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Climate Policy and Fiscal Constraints: Do Tax Interactions Outweigh Carbon Leakage?

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  • Fischer, Carolyn

    (Resources for the Future)

  • Fox, Alan K.

Abstract

Climate policymaking faces twin challenges of carbon leakage and public sector revenue requirements. A large literature advocates the use of carbon dioxide (CO2) pricing and recycling the revenues to lower distorting taxes as a way to minimize costs. In this paper, we explore the implications of labor tax interactions for the cost-effectiveness of border adjustments and other measures to cope with leakage. We find that, for plausible values of labor supply elasticities, the cost savings from revenue recycling are significant—from 15 to 25 percent. The cost savings from anti-leakage measures are generally smaller, but also significant, particularly for small coalitions or more binding reduction targets. Tax interactions further enhance the cost savings from border adjustments, but make other measures like rebates or exemptions less attractive.

Suggested Citation

  • Fischer, Carolyn & Fox, Alan K., 2012. "Climate Policy and Fiscal Constraints: Do Tax Interactions Outweigh Carbon Leakage?," RFF Working Paper Series dp-12-19, Resources for the Future.
    • Handle: RePEc:rff:dpaper:dp-12-19
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Li, Aijun & Du, Nan & Wei, Qian, 2014. "The cross-country implications of alternative climate policies," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 155-163.
    2. Gerbert Hebbink & Laurien Berkvens & Maurice Bun & Henk van Kerkhoff & Juho Koistinen & Guido Schotten & Ad Stokman, 2018. "The price of transition: an analysis of the economic implications of carbon taxing," DNB Occasional Studies 1608, Netherlands Central Bank, Research Department.
    3. Li, Xuelian & Zhou, Wei & Lo, Tang-Yun & Lin, Jyh-Horng, 2024. "International climate policy dilemmas: Examining effective carbon tariff and cap-and-trade regulation from a sustainable insurance perspective," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    4. Böhringer, Christoph & Balistreri, Edward J. & Rutherford, Thomas F., 2012. "The role of border carbon adjustment in unilateral climate policy: Overview of an Energy Modeling Forum study (EMF 29)," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 34(S2), pages 97-110.
    5. Matthew Panhans & Lucia Lavric & Nick Hanley, 2017. "The Effects of Electricity Costs on Firm Re-location Decisions: Insights for the Pollution Havens Hypothesis?," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 68(4), pages 893-914, December.
    6. Nabernegg, Stefan & Bednar-Friedl, Birgit & Muñoz, Pablo & Titz, Michaela & Vogel, Johanna, 2019. "National Policies for Global Emission Reductions: Effectiveness of Carbon Emission Reductions in International Supply Chains," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 158(C), pages 146-157.
    7. Christoph Böhringer & André Müller & Jan Schneider, 2015. "Carbon Tariffs Revisited," Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, University of Chicago Press, vol. 2(4), pages 629-672.
    8. Lucia Lavric & Nick Hanley, 2014. "The effects of energy costs on firm re-location decisions," Discussion Papers in Environment and Development Economics 2014-02, University of St. Andrews, School of Geography and Sustainable Development.
    9. Y.-H. Henry Chen & Hossein Hosseini Jebeli & Craig Johnston & Sergey Paltsev & Marie-Christine Tremblay, 2023. "An Investigation into the Effects of Border Carbon Adjustments on the Canadian Economy," Staff Working Papers 23-27, Bank of Canada.
    10. Xin Liu & Yuan Li & Dayong Zhang & Lei Zhu, 2018. "On the Effectiveness of the Abatement Policy Mix: A Case Study of China’s Energy-Intensive Sectors," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-31, March.
    11. repec:grz:wpaper:2016-07 is not listed on IDEAS
    12. Llop Maria, 2023. "Environmental Taxation and International Trade in a Tax-Distorted Economy," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment Journal, De Gruyter, vol. 17(1), pages 1-12, January.
    13. Wilman, Elizabeth A., 2019. "Market Redirection Leakage in the Palm Oil Market," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 226-234.
    14. Ioannis Dokas & Georgios Oikonomou & Minas Panagiotidis & Eleftherios Spyromitros, 2023. "Macroeconomic and Uncertainty Shocks’ Effects on Energy Prices: A Comprehensive Literature Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-35, February.
    15. Zhengrui Li & Xueting Du & Weihua Zhong, 2023. "Regional Marketization and Corporate Wastewater Treatment Activities: From the Perspective of Government Intervention," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-12, September.
    16. Barbe, Andre, 2016. "The Effects of Restricting Coal Consumption," Conference papers 332698, Purdue University, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Global Trade Analysis Project.
    17. repec:sss:wpaper:201402 is not listed on IDEAS
    18. Paroussos, Leonidas & Fragkos, Panagiotis & Capros, Pantelis & Fragkiadakis, Kostas, 2015. "Assessment of carbon leakage through the industry channel: The EU perspective," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 90(PA), pages 204-219.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    climate policy; carbon leakage; tax interactions; border adjustments;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q5 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics
    • H21 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Efficiency; Optimal Taxation
    • Q37 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Nonrenewable Resources and Conservation - - - Issues in International Trade

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