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Does the environmental tax affect the within-firm pay gap? Evidence from China

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  • Lin, Feiteng
  • Cao, Anqi
  • Chen, Wenqiang

Abstract

The impact of the environmental tax on internal income distribution within firms is a crucial extension for evaluating the economic effects of environmental regulation policies. However, the existing literature focuses primarily on environmental effects and the Porter hypothesis, giving little attention to this topic. Using data from Chinese A-share listed companies from 2018 to 2021, we examine how the Chinese environmental protection tax affects intrafirm wage disparities. Our findings indicate that the environmental tax widens the pay gap between managerial and ordinary employees. Mechanism tests show that the environmental tax's governance effect raises managerial compensation levels, whereas cost effects decrease wages for ordinary employees. This effect is particularly pronounced in nonstate-owned firms, competitive industries, and regions with stricter environmental tax collection standards. This study makes an empirical contribution to our understanding of the effects of the environmental tax on income distribution in practice.

Suggested Citation

  • Lin, Feiteng & Cao, Anqi & Chen, Wenqiang, 2024. "Does the environmental tax affect the within-firm pay gap? Evidence from China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecmode:v:140:y:2024:i:c:s0264999324002293
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econmod.2024.106872
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Environmental tax; Pay gap; Occupational burden; Financial risk; Income distribution;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G38 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Government Policy and Regulation
    • H23 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Externalities; Redistributive Effects; Environmental Taxes and Subsidies
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • M52 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Personnel Economics - - - Compensation and Compensation Methods and Their Effects

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