The heterogeneous incidence of fuel carbon taxes: Evidence from station-level data

A-Tier
Journal: Journal of Environmental Economics and Management
Year: 2022
Volume: 112
Issue: C

Score contribution per author:

1.005 = (α=2.01 / 4 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

We use station-level price data and a significant diesel fuel carbon tax reform to study who bears the economic burden of fuel carbon taxes. We use a difference-in-differences strategy to estimate the pass-through of the large carbon tax increase to retail prices, where we compare retail diesel prices faced by private motorists to retail gasoline prices. We find that on average fuel carbon taxes are less than fully passed through to consumer prices, which suggests that consumers and the supply chain split the burden of these taxes. Using information on station location, we match price observations with postcode-level average incomes and measures of urbanization, and show that there are significant differences in the pass-through rate across areal incomes and between rural and urban areas up to one year after the reform. The effect of fuel carbon taxes on consumer prices decreases with areal income and with the degree of urbanization.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:eee:jeeman:v:112:y:2022:i:c:s0095069621001443
Journal Field
Environment
Author Count
4
Added to Database
2026-01-25