Competition in emissions standards and capital taxes with local pollution

Abstract

This paper analyzes the competition in emissions standards and capital taxes when production causes local pollution and large jurisdictions act strategically. It is shown that emissions standard competition both with and without capital tax competition results in inefficient outcomes. The more productive jurisdiction imports capital and sets inefficiently tight emissions standards, whereas the less productive jurisdiction chooses inefficiently lax emissions standards. Adding capital tax competition improves local pollution, but exacerbates the capital distortion and the efficiency loss of emissions standard competition.