IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/chieco/v71y2022ics1043951x21001589.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

BT-to-VAT reform and firm productivity: Evidence from a quasi-experiment in China

Author

Listed:
  • Yu, Jinliang
  • Qi, Yu

Abstract

China recently initiated a major tax reform to convert business tax to value-added tax (BT-to-VAT reform), which opened up the tax deduction chain between industries. We used difference-in-differences model and an administrative firm-level dataset from 2011 to 2017 to explore the effect of BT-to-VAT reform on productivity. We found that in contrast to control firms, this reform increased the productivity of the treated firms by 14.6% on average. The positive effects tended to be strengthened in private, large-scale, and capital-intensive firms, as well as in firms with tight financing constraints. Moreover, these positive results of the BT-to-VAT reform appeared to be driven by its positive effect on fixed asset investment, R&D expenditure, and specialization. These findings demonstrate the transformation of tax system has multiple economic effects in developing countries.

Suggested Citation

  • Yu, Jinliang & Qi, Yu, 2022. "BT-to-VAT reform and firm productivity: Evidence from a quasi-experiment in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:chieco:v:71:y:2022:i:c:s1043951x21001589
    DOI: 10.1016/j.chieco.2021.101740
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1043951X21001589
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.chieco.2021.101740?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Alstadsæter, Annette & Jacob, Martin & Michaely, Roni, 2017. "Do dividend taxes affect corporate investment?," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 151(C), pages 74-83.
    2. Cerqua, Augusto & Pellegrini, Guido, 2014. "Do subsidies to private capital boost firms' growth? A multiple regression discontinuity design approach," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 114-126.
    3. Raj Chetty & Adam Looney & Kory Kroft, 2009. "Salience and Taxation: Theory and Evidence," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 99(4), pages 1145-1177, September.
    4. Irem Guceri, 2018. "Will the real R&D employees please stand up? Effects of tax breaks on firm-level outcomes," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 25(1), pages 1-63, February.
    5. Fei Peng & Langchuan Peng & Jie Mao & Peng Lu, 2021. "The Short-Run Effect of a Local Fiscal Squeeze on Pollution Abatement Expenditures: Evidence from China’s VAT Pilot Program," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 78(3), pages 453-485, March.
    6. Li, Bing & Liu, Chang & Sun, Stephen Teng, 2021. "Do corporate income tax cuts decrease labor share? Regression discontinuity evidence from China," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    7. Dias, Daniel A. & Robalo Marques, Carlos & Richmond, Christine, 2016. "Misallocation and productivity in the lead up to the Eurozone crisis," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 46-70.
    8. Brandt, Loren & Van Biesebroeck, Johannes & Zhang, Yifan, 2012. "Creative accounting or creative destruction? Firm-level productivity growth in Chinese manufacturing," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 97(2), pages 339-351.
    9. Yongzheng Liu & Jie Mao, 2019. "How Do Tax Incentives Affect Investment and Productivity? Firm-Level Evidence from China," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 11(3), pages 261-291, August.
    10. Lei Zhang & Yuyu Chen & Zongyan He, 2018. "The effect of investment tax incentives: evidence from China’s value-added tax reform," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 25(4), pages 913-945, August.
    11. Zhao Chen & Xian Jiang & Zhikuo Liu & Juan Carlos Suárez Serrato & Daniel Yi Xu, 2023. "Tax Policy and Lumpy Investment Behaviour: Evidence from China’s VAT Reform," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 90(2), pages 634-674.
    12. David H. Autor, 2003. "Outsourcing at Will: The Contribution of Unjust Dismissal Doctrine to the Growth of Employment Outsourcing," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 21(1), pages 1-42, January.
    13. Giuseppe Berlingieri & Sara Calligaris & Chiara Criscuolo, 2018. "The Productivity-Wage Premium: Does Size Still Matter in a Service Economy?," AEA Papers and Proceedings, American Economic Association, vol. 108, pages 328-333, May.
    14. Olley, G Steven & Pakes, Ariel, 1996. "The Dynamics of Productivity in the Telecommunications Equipment Industry," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 64(6), pages 1263-1297, November.
    15. Ohrn, Eric, 2019. "The effect of tax incentives on U.S. manufacturing: Evidence from state accelerated depreciation policies," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    16. Cyrille Schwellnus & Jens Matthias Arnold, 2008. "Do Corporate Taxes Reduce Productivity and Investment at the Firm Level?: Cross-Country Evidence from the Amadeus Dataset," OECD Economics Department Working Papers 641, OECD Publishing.
    17. Jianjun Li & Xuan Wang, 2020. "Does VAT have higher tax compliance than a turnover tax? Evidence from China," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 27(2), pages 280-311, April.
    18. Rao, Nirupama, 2016. "Do tax credits stimulate R&D spending? The effect of the R&D tax credit in its first decade," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 1-12.
    19. Daniel A. Ackerberg & Kevin Caves & Garth Frazer, 2015. "Identification Properties of Recent Production Function Estimators," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 83, pages 2411-2451, November.
    20. Yi Lu & Jin Wang & Lianming Zhu, 2019. "Place-Based Policies, Creation, and Agglomeration Economies: Evidence from China's Economic Zone Program," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 11(3), pages 325-360, August.
    21. James Levinsohn & Amil Petrin, 2003. "Estimating Production Functions Using Inputs to Control for Unobservables," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 70(2), pages 317-341.
    22. Wooldridge, Jeffrey M., 2009. "On estimating firm-level production functions using proxy variables to control for unobservables," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 104(3), pages 112-114, September.
    23. Li, Pei & Lu, Yi & Wang, Jin, 2016. "Does flattening government improve economic performance? Evidence from China," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 18-37.
