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What Goes Up May Not Come Down: Asymmetric Incidence of Value-Added Taxes

Author

Listed:
  • Tuomas Kosonen

    (Palkansaajien tutkimuslaitos)

  • Youssef Benzarti
  • Dorian Carloni
  • Jarkko Harju

Abstract

This paper shows that prices respond more to increases than to decreases in Value-Added Taxes (VATs). First, using all VAT reforms from 1996 to 2015 across all European countries we show that prices respond 3 to 4 times more to VAT increases than decreases. Second, using a plausibly exogenous VAT reform, we show that the asymmetry persists over several years. Third, we document several empirical features of this asymmetry that are inconsistent with the standard incidence model. We provide evidence consistent with firm behavior driving the asymmetry. Additionally, according to our empirical results, due to asymmetric pass-through to prices, firms benefit from VAT changes to opposite directions in the form of higher profits.

Suggested Citation

  • Tuomas Kosonen & Youssef Benzarti & Dorian Carloni & Jarkko Harju, 2017. "What Goes Up May Not Come Down: Asymmetric Incidence of Value-Added Taxes," Working Papers 317, Työn ja talouden tutkimus LABORE, The Labour Institute for Economic Research LABORE.
    • Handle: RePEc:pst:wpaper:317
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    value-added taxes; incidence; redistribution; asymmetry;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H20 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - General
    • H22 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Incidence
    • H23 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Externalities; Redistributive Effects; Environmental Taxes and Subsidies

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