• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.53-82
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• 2002

Earlier papers, regarding this topic, have shown that the optimal environmental tax rate under the second best situation typically smaller than that under the first best world, the well known Pigouvian tax. This paper casts a doubt on the generality of this result, since the conclusion was derived from the models which employed rather strict assumptions on the utility function, which is homothetic and separable. This paper, with simple-static CGE model, shows that the result of earlier studies is sensitive to the assumption on the utility function. According to the simulation results, as previous studies pointed out, if the utility function is assumed to be homothetic, the optimal environmental tax rate is smaller than the Pigouvian tax. In contrast, if certain type of non-homotheticity is allowed, the optimal environmental tax rate could be greater than the Pigouvian tax. The results of this simulation also imply that the enlargement of environmental tax base could enhance the efficiency of overall tax system. Hence, there will be a less burden to share for the tax authority from the policy change.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.61-89
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• 2008

In this study, by extending the model proposed by Fullerton and Kim(2006), we explored the tax interdependency effect to examine the relationship between environmental tax and economic growth. The theoretical model shows that environmental tax cannot always stimulate economic growth if other taxes such as labor or income tax are distorted by environmental taxes. However, environmental tax can boost economic growth if cutting distortionary taxes offset the distortion of taxes, or improvement of abatement knowledge can sufficiently reduce the cost of production. An empirical analysis using 14 OECD countries shows a positive relationship between the increase of implicit energy tax rate and the increase of implicit income tax rate. Meanwhile, empirical analysis does not provide enough evidence to claim that the increase of implicit energy tax decreases implicit labor tax. We can presume that environmental tax policy in Europe did not necessarily mitigate the burden of labor tax.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.689-706
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• 2002

This paper makes some contributions on optimal environmental taxes in the generalized utilitarian social welfare function. It is not to suggest as to appropriate environmental tax rates but to contribute the direction of environmental tax policy. The tax rates depend on parameters of individual utility function (CES utility function) and social welfare function and income tax rate. The major findings are that, as the elasticity of substitution between labor and leisure and the concavity of social welfare function increase, both the optimal tax rates and the government demogrants rise. And, as the parameter of environmental pollution in the individual utility function increases, the optimal tax rates also increase. For the future study, this model involves the income tax and the capital tax as endogenous variables and the wage changes due to international trade.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.1-20
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• 2023

Carbon pricing is in the spotlight as an economically efficient policy to limit global warming and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We examine how policymakers can improve social acceptance of a carbon tax, which is the main obstacle in implementing the policy. We conduct a survey experiment to analyze this topic and adopt two different interventions focusing on the use of revenue from a carbon tax and types of information to be provided. Regarding revenue use, we consider 1) tax reductions, 2) lump-sum transfers, and 3) green project investments. For information types, we focus on 1) the economic value of a carbon tax, and 2) the environmental value of a carbon tax. We find that lump-sum transfers have negative impacts on social acceptance of a carbon tax. For those who perceive climate change as a serious issue, moreover, both lump-sum transfers and tax reductions have negative impacts on acceptability. Regardless of the type of information provided, on the other hand, the social acceptance of a carbon tax is increased after the provision of information. Furthermore, the impact of information provision on the social acceptance interacts with the revenue use impacts. When the revenue use and the type of information are consistent with the aim of the policy, the effects of these strategies can be amplified.

• Journal of Environmental Policy
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.1-40
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• 2008

In this paper, I examine the welfare effects of various revenue-neutral tax reforms in the case of two vertically-related oligopolies(downstream and upstream), where the upstream industry is polluting. I show analytically when and how government can improve welfare by initiating various tax reforms, regardless of either the feasibility of a lump sum transfer or the availability of a tax on pollution. The profit wedge that is the difference between the unit price and the unit cost and the marginal environmental damages(MED) becomes important to decidethe direction of a tax reform and is crucial to determine the direction of welfare-improving tax-subsidy schemes. I also show that a tax on pollution(Pigouvian tax) is superior to a tax on intermediate good even in the case of vertically-related oligopolies, because the former always brings in positive welfare effect from the upstream firms' input substitutability, which a tax on intermediate good cannot provide. Some policy implications for 'reducing environmentally-harmful subsidies' are also discussed.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.245-274
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• 2003

This paper analyzes the economic and environmental impacts of domestic policy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by focusing on carbon tax, domestic emissions trading and the mixture of these policies. By utilizing a dynamic CGE model, KORTEM, this study shows that the economic cost under carbon tax is projected to be higher than that under emission trading. It is because under carbon tax scheme each emitter in economy must meet its emission target regardless of the abatement cost. On the other hand, emission trading allows emitters to reduce the marginal cost of abatement through trading of emission permits. In designing policy portfolio to address the climate change problem in Korea, therefore, this paper proposes the introduction of domestic emission trading scheme as the main domestic policy Instrument.

