Effect of Environmental Taxes as Correcting Negative Externalities Caused by Water Pollution Applied to the Agro-Food Industry

Abstract

Market failure involving pollution from wastewater discharges industrials, is corrected with the establishment of envi-ronmental taxes. Heterogeneity in the design of these taxes, with a different tax base for each EU member country, af-fects both the pollution parameters considered and their weight in the calculation of the tax payable. This paper presents a study on the variety of this tax in Belgium, Italy and Spain. Finally, we discuss the possibility of the same as correct-ing market failure.