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Optimal Taxation And Impure Public Goods, Matthew J. Mcmahon

Economics & Finance Faculty Publications

It has been shown that the introduction of a good that has portions of both private and public characteristics (an impure public good) can actually decrease the total level of the public characteristic provided. Using the standard impure public good model, I first isolate the conditions under which this occurs in a general equilibrium. I then introduce a central planner whose goal is to counteract this decrease. She chooses a tax rate for the purely private good, and spends the tax revenue generated to increase the provision of the public characteristic. In choosing the optimal tax rate, she minimizes the …