• Journal of Environmental Policy
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.131-154
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• 2012

Existing researches on tax efficiency of environmental taxes mostly focuses on taxes imposed on the consumption process of the final output, or goods that create pollution during the input process of intermediate goods. The assumption here is that there is a significant relation between the consumption of polluting goods and the pollution itself. However, in reality they are not identical. This signifies that the above assumption may distort the actual results. This study classifies environmental tax into two different forms, output tax and emission tax. Theformer is the tax that is imposed on the consumption of polluting goods, while the latter is directly levied onto the emission of pollution. It then compares the efficiency of these taxes through the computational general equilibrium simulations. After analyzing the simulation, it was proven that the direct imposition on pollution, or environmental tax as emission tax, was more effective in terms of tax efficiency. Furthermore, these results were revealed as irrelevant to the assumption of homotheticity in utility function. Thus, if market-distortionary tax already exist, then the effectiveness of revenue neutral environmental tax reform will be sensitive to the assumption of homotheticity for utility function. However, environmental taxes as emission taxes have been shown to be more effective in tax efficiency than output taxes.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.1-53
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• 2015

In environmental policy areas, a greater use of economic instruments (EIs) has recently been observed in many countries. However, EIs are heterogeneous policy tools. The textbook case of a Pigouvian tax is far from widely used, mainly due to the information requirements and other structural and institutional constraints. The successful implementation of EIs might heavily depend on pre-existing structural and institutional conditions. Moreover, these institutional conditions are particularly unfavorable in developing countries. Using a simple analytical general equilibrium model, this paper examines how these constraints affect the welfare gain from the introduction of environmental taxes in developing countries. First, this paper solves for the second-best optimal Pigouvian tax and output tax in the presence of a distortionary tax on market use of labor. The result confirms that an environmental output tax achieves a socially-efficient level of emissions in the least-cost manner only if the nature of the linkage between the tax base and the environmental damage is fixed. Second, incorporating structural and institutional constraints into the model through a set of parameter values from China and the US, this paper calculates the net welfare effects of either using the ideal Pigouvian tax or instead using an output tax. The numerical simulation results show that the net welfare gain from the use of an ideal Pigouvian tax could be more than six times larger than that of an output tax in developing countries. On the other hand, the welfare gain is only 50 percent in developed countries. This means that the potential welfare disadvantage from using output taxes instead emissions tax for environmental purposes could be much greater in the case of developing countries.

• Journal of Environmental Policy
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.145-164
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• 2009

Environmental problems, such as the depletion of natural resources, global warming, and the destruction of ecological systems, are among the most serious problems facing the planet. Since the early 1990's, many OECD countries have undertaken green tax reforms by introducing new environmental taxes to protect the environment. Environmental taxes have been used as an instrument of environmental policy more than direct regulation because economic instruments have a comparative advantage over direct regulation in terms of cost effectiveness and pollution abatement incentives. However, one important reason why green tax reforms have not progressed is due to fears regarding the negative effect of environmental taxes on international competitiveness in the industry and trade sectors. The main purpose of this paper is to analyze the effects of environmental taxes on industry and trade by using a theoretical model to compare the effects of environmental taxes on pollution-intensive and energy-saving industries.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.180-188
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• 2024

This research examined consumption-based carbon emission reduction by nuclear energy consumption and environmental tax while considering the context of trade globalization in the highest five emitter nations from 1990 to 2020. This study used various empirical methodologies, including preliminary analysis to check the stationarity and cointegration, the CS-ARDL for long-run analysis, CCEMG, AMG for robustness, and the D-H causality test for short-term pairwise causation. The results indicated that nuclear energy consumption, environmental tax, and trade globalization help to mitigate consumption-based carbon emissions while economic growth and population density boost carbon emissions. Furthermore, the results also found two-way casual connection exists between nuclear energy consumption, population density, and consumption-based carbon emissions. Thus, the results emphasize the need for government policies that encourage nuclear energy and environmental tax as a strategy to reduce carbon emissions and achieve and maintain environmental development.