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The Welfare Effects of Fuel Conservation Policies in the Indian Car Market

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  • Chugh, Randy
  • Cropper, Maureen

    (Resources for the Future)

Abstract

We estimate a model of vehicle choice and miles driven to analyze the impact of fuel conservation policies in the Indian car market. Taxing diesel fuel to equalize diesel and petrol prices would reduce fuel consumption in the new car market by 7 percent and reduce diesel car sales by 26 percent. A tax on diesel cars with the same sales impact would reduce fuel consumption by only 2 percent. The compensating variation per liter of fuel saved is smaller for the fuel tax than for the car tax; however, the car tax has lower deadweight loss per liter of fuel saved. Our estimates of the long-run elasticities of fuel consumption with respect to fuel prices imply that the CAFE standards contemplated by the Indian government would generate a significant rebound effect. Projected fuel savings are 20 percent if consumers do not adjust to the change in operating costs and less than 9 percent once consumers adjust.

Suggested Citation

  • Chugh, Randy & Cropper, Maureen, 2014. "The Welfare Effects of Fuel Conservation Policies in the Indian Car Market," RFF Working Paper Series dp-14-33, Resources for the Future.
    • Handle: RePEc:rff:dpaper:dp-14-33
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    File URL: http://www.rff.org/RFF/documents/RFF-DP-14-33.pdf
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    Cited by:

    1. Mukherjee, Sacchidananda & Rao, R. Kavita, 2015. "Estimation of Unaccounted Income Using Transport as a Universal Input: A Methodological Note," Working Papers 15/146, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy.
    2. Dimitropoulos, Alexandros & Oueslati, Walid & Sintek, Christina, 2018. "The rebound effect in road transport: A meta-analysis of empirical studies," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 163-179.
    3. Reyer Gerlagh & Inge Bijgaart & Hans Nijland & Thomas Michielsen, 2018. "Fiscal Policy and $$\hbox {CO}_{2}$$ CO 2 Emissions of New Passenger Cars in the EU," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 69(1), pages 103-134, January.
    4. Gerlagh, Reyer & van den Bijgaart, Inge & Nijland, Hans & Michielsen, Thomas, 2015. "Fiscal Policy and CO2 Emissions of New Passenger Cars in the EU," Climate Change and Sustainable Development 202239, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM).
    5. van den Bijgaart, Inge, 2016. "Essays in environmental economics and policy," Other publications TiSEM 298bee2a-cb08-4173-9fe1-8, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Indian car market; fuel conservation; fuel taxes;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L9 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities
    • R48 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics - - - Government Pricing and Policy
    • Q48 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Government Policy

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