Do higher broadband adoption rates mean lower tax collections from local retail sales? Implications of e‐commerce in rural areas of the US

Brian E. Whitacre · 2011 · Regional Science Policy & Practice

Summary. Using Oklahoma county data from 2008, this study examines whether broadband adoption reduces local sales tax collections in rural areas. While naive analysis suggests broadband increases tax revenue, a more rigorous difference-in-differences approach finds no statistical relationship. The findings indicate that despite concerns from rural developers, current e-commerce activity neither harms nor benefits local retail tax collections, likely because online shopping remains a small market share and many consumers research online before buying locally.

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@article{whitacre-2011-do-higher-broadband-adoption-rates,
  title   = {Do higher broadband adoption rates mean lower tax collections from local retail sales? Implications of e‐commerce in rural areas of the US},
  author  = {Brian E. Whitacre},
  journal = {Regional Science Policy & Practice},
  year    = {2011},
  doi     = {10.1111/j.1757-7802.2011.01030.x},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1757-7802.2011.01030.x}
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Do higher broadband adoption rates mean lower tax collections from local retail sales? Implications of e‐commerce in rural areas of the US
AU  - Brian E. Whitacre
JO  - Regional Science Policy & Practice
PY  - 2011
DO  - 10.1111/j.1757-7802.2011.01030.x
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1757-7802.2011.01030.x
ER  - 

Details

DOI

10.1111/j.1757-7802.2011.01030.x

Countries

United States

Regions

North America

Categories

broadband-and-digital, rural-data-and-definitions, general-innovation

Added

2026-10-01