IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i10p8023-d1147328.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Does the Environmental Tax Reform Positively Impact Corporate Environmental Performance?

Author

Listed:
  • Manru Peng

    (Business School, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
    Planning and Financial Department, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China)

  • Chendie Wei

    (Business School, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China)

  • Youliang Jin

    (Business School, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China)

  • Hangxin Ran

    (Business School, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China)

Abstract

The environmental tax reform implemented in 2018 is an important initiative of Chinese tax reform, which is deemed a valuable opportunity to encourage firms to improve their environmental performance. This study empirically investigates the impact of the environmental tax reform on corporate environmental performance based on data from Chinese A-share listed firms with heavy pollution from 2016 to 2020 by the differences-in-differences method. It is found that the environmental tax reform can effectively improve corporate environmental performance, and the environmental supervision of local governments is an important channel to realize this. Heterogeneity tests show that the environmental tax reform better impacts the corporate environmental performance of non-state-owned enterprises and firms in western areas. This paper enriches the application scenarios of institutional theory, provides micro evidence for the impact of implementing the Environmental Protection Tax, and provides a decision-making basis for strengthening the environmental supervision of local governments, which has practical guidance significance in forcing corporations to modernize their green technology and realize sustainable economic growth.

Suggested Citation

  • Manru Peng & Chendie Wei & Youliang Jin & Hangxin Ran, 2023. "Does the Environmental Tax Reform Positively Impact Corporate Environmental Performance?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-19, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:10:p:8023-:d:1147328
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/10/8023/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/10/8023/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Barbieri, Nicolò & Marzucchi, Alberto & Rizzo, Ugo, 2020. "Knowledge sources and impacts on subsequent inventions: Do green technologies differ from non-green ones?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(2).
    2. He, Yu & Zhu, Xiaobo & Zheng, Huan, 2022. "The influence of environmental protection tax law on total factor productivity: Evidence from listed firms in China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    3. Rubashkina, Yana & Galeotti, Marzio & Verdolini, Elena, 2015. "Environmental regulation and competitiveness: Empirical evidence on the Porter Hypothesis from European manufacturing sectors," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 288-300.
    4. Min Maung & Craig Wilson & Xiaobo Tang, 2016. "Political Connections and Industrial Pollution: Evidence Based on State Ownership and Environmental Levies in China," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 138(4), pages 649-659, November.
    5. Giorgio Petroni & Barbara Bigliardi & Francesco Galati, 2019. "Rethinking the Porter Hypothesis: The Underappreciated Importance of Value Appropriation and Pollution Intensity," Review of Policy Research, Policy Studies Organization, vol. 36(1), pages 121-140, January.
    6. Qi, Yu & Zhang, Jianshun & Chen, Jianwei, 2023. "Tax incentives, environmental regulation and firms’ emission reduction strategies: Evidence from China," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    7. Fabrizi, Andrea & Guarini, Giulio & Meliciani, Valentina, 2018. "Green patents, regulatory policies and research network policies," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(6), pages 1018-1031.
    8. Bendig, David & Schulz, Colin & Theis, Lukas & Raff, Stefan, 2023. "Digital orientation and environmental performance in times of technological change," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).
    9. Broccardo, Laura & Truant, Elisa & Dana, Léo-Paul, 2023. "The interlink between digitalization, sustainability, and performance: An Italian context," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    10. R. Bianchini & A. Croce, 2022. "The Role of Environmental Policies in Promoting Venture Capital Investments in Cleantech Companies," Review of Corporate Finance, now publishers, vol. 2(3), pages 587-616, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Lingxiao Zhao & Yunpeng Tang & Yan Liu, 2023. "How Does Environmental Tax Influence the Scale and Efficiency of Green Investment among China’s Heavily Polluting Enterprises?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(20), pages 1-26, October.
    2. Cheng Peng & Lu Zhao & Liwen Liu & Jia Chen, 2023. "The Influence of Environmental Protection Tax Law on Urban Land Green Use Efficiency in China: The Nonlinear Moderating Effect of Tax Rate Increase," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-18, August.

