The impact of a carbon tax on economic growth and carbon dioxide emissions in Ireland

Thomas Conefrey, John D. Fitz Gerald, Laura Malaguzzi Valeri, Richard S.J. Tol

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

49 Scopus citations

Abstract

This paper analyses the medium-term effects of a carbon tax on growth and CO2 emissions in Ireland, a small open economy. We find that a double dividend exists if the carbon tax revenue is recycled through reduced income taxes. If the revenue is recycled by giving a lump-sum transfer to households, a double dividend is unlikely. We also determine that a greater incidence of the carbon tax falls on capital than on labour. When combined with a decrease in income tax, there is a clear shift of the tax burden from labour to capital. Finally, most of the effect on the economy is due to changes in the competitiveness of the manufacturing and market services sectors.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)934-952
Number of pages19
JournalJournal of Environmental Planning and Management
Volume56
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - 2013
Externally publishedYes

Scopus Subject Areas

  • Geography, Planning and Development
  • Water Science and Technology
  • General Environmental Science
  • Fluid Flow and Transfer Processes
  • Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law

Keywords

  • carbon tax
  • double dividend
  • Ireland
  • tax incidence

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