Is taxing waste a waste of time? Evidence from a Supreme Court decision

Stefano Carattini, Andrea Baranzini and Rafael Lalive

LSE Research Online Documents on Economics from London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library

Abstract: Environmental taxes are often underexploited. This paper analyses the effectiveness of a garbage tax, assessing its effects on multiple outcomes as well as its acceptability. We study how a Supreme Court decision, mandating the Swiss Canton of Vaud to implement a tax on garbage, affects garbage production and beliefs about the tax. We adopt a difference-in-differences approach exploiting that parts of Vaud already implemented a garbage tax before the mandate. Pricing garbage by the bag (PGB) is highly effective, reducing unsorted garbage by 40%, increasing recycling of aluminium and organic waste, without causing negative spillovers on adjacent regions. The effects of PGB seem very persistent over time. Our assessment of PGB looks very favourable. It may surprise that PGB is not implemented more often. Hence, we look at people's perceptions. We find that people are very concerned with PGB ex ante. Public opposition seems to be the main obstacle to PGB. However, implementing PGB reduces concerns with effectiveness and fairness substantially. After implementing PGB, people accept 70% higher garbage taxes compared to before PGB. We argue that environmental taxes could be much more diffused, if people had the chance to experience their functioning and correct their beliefs.

Keywords: unit pricing; recycling; effectiveness; difference-in-differences; acceptability; social perceptions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D62 D78 H23 Q53 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018-06-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-env and nep-law
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (29)

Published in Ecological Economics, 1, June, 2018, 148, pp. 131-151. ISSN: 0921-8009

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http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/88337/ Open access version. (application/pdf)

Related works:
Journal Article: Is Taxing Waste a Waste of Time? Evidence from a Supreme Court Decision (2018)
Working Paper: Is Taxing Waste a Waste of Time? Evidence From a Supreme Court Decision (2016)
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