Requiring firms, rather than individuals, to remit sales taxes improves tax compliance. In the U.S., this shift toward firm-based remittance rules for remote purchases occurred gradually after South Dakota v. Wayfair. Using comprehensive and high-frequency local sales tax revenue data, we show...

What is the effect of e-commerce on the geographic distribution of local sales tax revenues? Using COVID-19 as a shock to online shopping and hand-collected high-frequency data on local sales tax revenue, we document an important shift in the state and local public finance landscape. As...

State borders create a discontinuous tax treatment of retail sales. In a Nash game, local tax rates will be higher on the low-state-tax side of a border. Local taxes will decrease from the nearest high-tax border and increase from the low-tax border. Using driving time from state borders and all...

If online transactions are tax-free, increased online shopping may lower tax rates as jurisdictions seek to reduce tax avoidance; but, if online firms remit taxes, online sales may put upward pressure on tax rates because internet sales help enforce destination-based taxes. I find that higher...

Local sales tax rates influence the location of retail activity. This paper develops a theory and empirical identification strategy for studying sales tax competition with “multiple federations,” as exemplified by multiple counties each containing several cities. In addition to strategic...

By extending the standard model of commodity tax competition (Kanbur and Keen 1993) to include urban spatial structure (agglomeration) and online commerce, one can better analyze strategic tax-policy interactions among neighboring localities. Consumers buy different types of commodities, sold...