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Loss-Offset Provisions in the Corporate Tax Code and Misallocation of Capital

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  • Baris Kaymak

    (University of Montreal)

Abstract

The corporate tax code allows corporations to write off operating losses against past or future tax obligations, resulting in effective tax rates that are firm-specific and dependent on the history of the firm's performance. Since losses are partly an indication of a drop in productivity, which is generally persistent over time, firms with higher expected productivity face, on average, higher marginal taxes on their investment. In this paper, we analyze the distortionary effects of loss-offset provisions on investment and assess the associated aggregate output losses implied by the misallocation of capital. We find that replacing the corporate income tax with a revenue-neutral value-added tax which eliminates the firm-level differences in effective tax rates leads to a 13.9 percent increase in aggregate output.

Suggested Citation

  • Baris Kaymak, 2019. "Loss-Offset Provisions in the Corporate Tax Code and Misallocation of Capital," 2019 Meeting Papers 1177, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    • Handle: RePEc:red:sed019:1177
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    1. Loss-Offset Provisions in the Corporate Tax Code and Misallocation of Capital
      by Christian Zimmermann in NEP-DGE blog on 2019-10-25 21:55:30

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    Cited by:

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    2. Hao, Yu & Gai, Zhiqiang & Wu, Haitao, 2020. "How do resource misallocation and government corruption affect green total factor energy efficiency? Evidence from China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    3. van der Geest, Jesse, 2024. "Economic effects of tax avoidance and compliance," Other publications TiSEM aaca33bf-975d-4e21-9b5f-5, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    4. Venkateswaran, Venky, 2019. "Comments on ‘Loss-offset provisions in the corporate tax code and misallocation of capital’," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 21-23.
    5. Barış Kaymak & Immo Schott, 2023. "Tax Heterogeneity and Misallocation," Working Papers 23-33, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.
    6. Massenz, Gabriella, 2023. "On the behavioral effects of tax policy," Other publications TiSEM eb44a9f7-b859-480d-b2e4-4, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    7. Joe Cho Yiu Ng & Charles Ka Yui Leung & Suikang Chen, 2024. "Corporate Real Estate Holding and Stock Returns: Testing Alternative Theories with International Listed Firms," The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Springer, vol. 68(1), pages 74-102, January.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • E22 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Investment; Capital; Intangible Capital; Capacity
    • E62 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Fiscal Policy; Modern Monetary Theory
    • H25 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Business Taxes and Subsidies

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