    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. Wunhong Su & Chun Guo & Xiaobao Song, 2022. "Media coverage, Environment Protection Law and environmental research and development: evidence from the Chinese-listed firms," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(5), pages 6953-6983, May.
    2. Du, Kerui & Liu, Xueyue & Zhao, Cheng, 2023. "Environmental regulation mitigates energy rebound effect," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    3. Yuping Deng & Yanrui Wu & Helian Xu, 2019. "Environmental Regulation and Export Product Quality: Evidence from Chinese Firms," Economics Discussion / Working Papers 19-14, The University of Western Australia, Department of Economics.
    4. Xu, Le & Yang, Lili & Li, Ding & Shao, Shuai, 2023. "Asymmetric effects of heterogeneous environmental standards on green technology innovation: Evidence from China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    5. Barbieri, Nicolò & Marzucchi, Alberto & Rizzo, Ugo, 2023. "Green technologies, interdependencies, and policy," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    6. Corrocher, Nicoletta & Grabner, Simone Maria & Morrison, Andrea, 2024. "Green technological diversification: The role of international linkages in leaders, followers and catching-up countries," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 53(4).
    7. Mandaroux, Rahel & Schindelhauer, Kai & Basse Mama, Houdou, 2023. "How to reinforce the effectiveness of the EU emissions trading system in stimulating low-carbon technological change? Taking stock and future directions," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 181(C).
    8. Sandro Mendonca & Hugo Confraria & Manuel Mira Godinho, 2021. "Appropriating the returns of patent statistics: Take-up and development in the wake of Zvi Griliches," SPRU Working Paper Series 2021-07, SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex Business School.
    9. Valero-Gil, Jesus & Surroca, Jordi A. & Tribo, Josep A. & Gutierrez, Leopoldo & Montiel, Ivan, 2023. "Innovation vs. standardization: The conjoint effects of eco-innovation and environmental management systems on environmental performance," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(4).
    10. Zhuanlan Sun & Demi Zhu, 2023. "Investigating environmental regulation effects on technological innovation: A meta-regression analysis," Energy & Environment, , vol. 34(3), pages 463-492, May.
    11. Xie, Ronghui & Teo, Thompson S.H., 2022. "Green technology innovation, environmental externality, and the cleaner upgrading of industrial structure in China — Considering the moderating effect of environmental regulation," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    12. Donis, Silvia & Gómez, Jaime & Salazar, Idana, 2023. "Economic complexity, property rights and the judicial system as drivers of eco-innovations: An analysis of OECD countries," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).
    13. Zhao, Aiwu & Wang, Jingyi & Sun, Zhenzhen & Guan, Hongjun, 2022. "Environmental taxes, technology innovation quality and firm performance in China—A test of effects based on the Porter hypothesis," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 309-325.
    14. Zhu, Xuehong & Zuo, Xuguang & Li, Hailing, 2021. "The dual effects of heterogeneous environmental regulation on the technological innovation of Chinese steel enterprises—Based on a high-dimensional fixed effects model," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).
    15. Shanshan Liu & Yugang Li, 2024. "Exploration or Exploitation? Corporate Green Innovation Strategy for Carbon Emission Reduction-Evidence from Pilot Enterprises in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(11), pages 1-21, May.
    16. Dávila-Fernández, Marwil J. & Sordi, Serena, 2020. "Attitudes towards climate policies in a macrodynamic model of the economy," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    17. Eghbali, Mohammad-Ali & Rasti-Barzoki, Morteza & Safarzadeh, Soroush, 2022. "A hybrid evolutionary game-theoretic and system dynamics approach for analysis of implementation strategies of green technological innovation under government intervention," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    18. F. Fusillo & F. Quatraro & S. Usai, 2019. "Going Green: Environmental Regulation, eco-innovation and technological alliances," Working Paper CRENoS 201907, Centre for North South Economic Research, University of Cagliari and Sassari, Sardinia.
    19. Huang, Yumeng & Jiang, Mingdong & Bai, Yang & Zhao, Pujie & Wang, Qi, 2023. "Coordination or contradiction: Evidence from water and air pollution regulation in China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 127(PB).
    20. You, Zhuoying & Teirlinck, Peter, 2024. "Specialization in climate technologies at the regional level in Europe: relatedness and the moderating role of policy direction," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 203(C).

    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:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:10:p:8023-:d:1147328. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.