• Journal of Environmental Policy
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.93-117
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• 2011

The double dividend hypothesis of environmental taxes has been a very widely debated research topic since its introduction in the mid-80s. Unlike the second generation studies, which stated that the double dividend environmental taxes were impossible to realize, the third generation researchers of today are focused on assumptions or conditions that make the hypothesis viable. The third generation studies state that the double dividend hypothesis is possible through functional form assumptions, such as the characteristics of taxes levied on polluting goods and the overall tax efficiency of the initial tax systems. The most notable, however, is the fact that the working mechanisms of third generation studies, upon closer inspection, give homogeneous effect on the labor markets, although at first glance the third generation studies take seemingly unrelated approaches. This thesis stems from such idea, and it attempts to analyze the effects of environmental taxes on the labor market. After a thorough analysis, the results match the intuition, as the viability of the double dividend hypothesis of environmental taxes largely depends on the effects that policy changes generate on the labor market. In order for the hypothesis to be plausible, environmental tax policies have to increase the labor supply.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.371-416
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• 2012

This study has developed Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model reflecting endogenous growth economic theory, with the aim of analyzing double dividend hypothesis. This study analyzes possibility of economic growth and environmental improvement at the same time when government recycles the revenue of carbon tax to reduce existed taxes such as consumption tax, labor income tax, corporate tax. It also assesses the case of subsidy on R&D investment of renewable energy. With new and renewable generation technology adopted and disseminated, GDP loss would be lessened to a great degree. Tax recycling would provide economic gain by reducing distortion existed in the existing fiscal structure. The magnitude of economic gains from carbon tax recycling is biggest for recycling into corporate tax, and labor income tax, and then consumption tax in this order. It is also shown that double dividend effects occur in dynamic terms when government uses a carbon tax revenue to subsidize on R&D investment. At the end of the analysis period, emissions reduction would not result in GDP loss but in GDP gain. In particular, recycling into R&D increase would produce the largest and fastest GDP gain. Thus, implementing emissions reduction target would require careful consideration of economic effects by various policy instrument, including carbon tax.

• Journal of Environmental Policy
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.139-162
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• 2009

This paper confirms previous results indicating that the expenditure elasticity of demand for polluting goods plays an important role in achieving efficiency gains from tax reforms. Moreover, this paper finds that the results of the tax reforms depend not only on the size of the expenditure elasticity for the polluting goods but also on the relative size of the expenditure elasticities between polluting goods and clean goods. It also shows that in order to enhance the overall tax efficiency by the environmental tax reform, the expenditure elasticity of demand for clean goods should be larger than that of polluting goods. The result implies the following policy suggestion: When the tax authority considers green tax reforms, the expenditure elasticities should not be neglected to achieve gains in the overall efficiency of the tax system.