configurations," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 12(2), pages 161-196, May.
    23. Jacques-François Thisse & Matthew M.D. Turner & Filipp Ushchev, 2024. "Foundations of cities," ULB Institutional Repository 2013/387733, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    24. Slotwinski, Michaela & Schmidheiny, Kurt, 2014. "Behavioral Responses to Local Tax Rates: Quasi-Experimental Evidence from a Foreigners Tax Scheme in Switzerland," VfS Annual Conference 2014 (Hamburg): Evidence-based Economic Policy 100292, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    25. William Alonso, 1967. "A Reformulation Of Classical Location Theory And Its Relation To Rent Theory," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 19(1), pages 23-44, January.
    26. Gabriel Ahlfeldt, 2011. "If Alonso Was Right: Modeling Accessibility And Explaining The Residential Land Gradient," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(2), pages 318-338, May.
    27. Robert E. Lucas & Esteban Rossi-Hansberg, 2002. "On the Internal Structure of Cities," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 70(4), pages 1445-1476, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Raian Kudashev & Pierre M. Picard, 2025. "Welfare Effects of Congestion in Luxembourg and the Greater Region," DEM Discussion Paper Series 25-17, Department of Economics at the University of Luxembourg.
    2. Agrawal, David R. & Brueckner, Jan K., 2025. "Taxes and telework: The impacts of state income taxes in a work-from-home economy," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    3. Ahlfeldt, Gabriel M. & Barr, Jason, 2022. "The economics of skyscrapers: A synthesis," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    4. Gaigné, Carl & Riou, Stéphane & Thisse, Jacques-François, 2016. "How to make the metropolitan area work? Neither big government, nor laissez-faire," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 100-113.
    5. Wang, Yixuan, 2024. "Urban Redevelopment and Gentrification: Evidence from the Atlanta BeltLine," 2024 Annual Meeting, July 28-30, New Orleans, LA 343550, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    6. Titman, Sheridan & Zhu, Guozhong, 2024. "City characteristics, land prices and volatility," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    7. Duranton, Gilles & Puga, Diego, 2015. "Urban Land Use," Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, in: Gilles Duranton & J. V. Henderson & William C. Strange (ed.), Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, edition 1, volume 5, chapter 0, pages 467-560, Elsevier.
    8. Gabriel M. Ahlfeldt & Stephen J. Redding & Daniel M. Sturm & Nikolaus Wolf, 2015. "The Economics of Density: Evidence From the Berlin Wall," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 83, pages 2127-2189, November.
    9. repec:ags:aaea22:343550 is not listed on IDEAS
    10. Behrens, Kristian & Mion, Giordano & Murata, Yasusada & Suedekum, Jens, 2017. "Spatial frictions," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 40-70.
    11. Chen, Ziyang & Combes, Pierre-Philippe & Démurger, Sylvie & Liu, Xiuyan, 2025. "Housing costs and real income differences across Chinese cities," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    12. Redding, Stephen J. & Turner, Matthew A., 2015. "Transportation Costs and the Spatial Organization of Economic Activity," Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, in: Gilles Duranton & J. V. Henderson & William C. Strange (ed.), Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, edition 1, volume 5, chapter 0, pages 1339-1398, Elsevier.
    13. Brülhart, Marius & Bucovetsky, Sam & Schmidheiny, Kurt, 2015. "Taxes in Cities," Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, in: Gilles Duranton & J. V. Henderson & William C. Strange (ed.), Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, edition 1, volume 5, chapter 0, pages 1123-1196, Elsevier.
    14. Rutger-Jan Lange & Coen N. Teulings, 2021. "The option value of vacant land: Don't build when demand for housing is booming," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 21-022/IV, Tinbergen Institute.
    15. Stephen J. Redding & Esteban Rossi-Hansberg, 2017. "Quantitative Spatial Economics," Annual Review of Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 9(1), pages 21-58, September.
    16. Duranton, Gilles & Puga, Diego, 2014. "The Growth of Cities," Handbook of Economic Growth, in: Philippe Aghion & Steven Durlauf (ed.), Handbook of Economic Growth, edition 1, volume 2, chapter 5, pages 781-853, Elsevier.
    17. Anthony J. Venables, 2025. "Location choice when the number of jobs matters: Matching in spatial equilibrium," CEP Discussion Papers dp2087, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    18. Anas, Alex & Chang, Huibin, 2023. "Productivity benefits of urban transportation megaprojects: A general equilibrium analysis of «Grand Paris Express»," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    19. Yutao Han & Patrice Pieretti & Benteng Zou, 2017. "On The Desirability Of Tax Coordination When Countries Compete In Taxes And Infrastructure," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 55(2), pages 682-694, April.
    20. Thisse, Jacques-François & Pieretti, Patrice & Zanaj, Skerdilajda, 2011. "Tax havens or safe havens," CEPR Discussion Papers 8570, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    21. Mossay, Pascal & Picard, Pierre M. & Tabuchi, Takatoshi, 2020. "Urban structures with forward and backward linkages," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • H73 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - Interjurisdictional Differentials and Their Effects
    • R13 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - General Equilibrium and Welfare Economic Analysis of Regional Economies
    • R14 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Land Use Patterns
    • R23 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population
    • R31 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Real Estate Markets, Spatial Production Analysis, and Firm Location - - - Housing Supply and Markets

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    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:luc:wpaper:25-16. 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: Marina Legrand (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/crcrplu.html .

    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.