A second-best tax for litter abatement

Robert E. Kohn*, David Pines

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

To combat a serious litter problem in Israel, a law has been enacted that authorizes fines for littering and imposes an ad valorem tax on disposable beverage containers. This tax, which has been controversial, can be justified on second-best grounds, given constraints on the magnitude of the fine and on the quantity of resources available for enforcement, and given that beverages in disposable containers and littering are net complements. In this paper, the optimal second-best tax rate is estimated and found to exceed the current ad valorem tax rate on containers.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1-9
Number of pages9
JournalSocio-Economic Planning Sciences
Volume24
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 1990

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'A second-best tax for litter abatement'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this