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Environmental Policy and Optimal Taxation in a Decentralized Economic Federation

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  • Thomas Aronsson Aronsson
  • Thomas Jonsson
  • Tomas Sjögren

Abstract

This paper deals with environmental policy in an economic federation, where each national (lower level) government faces a mixed tax problem. We assume that the federal government sets emission targets, which are implemented at the national level. We also assume that the economic federation is decentralized, meaning that the national governments are first movers vis-à-vis the federal government. Our results show that each country uses its policy instruments, at least in part, to influence the emission target. This has several implications: first, the commodity taxes do not satisfy the so-called additivity property often emphasized in earlier literature, and, second, it provides an argument for using distortionary labor income taxation.

Suggested Citation

  • Thomas Aronsson Aronsson & Thomas Jonsson & Tomas Sjögren, 2006. "Environmental Policy and Optimal Taxation in a Decentralized Economic Federation," FinanzArchiv: Public Finance Analysis, Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, vol. 62(3), pages 437-454, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:mhr:finarc:urn:sici:0015-2218(200609)62:3_437:epaoti_2.0.tx_2-y
    DOI: 10.1628/001522106X153464
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Aronsson, Thomas & Sjögren, Tomas & Witterblad, Mikael, 2008. "Optimal Taxation and Asymmetric Information in an Economy with Second-Hand Trade," Umeå Economic Studies 732, Umeå University, Department of Economics.
    2. Sjögren, Tomas, 2017. "Capital Taxation in a Fiscal Union – Implications of Simultaneous Horizontal and Decentralized Leadership," Umeå Economic Studies 947, Umeå University, Department of Economics.
    3. Lars Persson, 2015. "Incentives underlying tax policies in a decentralized federation with horizontal leadership and transboundary environmental damage," Letters in Spatial and Resource Sciences, Springer, vol. 8(1), pages 77-88, March.
    4. Aronsson, Thomas & Sjögren, Tomas, 2018. "Optimal Taxation, Redistribution, and Environmental Externalities," International Review of Environmental and Resource Economics, now publishers, vol. 11(3), pages 233-308, August.
    5. Aronsson, Thomas, 2007. "General Income Taxation, Public Goods and Decentralized Leadership," Umeå Economic Studies 715, Umeå University, Department of Economics.
    6. Tomas Sjögren, 2019. "Labor income taxes in an economic federation with proportional membership fees," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 26(5), pages 1137-1165, October.
    7. Aronsson, Thomas & Micheletto, Luca & Sjögren, Tomas, 2014. "A note on public goods in a decentralized fiscal union: Implications of a participation constraint," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 1-8.
    8. Aronsson, Thomas & Micheletto, Luca & Sjögren, Tomas, 2012. "Public Goods in a Voluntary Federal Union: Implications of a Participation Constraint," Working Paper Series, Center for Fiscal Studies 2012:12, Uppsala University, Department of Economics.
    9. Aronsson, Thomas & Persson, Lars, 2012. "Decentralized fiscal federalism revisited: Optimal income taxation and public goods under horizontal leadership," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 117(1), pages 223-226.
    10. Aronsson, Thomas & Persson, Lars & Sjögren, Tomas, 2006. "Optimal Taxation and Transboundary Externalities - Are Endogenous World Market Prices Important?," Umeå Economic Studies 699, Umeå University, Department of Economics.
    11. David Granlund, 2011. "Electoral accountability in a country with two-tiered government," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 148(3), pages 531-546, September.
    12. Aronsson, Thomas, 2010. "Optimal income taxation and decentralized fiscal federalism," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 40(4), pages 187-195, July.
    13. Thomas Aronsson & Lars Persson & Tomas Sjögren, 2014. "Mixed Taxation and Transboundary Externalities," Public Finance Review, , vol. 42(2), pages 254-282, March.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    income and commodity taxation; economic federation; environmental policy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D62 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Externalities
    • H21 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Efficiency; Optimal Taxation
    • H70 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - General

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