Data and code for: Optimal sin taxation and market power
Principal Investigator(s): View help for Principal Investigator(s) Martin O'Connell, UW-Madison; Kate Smith, London School of Economics
Version: View help for Version V1
| Name | File Type | Size | Last Modified |
|---|---|---|---|
| DataInputs | 07/18/2023 01:47:PM | ||
| DataTaxFiles | 07/19/2023 09:46:AM | ||
| EstimationOutputs | 07/18/2023 01:48:PM | ||
| ProgramsA | 09/15/2023 07:12:PM | ||
| ProgramsB | 07/19/2023 09:52:AM | ||
| ProgramsC | 09/15/2023 07:13:PM | ||
| Results | 12/22/2022 02:13:PM | ||
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application/pdf | 361.7 KB | 09/15/2023 03:10:PM |
Project Citation:
Project Description
We study how market power impacts the efficiency and redistributive properties of sin taxation, with an empirical application to sugar-sweetened beverage taxation. We estimate a detailed equilibrium model of the UK drinks market, which we embed in a tax design framework to solve for optimal sugar-sweetened beverage tax policy. Positive price-cost margins on drinks create inefficiencies, which act to lower the optimal rate compared with a perfectly competitive setting. However, since profits mainly accrue to the rich, this is partially mitigated under social preferences for equity. Overall, ignoring market power when setting the optimal sugar-sweetened beverage tax rate leads to welfare gains that are 40% below those at the optimum.
Scope of Project
D12 Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
D43 Market Structure, Pricing, and Design: Oligopoly and Other Forms of Market Imperfection
D61 Allocative Efficiency; Cost-Benefit Analysis
D62 Externalities
H21 Taxation and Subsidies: Efficiency; Optimal Taxation
H23 Taxation and Subsidies: Externalities; Redistributive Effects; Environmental Taxes and Subsidies
L13 Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets
Methodology
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