Investigation of the Effects of Green Taxes on Pollutant Emissions and Human Development Index in Iran: A Model of Simultaneous Equations

In recent decades, the relationship between environmental quality, the development level of societies, and health has been of great importance in most countries, and thus environmental management and movement toward its preservation and promotion have changed into an international concern. Therefore, any strategy and tool that can help countries in this regard can be considered as a general strategy. The green tax is one of the most efficient and least costly policies for achieving a green economy and transition from the current situation. This policy tool has significant advantages that, if properly used, can achieve both environmental economic and social goals. Accordingly, this study focused on evaluating the effect of green tax on pollutant emission (air pollution) and health index (life expectancy) during 1966-2018 in Iran using three-stage least squares econometrics and a simultaneous equation system. The results of the model estimate indicated that the imposition of a green tax reduces air pollution emissions while simultaneously increasing the health index