The Distributional Implications of a Tax on Gasoline.

James P. Stucker

ResearchPublished 1975

Prepared for the 1975 meeting of the Western Economic Association. In the continuing debate over the advantages and disadvantages of a gasoline tax as opposed to a general petroleum tax or some form of rationing of gasoline or other petroleum products, the question arises whether a gasoline tax is regressive--whether it falls more heavily on poor families than on families who are better off. The author's analysis shows that the gas tax is regressive, a conclusion that is at variance with a number of other recent studies. He estimates that the income elasticity of gasoline consumption by households is at least 1.0 for incomes around the $5,000 level, 0.7 for incomes around the $10,000 level, and about 0.5 for incomes in the $15,000 to $25,000 range. 26 pp. Ref. (JDD)

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  • Copyright: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Available
  • Year: 1975
  • Print Format: Paperback
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  • Document Number: P-5466

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Stucker, James P., The Distributional Implications of a Tax on Gasoline. RAND Corporation, P-5466, 1975. As of September 5, 2024: https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P5466.html
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Stucker, James P., The Distributional Implications of a Tax on Gasoline. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1975. https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P5466.html. Also available in print form.
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