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Imperfect price information, market power, and tax pass-through

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  • Montag, Felix
  • Mamrak, Robin
  • Sagimuldina, Alina
  • Schnitzer, Monika

Abstract

Pass-through determines how consumers respond to taxes. We investigate the impact of imperfect price information on pass-through of commodity taxes. Our theoretical model predicts that the pass-through rate increases with the share of well-informed consumers. Pass-through is higher for the minimum price, paid by well-informed consumers, than for the average price, paid by uninformed consumers. Moreover, passthrough to the average price is non-monotonic with respect to the number of sellers. An empirical analysis of multiple recent tax changes in the German and French retail fuel markets confirms our theoretical predictions. Our results have implications for tax policy and shed light on the relative effectiveness of Pigouvian taxes versus regulation.

Suggested Citation

  • Montag, Felix & Mamrak, Robin & Sagimuldina, Alina & Schnitzer, Monika, 2023. "Imperfect price information, market power, and tax pass-through," Working Papers 337, The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, George J. Stigler Center for the Study of the Economy and the State.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:cbscwp:279798
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Bernardino, Tiago & Gabriel, Ricardo Duque & Quelhas, João & Silva-Pereira, Márcia, 2025. "The full, persistent, and symmetric pass-through of a temporary VAT cut," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 248(C).
    2. Frondel, Manuel & Thiel, Patrick & Vance, Colin, 2026. "The distributional consequences of tax pass-through: The case of Germany's fuel tax discount," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).

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