Optimal Fiscal Policy in a Climate-Economy Model with Heterogeneous Households

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Douenne, Thomas; Hummel, Albert Jan; Pedroni, Marcelo
• 署名单位: University of Amsterdam; University of Groningen; Inter-American Development Bank; University of Amsterdam
• 刊物名称: ECONOMIC JOURNAL
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0013-0133
• DOI: 10.1093/ej/ueag006
• 发表日期: 2026
• 关键词: Optimal taxation; Carbon tax; general-equilibrium; Distributional impacts; social cost; income; consumption; redistribution; externalities; emissions

摘要

We study optimal fiscal policy to address climate change and inequality. We theoretically characterise optimal carbon and income taxes and quantify them for the US economy using a climate model calibrated to DICE. In contrast to the representative-agent setting, we find that (i) tax distortions have a negligible effect on the optimal carbon tax; (ii) inequality only slightly reduces it; (iii) the revenue from carbon taxes is optimally split about equally between reducing tax distortions and increasing transfers. Unlike the double-dividend policy, optimal carbon taxation has progressive welfare effects, and low-income households benefit even in the short run.