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Taxes and Firm Investment

Author

Listed:
  • K. Peren Arin
  • Kevin Devereux
  • Mieszko Mazur

Abstract

We investigate the firm level investment responses to narrative shocks to average personal and corporate tax rates using a universal micro dataset of publicly traded U.S firms for the post- 1962 period. By allowing for heterogeneous effects over the business cycle and accompanying monetary policy regime, as well as over firm-level characteristics, we show that : (i) corporate tax multipliers are negative overall, but this result is driven by smaller firms who face larger borrowing constraints, especially during high-unemployment periods or when the accompanying monetary policy is contractionary; (ii) while the magnitude and the significance of personal income tax multipliers are smaller on the aggregate, there is some evidence of positive personal tax multipliers in high-unemployment state by large (dividend-paying) firms, which is consistent with the recent literature.

Suggested Citation

  • K. Peren Arin & Kevin Devereux & Mieszko Mazur, 2021. "Taxes and Firm Investment," Working Papers 202102, School of Economics, University College Dublin.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucn:wpaper:202102
    as

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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10197/11868
    File Function: First version, 2021
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    • K. Peren Arin & Kevin Devereux & Mieszko Mazur, 2021. "Taxes and firm investment," CAMA Working Papers 2021-08, Centre for Applied Macroeconomic Analysis, Crawford School of Public Policy, The Australian National University.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Investment; Taxation; Fiscal policy; Fiscal multiplier;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C33 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models
    • C53 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric Modeling - - - Forecasting and Prediction Models; Simulation Methods
    • E62 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Fiscal Policy; Modern Monetary Theory
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill

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