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Progressive taxation, tax exemption, and corporate liquidation policy

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  • Wong, Kit Pong

Abstract

This paper develops a real options model of a firm that operates in continuous time with an infinite horizon. The firm receives stochastic profit flows that are subject to progressive taxation. Tax progression arises from an exogenously given tax exemption threshold that makes the average tax rate increase with the tax base. The firm possesses an option to liquidate its operation, which is optimally exercised when the firm's profit flow reaches an endogenously determined threshold level (the liquidation trigger) from above. We show that the firm's liquidation trigger under progressive taxation increases with either a reduction in the tax exemption threshold or an increase in the corporate income tax rate. Corporate income taxes are thus not neutral when tax schedules are progressive.

Suggested Citation

  • Wong, Kit Pong, 2009. "Progressive taxation, tax exemption, and corporate liquidation policy," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 26(2), pages 295-299, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecmode:v:26:y:2009:i:2:p:295-299
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    Cited by:

    1. Wong, Kit Pong, 2011. "Progressive taxation and the intensity and timing of investment," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 28(1-2), pages 100-108, January.
    2. Schneider, Georg & Sureth, Caren, 2010. "The impact of profit taxation on capitalized investment with options to delay and divest," arqus Discussion Papers in Quantitative Tax Research 97, arqus - Arbeitskreis Quantitative Steuerlehre.
    3. Wong, Kit Pong, 2011. "Progressive taxation and the intensity and timing of investment," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 28(1), pages 100-108.
    4. Meißner, Fabian & Schneider, Georg & Sureth, Caren, 2013. "The impact of corporate taxes and flexibility on entrepreneurial decisions with moral hazard and simultaneous firm and personal level taxation," arqus Discussion Papers in Quantitative Tax Research 141, arqus - Arbeitskreis Quantitative Steuerlehre.
    5. Wong, Kit Pong, 2010. "The effects of irreversibility on the timing and intensity of lumpy investment," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 27(1), pages 97-102, January.
    6. Alaa El-Shazly, 2009. "Investment Under Tax Policy Uncertainty: A Neoclassical Approach," Public Finance Review, , vol. 37(6), pages 732-749, November.
    7. Chu, Kai Cheung & Wong, Kit Pong, 2010. "Progressive taxation and corporate liquidation policies with mean-reverting earnings," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 27(3), pages 730-736, May.
    8. Mehrmann, Annika & Schneider, Georg & Sureth, Caren, 2012. "Asymmetric taxation of profits and losses and its influence on investment timing: Paradoxical effects of tax increases," arqus Discussion Papers in Quantitative Tax Research 134, arqus - Arbeitskreis Quantitative Steuerlehre.

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