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Profit Taxation, R&D Spending, and Innovation

Author

Listed:
  • Andreas Lichter
  • Max Löffler
  • Ingo E. Isphording
  • Thu-Van Nguyen
  • Felix Poege
  • Sebastian Siegloch

Abstract

We study how profit taxes affect establishments' R&D activities. Relying on detailed panel data of R&D-active firms in Germany over two decades, we exploit identifying variation induced by more than 10,000 municipal changes in the local business tax rate and federal tax reforms with locally varying effects. Using event-study techniques, we find a sizable, negative effect of profit taxes on establishments' total R&D spending and patents filed. Zooming into the innovation production process, we uncover substantial heterogeneity in the impact of profit taxation for various R&D input factors, among firm characteristics, and for different types of research projects.

Suggested Citation

  • Andreas Lichter & Max Löffler & Ingo E. Isphording & Thu-Van Nguyen & Felix Poege & Sebastian Siegloch, 2025. "Profit Taxation, R&D Spending, and Innovation," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 17(1), pages 432-463, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aejpol:v:17:y:2025:i:1:p:432-63
    DOI: 10.1257/pol.20220580
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    Cited by:

    1. Roberto Brunetti & Gianluca Grimalda & Maria Marino, 2025. "Trickle-Down Economics, Merit, and Redistribution: An Experiment with the Poorest and Richest US Americans," IREA Working Papers 202518, University of Barcelona, Research Institute of Applied Economics.
    2. Aria Ardalan & Sebastian G. Kessing & Salmai Qari & Malte Zoubek, 2023. "Does capital bear the burden of local corporate taxes? Evidence from Germany," Volkswirtschaftliche Diskussionsbeiträge 194-23, Universität Siegen, Fakultät Wirtschaftswissenschaften, Wirtschaftsinformatik und Wirtschaftsrecht.
    3. Fremerey, Melinda & Lichter, Andreas & Löffler, Max, 2025. "Strategies and consequences of local fiscal consolidation: Evidence from Germany," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    4. David Gstrein & Florian Neumeier & Andreas Peichl & Pascal Zamorski, 2025. "Capitalists, Workers and Landlords: A Comprehensive Analysis of Corporate Tax Incidence," RFBerlin Discussion Paper Series 25143, ROCKWOOL Foundation Berlin (RFBerlin).
    5. Meyer, Niklas & Wulff, Thorben, 2025. "The impact of corporate taxes on (renewable) power generation capacity," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    6. Kurt Schmidheiny & Sebastian Siegloch, 2023. "On event studies and distributed‐lags in two‐way fixed effects models: Identification, equivalence, and generalization," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 38(5), pages 695-713, August.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D22 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Empirical Analysis
    • 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
    • H71 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - State and Local Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue
    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives
    • O34 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Intellectual Property and Intellectual Capital

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