Discussion Papers no. 424

Empirical evidence of fiscal competition between local governments

The relationship between firm mobility and tax level

The mobility of the tax base may influence fiscal outcomes. The many theoretical contributions about the role of mobility are not matched by empirical evidence. Existing studies address strategic interaction between governments, but have little to say about mobility. We introduce a new measure of mobility conditions based on the geographic profit variability of industrial sectors. The econometric analysis shows a systematic negative relationship between mobility conditions and tax level among municipalities in Norway. The analysis takes into account neighborhood effects in a spatial model, and the endogeneity of mobility conditions is handled with instrumental variables.

Om publikasjonen

Tittel

The relationship between firm mobility and tax level. Empirical evidence of fiscal competition between local governments

Ansvarlige

Fredrik Carlsen, Jørn Rattsø, Bjørg Langset

Serie og -nummer

Discussion Papers no. 424

Utgiver

Statistics Norway

Emne

Discussion Papers

Antall sider

25

Målform

Engelsk

Om Discussion Papers

Discussion papers comprise research papers intended for international journals and books. A preprint of a Discussion Paper may be longer and more elaborate than a standard journal article as it may include intermediate calculations, background material etc.

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