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Energy Cost Pass-Through in U.S. Manufacturing: Estimates and Implications for Carbon Taxes

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  • Sharat Ganapati
  • Joseph S. Shapiro
  • Reed Walker

Abstract

We study how changes in energy input costs for U.S. manufacturers affect the relative welfare of manufacturing producers and consumers (i.e., incidence). We also develop a methodology to estimate the incidence of input taxes which accounts for incomplete pass-through, imperfect competition, and substitution amongst inputs. For the several industries we study, 70 percent of energy price-driven changes in input costs get passed through to consumers in the short- to medium-run. The share of the welfare cost that consumers bear is 25-75 percent smaller (and the share producers bear is larger) than models featuring complete pass-through and perfect competition would suggest.

Suggested Citation

  • Sharat Ganapati & Joseph S. Shapiro & Reed Walker, 2016. "Energy Cost Pass-Through in U.S. Manufacturing: Estimates and Implications for Carbon Taxes," NBER Working Papers 22281, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:22281
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • H22 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Incidence
    • H23 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Externalities; Redistributive Effects; Environmental Taxes and Subsidies
    • L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms
    • Q40 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - General
    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming

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