The taxation effect on gasoline price asymmetry nexus: Evidence from both sides of the Atlantic

This paper explores the degree of competition in various gasoline markets and infers possible causes of price asymmetry across the globe. For this purpose we use the Dynamic Ordinary Least Square method in order to estimate price asymmetry in twelve European countries and the United States for a sample of weekly observations which spans the period from June 1996 to August 2011. The results indicate the common perception that less competitive gasoline markets exhibit price asymmetry, while highly competitive gasoline markets follow a symmetric price adjustment path. Finally, the inclusion of taxes (VAT and excise tax) into retail gasoline prices, supports the existence of price asymmetry in many European countries. - Highlights: • We examine the possible causes of gasoline price asymmetry across the globe. • We investigate the effect of taxation on the retail gasoline price adjustments. • There is a symmetric gasoline price response in the EU wholesale level. • Less competitive gasoline markets exhibit price asymmetry. • The oligopolistic structure of the gasoline markets inflates price asymmetry