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Is Tax Shifting Asymmetric? Evidence from French VAT reforms, 1995-2000

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  • Clément Carbonnier

    (PJSE - Paris-Jourdan Sciences Economiques - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

Abstract

This paper presents evidence from three French VAT reforms showing that tax shifting on prices operates differently upwards and downwards. This may appear as a paradox when reading usual studies on price shifting. This paper puts forward two different asymmetric effects. The first one is linked to asymmetries in firms' supply curves, which imply that price decreases are smaller than price increases. It occurs because firms decrease their production more easily than they increase it. The second asymmetric effect is linked to asymmetries in customers' demand curves, which react with higher intensity to big price changes than to tenuous ones. Therefore, in markets with monopolistic firms or with collusion - markets that better consider the variations of the demand because of the price making power of firms - price increases are relatively weak in order to prevent the fall of the demand, and price decreases are relatively strong in order to take profit of the takeoff of the demand. This paper shows that this second effect can counteract the first effect in markets with high fixed costs.

Suggested Citation

  • Clément Carbonnier, 2005. "Is Tax Shifting Asymmetric? Evidence from French VAT reforms, 1995-2000," Working Papers halshs-00590719, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:wpaper:halshs-00590719
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://shs.hal.science/halshs-00590719v1
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    Cited by:

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    2. Richard Blundell, 2009. "Assessing the Temporary VAT Cut Policy in the UK," Fiscal Studies, Institute for Fiscal Studies, vol. 30(1), pages 31-38, March.
    3. Ricardo Batista Politi & Enlinson Mattos, 2011. "Ad‐valorem tax incidence and after‐tax price adjustments: evidence from Brazilian basic basket food," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 44(4), pages 1438-1470, November.
    4. Carbonnier, Clement, 2007. "Who pays sales taxes? Evidence from French VAT reforms, 1987-1999," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(5-6), pages 1219-1229, June.
    5. Francesca Gastaldi & Paolo Liberati & Elena Pisano & Simone Tedeschi, 2017. "Regressivity-Reducing VAT Reforms," International Journal of Microsimulation, International Microsimulation Association, vol. 10(1), pages 39-72.
    6. Youssef Benzarti & Dorian Carloni & Jarkko Harju & Tuomas Kosonen, 2020. "What Goes Up May Not Come Down: Asymmetric Incidence of Value-Added Taxes," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 128(12), pages 4438-4474.
    7. Ván, Bálint & Oláh, Dániel, 2018. "Does VAT Cut Appear on the Menu? – The Consumer Price Impact of Hungarian VAT Decreases of 2016–2017," Public Finance Quarterly, Corvinus University of Budapest, vol. 63(3), pages 355-375.
    8. Mariia A. Elkina, 2019. "The Impact of Indirect Tax Rates Cut on Inflation: Evidence From Russia," Finansovyj žhurnal — Financial Journal, Financial Research Institute, Moscow 125375, Russia, issue 5, pages 37-49, October.
    9. Clément Carbonnier, 2006. "Who pays commodity taxes? Evidence from French reforms, 1987-1999," PSE Working Papers halshs-00590515, HAL.
    10. Martin Mellens & Hendrik Vrijburg & Jonneke Dijkstra, 2014. "Robust estimation of the VAT pass-through in the Netherlands," CPB Discussion Paper 297, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
    11. Jouko Kinnunen & Timo Rauhanen & Juha Honkatukia, 2011. "Effects of past and new VAT reforms in Finland," EcoMod2011 3412, EcoMod.
    12. Martin Mellens & Hendrik Vrijburg & Jonneke Dijkstra, 2014. "Robust estimation of the VAT pass-through in the Netherlands," CPB Discussion Paper 297.rdf, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
    13. Fedoseeva, Svetlana & Van Droogenbroeck, Ellen, 2024. "Temporary VAT rate cuts and food prices in e-commerce," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).

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