Short-run price and income elasticity of gasoline demand

Abstract

We empirically estimate the demand for gasoline in the presence of multiple shifts caused by structural breaks using monthly data from Lebanon covering the period 2000:M1–2010:M12. Consistent with most studies in the literature, our study reports that gasoline is price and income inelastic in the short-run. However, when a single and multiple breaks are introduced, the consumers’ responsiveness to gasoline price and income increase. Since both price and income elasticity are sensitive to structural changes, a policy that pleads for a flat excise tax may not be optimal with respect to either the cyclical pattern of government revenues or the internalization of international environment standards.