The Intended and Unintended Consequences of Taxing Waste

Tommaso Colussi (), Matteo Romagnoli () and Elena Villar ()
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Tommaso Colussi: Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
Matteo Romagnoli: Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
Elena Villar: Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore

No def118, DISCE - Working Papers del Dipartimento di Economia e Finanza from Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Dipartimenti e Istituti di Scienze Economiche (DISCE)

Abstract: This paper investigates the economic and environmental effects of pay-as-youthrow (PAYT) waste programs. Using a newly constructed longitudinal dataset of Italian municipalities and a staked-by-event design, we obtain three main findings: (i) PAYT programs significantly reduce total waste production; (ii) they further decrease waste management costs and leave municipal finances unaffected; (iii) they generate positive spillover effects on pro-environmental behaviors not directly targeted by the program. Survey evidence suggests that PAYT increases environmental awareness and concerns of the population in treated municipalities.

Keywords: Waste Management; Taxation; Difference-in-Differences; Variation in Treatment Timing. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C21 H23 Q53 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 52
Date: 2022-09
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-env and nep-pbe
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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