    24. Eric Zwick & James Mahon, 2017. "Tax Policy and Heterogeneous Investment Behavior," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 107(1), pages 217-248, January.
    25. Christopher L. House & Matthew D. Shapiro, 2008. "Temporary Investment Tax Incentives: Theory with Evidence from Bonus Depreciation," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 98(3), pages 737-768, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Jiayi Du & Guangjun Shen & Jingxian Zou, 2023. "Tax incentives and firm financing structures: evidence from China’s accelerated depreciation policy," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 30(5), pages 1346-1373, October.
    2. Bai, Caiquan & Liu, Hangjuan & Zhang, Rongjie & Feng, Chen, 2023. "Blessing or curse? Market-driven environmental regulation and enterprises' total factor productivity: Evidence from China's carbon market pilots," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    3. Jie Qin & Kaili Yang & Xuhui Ding, 2023. "Can the Reform of the Transfer Tax System Affect Corporate Green Innovation—Evidence from China’s “BT to VAT” Reform," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-14, February.
    4. Cui, Yadong & Jiang, Yaohui & Zhang, Zhaowen & Xu, Su, 2023. "Tax reduction, technological progress, and energy efficiency improvement: A quasi-natural experiment from China," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 618-633.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Liu, Xiaohan & Liu, Jianmin & Wu, Haitao & Hao, Yu, 2022. "Do tax reductions stimulate firm productivity? A quasi-natural experiment from China," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 46(4).
    2. Yongzheng Liu & Jie Mao, 2019. "How Do Tax Incentives Affect Investment and Productivity? Firm-Level Evidence from China," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 11(3), pages 261-291, August.
    3. Sun, Yajie & Liao, Wen-Chi, 2021. "Resource-Exhausted City Transition to continue industrial development," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    4. Qi, Yu & Zhang, Jianshun & Chen, Jianwei, 2023. "Tax incentives, environmental regulation and firms’ emission reduction strategies: Evidence from China," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    5. Filippini, Massimo & Geissmann, Thomas & Karplus, Valerie J. & Zhang, Da, 2020. "The productivity impacts of energy efficiency programs in developing countries: Evidence from iron and steel firms in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    6. Guangjun Shen & Jingxian Zou, 2023. "Total Factor Productivity in China's Manufacturing Sector in the Aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis," China & World Economy, Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, vol. 31(2), pages 1-25, March.
    7. Yang Yang, 2018. "Transport Infrastructure, City Productivity Growth and Sectoral Reallocation: Evidence from China," IMF Working Papers 2018/276, International Monetary Fund.
    8. Ji, Mianmian & Lv, Wendai, 2022. "Demonstration zones reform and corporate philanthropy: Evidence from China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    9. Dongmin Kong & Mengxu Xiong & Ni Qin, 2023. "Tax incentives and firm pollution," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 30(3), pages 784-813, June.
    10. Cheng, Dong & Shi, Xunpeng & Yu, Jian, 2021. "The impact of green energy infrastructure on firm productivity: Evidence from the Three Gorges Project in China," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 385-406.
    11. Dong Cheng & Zhongzhong Hu & Yong Tan, 2021. "Heterogeneous impacts of finance on firm exports: Evidence from export deregulation in a large developing country," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(11), pages 3326-3350, November.
    12. Görg, Holger & Mulyukova, Alina, 2022. "Place-Based Policies and Agglomeration Economies: Firm-Level Evidence from Special Economic Zones in India," IZA Discussion Papers 15123, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    13. Hsu, Wen-Tai & Lu, Yi & Luo, Xuan & Zhu, Lianming, 2023. "Foreign direct investment and industrial agglomeration: Evidence from China," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(2), pages 610-639.
    14. Chen, Guo & Liu, Yishuang & Gao, Qizheng & Zhang, Jianqing, 2023. "Does regional services development enhance manufacturing firm productivity? A manufacturing servitization perspective," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 451-466.
    15. Segundo Camino‐Mogro & Natalia Bermudez‐Barrezueta, 2021. "Productivity determinants in the construction sector in emerging country: New evidence from Ecuadorian firms," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(4), pages 2391-2413, November.
    16. Cheng, Dong & Yu, Jian & Zhang, Dayong & Zheng, Wenping, 2020. "Is heterogeneous capital depreciation important for estimating firm-level productivity? Evidence from Chinese manufacturing firms," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    17. Fan Zhang & Fei Wang & Qiao Wang, 2023. "Does the mixed‐ownership reform improve the productivity of state‐owned enterprises? Evidence from companies listed in Chinese stock," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 94(4), pages 1299-1321, December.
    18. Norman Gemmell & Richard Kneller & Danny McGowan & Ismael Sanz & José F. Sanz‐Sanz, 2018. "Corporate Taxation and Productivity Catch‐Up: Evidence from European Firms," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 120(2), pages 372-399, April.
    19. Michele Battisti & Filippo Belloc & Massimo Del Gatto, 2020. "Labor Productivity and Firm-Level TFP with Technology-Specific Production Function," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 35, pages 283-300, January.
    20. Hongsheng Fang & Xufei Zhang & Lin Guo, 2023. "Productivity effects of corporate income tax: Evidence from China," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(6), pages 1815-1842, June.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Value-added tax; Business tax; Productivity; China;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H11 - Public Economics - - Structure and Scope of Government - - - Structure and Scope of Government
    • H30 - Public Economics - - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents - - - General
    • H77 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - Intergovernmental Relations; Federalism

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:chieco:v:71:y:2022:i:c:s1043951x21001589. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/chieco .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.