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Tax incidence for menthol cigarettes by race: Evidence from Nielsen Homescan data

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  • Kim, Hyunchul
  • Lee, Dongwon
Abstract
We use Nielsen Homescan data to examine whether the incidence of cigarette taxes on menthol products varies with race. We find that taxes are shifted at significantly lower rates to Black smokers of menthol cigarettes than any other smokers. One possible explanation is that the industry targets price promotions to Black menthol smokers because they tend to be more responsive to cigarette prices relative to other smokers. We find evidence that Black smokers receive significantly more price discounts for menthol products than white menthol smokers. Our findings indicate that increasing cigarette taxes would effectively reduce menthol smoking among Black Americans because tax pass-through rate for Black menthol smokers is still substantially above zero.

Suggested Citation

  • Kim, Hyunchul & Lee, Dongwon, 2023. "Tax incidence for menthol cigarettes by race: Evidence from Nielsen Homescan data," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:jhecon:v:92:y:2023:i:c:s0167629623001066
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2023.102829
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Tax incidence; Cigarette tax; Menthol cigarettes; Race; Scanner data;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H22 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Incidence
    • H31 - Public Economics - - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents - - - Household
    • H71 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - State and Local Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue
    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination

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