The impact of green taxation on green low-carbon development in Yangtze River Delta region of China-based on mediating effect model and spatial Durbin model

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2023 Oct;30(47):103674-103689. doi: 10.1007/s11356-023-29670-8. Epub 2023 Sep 9.

Abstract

Promoting green low-carbon development is an important task in the construction of ecological civilization of China. The leadership has proclaimed green low-carbon development as the top national priority for development. Green low-carbon economy has become the high point of global industrial competition. Green taxation, as a tool for environmental regulation, plays an important role in the construction of ecological civilization. Therefore, this paper investigates the impact of green taxation on green low-carbon development in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region of China, using data of 41 cities from 2011 to 2021 in the YRD region. We construct a green low-carbon development index with the combined weight CRITIC-entropy method, and employ a mediating effect model and a spatial Durbin model based on double fixed effects in this study, which intends to provide a theoretical basis for the establishment of a sound tax policy system that is conducive to the green low-carbon development. The results show that (1) there is an evident spatial dependence of green low-carbon development in the YRD region; (2) green taxation has a significant positive effect on green low-carbon development through rationalization of industrial structure and advance of industrial structure; and (3) the positive impact of green taxation on green low-carbon development in the region is characterized by spatial spillover and heterogeneity. Specifically, green taxation significantly promotes green low-carbon development in the core area, but such green taxation dividend has yet to be realized in the expansion area.

Keywords: Advanced industrial structure; Green low-carbon development; Green taxation; Rationalization of industrial structure.

MeSH terms

  • Carbon*
  • China
  • Cities
  • Economic Development
  • Entropy
  • Taxes*

Substances

  • Carbon