Delgado, Francisco J.Mayor, Matías2018-06-212018-06-212011-08Delgado, Francisco J. e Matías Mayor (2011). "Tax mimicking among local governments : some evidence from Spanish municipalities". Portuguese Economic Journal, 10(2):149-1641617-982X (print)1617-9838 (online)http://hdl.handle.net/10400.5/15665The aim of this paper is to study the spatial patterns in the Spanish local tax system. The three most relevant taxes are analyzed: the property tax, the motor vehicle tax and the building activities tax, which jointly represent 80% of the tax revenue at local level in Spain. Using spatial econometrics procedures, three alternative weight specifications to define competitors are explored: contiguity, distance and a combination of economic and geographical characteristics. After carrying out an exploratory spatial analysis, the results of the estimation of spatial lag and spatial error models confirm positive spatial- autocorrelation for the property tax and the building activities tax, with an order of magnitude between 0.3 and 0.5. On the contrary, the motor vehicle tax does not exhibit a significant spatial pattern.engTax mimickingSpatial econometricsLocal governmentsjournal article10.1007/s10258-010-0067-3