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Capital Gains Taxes and Real Corporate Investment: Evidence from Korea

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  • Terry S. Moon

Abstract

This paper assesses the effects of capital gains taxes on investment in the Republic of Korea (hereafter, Korea), where capital gains tax rates vary at the firm level by firm size. Following a reform in 2014, firms with a tax cut increased investment by 34 log points and issued more equity by 9 cents per dollar of lagged revenue, relative to unaffected firms. Additionally, the effects were larger for firms that appeared more cash constrained or went public after the reform. Taken together, these findings are consistent with the "traditional view" predicting that lower payout taxes spur equity-financed investment by increasing marginal returns on investment.

Suggested Citation

  • Terry S. Moon, 2022. "Capital Gains Taxes and Real Corporate Investment: Evidence from Korea," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 112(8), pages 2669-2700, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aecrev:v:112:y:2022:i:8:p:2669-2700
    DOI: 10.1257/aer.20201272
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    Cited by:

    1. 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).
    2. Xudong Fu & Darren Kisgen & Lei Kong, 2025. "Corporate Share Repurchase Policies and Labor Share," Working Papers 25-14, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau.
    3. Katarzyna Bilicka & İrem Güçeri & Evangelos Koumanakos, 2025. "Dividend Taxation and Firm Performance with Heterogeneous Payout Responses," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 17(2), pages 1-29, May.
    4. Huiqiang Ni & Zhen Yang & Wenlong Liu & Jianxia Cui, 2025. "Pre-Tax Deduction Policy for Employee Education Expenses and Corporate Digital Transformation: Evidence From China," SAGE Open, , vol. 15(2), pages 21582440251, June.
    5. Youssef BOUAZIZI & Fouzi MOURJI, 2025. "L’investissement et la fiscalité au Maroc : les enseignements d’une approche sectorielle," Region et Developpement, Region et Developpement, LEAD, Universite du Sud - Toulon Var, vol. 62, pages 151-173.
    6. Fan, Chenguang & Bae, Seongho & Liu, Yu, 2025. "Taxation and corporate investment efficiency in common prosperity," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    7. Wu, Huiwan, 2024. "How does enforcement of social insurance law minimize income gaps within firms: From a perspective of worker bargaining power," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 62(PB).
    8. Matteo F. Ghilardi & Roy Zilberman, 2024. "Macroeconomic Effects of Dividend Taxation with Investment Credit Limits," Journal of Political Economy Macroeconomics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 2(3), pages 409-448.
    9. Harju, Jarkko & Koivisto, Aliisa & Matikka, Tuomas, 2022. "The effects of corporate taxes on small firms," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 212(C).
    10. Kontoghiorghes, Alexander P., 2024. "Do personal taxes affect investment decisions and stock returns?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    11. Dautović, Ernest & Gambacorta, Leonardo & Reghezza, Alessio, 2023. "Supervisory Policy Stimulus: Evidence from the Euro Area Dividend Recommendation," CEPR Discussion Papers 18175, Centre for Economic Policy Research.
    12. Sebastian Siegloch & Nils Wehrhöfer & Tobias Etzel, 2025. "Spillover, Efficiency, and Equity Effects of Regional Firm Subsidies," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 17(1), pages 144-180, February.
    13. Katarzyna A. Bilicka & Michael P. Devereux & İrem Güçeri, 2024. "Tax Policy, Investment and Profit Shifting," NBER Working Papers 33132, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    14. Yan, Hongping & Xu, Peng & Xiong, Kaijun, 2024. "Competition policy and enterprise competitiveness: Catalyst or barrier?," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 739-755.
    15. Yijia Song & Xitao Li & Ruoxi Liu & Xin Peng, 2024. "The unintended energy efficiency gain from tax incentives for investment: Micro‐evidence from quasi‐natural experiments in China," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(1), pages 310-338, February.
    16. Tirupam Goel & Ulf Lewrick & Aakriti Mathur, 2025. "Does Regulation Only Bite the Less Profitable? Evidence from the Too‐Big‐To‐Fail Reforms," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 57(8), pages 2043-2074, December.
    17. Castro Nofal, Bastian & Díaz, Juan D. & Gutiérrez Cubillos, Pablo & Hansen, Erwin, 2024. "Stock returns and tax progressivity," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 69(PB).
    18. Anagnostopoulos, Alexis & Atesagaoglu, Orhan Erem, 2023. "Shareholder tax cuts with household and firm heterogeneity," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    19. Zhang, Jian & Wang, Ningzhi & Wu, Wenruo & Zhu, Xinyu, 2025. "Tax information and corporate environmental investment," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    20. Dustin L. Swonder & Damián Vergara, 2025. "A Sufficient Statistics Approach to Optimal Corporate Taxes," NBER Working Papers 34517, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D25 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Intertemporal Firm Choice: Investment, Capacity, and Financing
    • G31 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Capital Budgeting; Fixed Investment and Inventory Studies
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • H25 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Business Taxes and Subsidies
    • H32 - Public Economics - - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents - - - Firm
    • L25 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Performance

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