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Taxation and the Quality of Entrepreneurship

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  • Asoni, Andrea

    (Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN))

  • Sanandaji, Tino

    (Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN))

Abstract

We study the effect of taxation on entrepreneurship, taking into account both the amount of entry and the quality of new ventures. We show that even with risk neutral agents and no tax evasion progressive taxes can increase entrepreneurial entry, while reducing average firm quality. So called "success taxes" increase startup of lower value business ideas by reducing the option value of pursuing better projects. This suggests that the most common measure used in the literature, the likelihood of entry into self-employment, may underestimate the adverse effect of taxation.

Suggested Citation

  • Asoni, Andrea & Sanandaji, Tino, 2009. "Taxation and the Quality of Entrepreneurship," Working Paper Series 813, Research Institute of Industrial Economics, revised 30 Oct 2013.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:iuiwop:0813
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    Cited by:

    1. Frank M. Fossen & Ray Rees & Davud Rostam-Afschar & Viktor Steiner, 2020. "The effects of income taxation on entrepreneurial investment: A puzzle?," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 27(6), pages 1321-1363, December.
    2. Eleftherios Giovanis & Oznur Ozdamar, 2022. "The nexus between business–investment climate and firm performance in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region," Review of Economics and Political Science, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 7(4), pages 257-285, February.
    3. Magnus Henrekson & Tino Sanandaji, 2011. "Entrepreneurship and the theory of taxation," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 37(2), pages 167-185, September.
    4. Mina Baliamoune-Lutz & Pierre Garello, 2014. "Tax structure and entrepreneurship," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 42(1), pages 165-190, January.
    5. Peter Ericson & Johan Fall, 2011. "Taxation of closely held corporations efficiency aspects," International Journal of Microsimulation, International Microsimulation Association, vol. 4(2), pages 27-40.
    6. Pontus Braunerhjelm & Magnus Henrekson, 2013. "Entrepreneurship, institutions, and economic dynamism: lessons from a comparison of the United States and Sweden," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 22(1), pages 107-130, February.
    7. Magnus Henrekson & Dan Johansson & Mikael Stenkula, 2010. "Taxation, Labor Market Policy and High-Impact Entrepreneurship," Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade, Springer, vol. 10(3), pages 275-296, September.
    8. Shulin Xu & Kangqi Jiang, 2024. "Knowledge creates value: the role of financial literacy in entrepreneurial behavior," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-17, December.
    9. Irina Bilan & Constantin-Marius Apostoaie, 2025. "Tax policy, corruption, and formal business entry: Cross-country evidence from emerging economies," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 58(2), pages 1-56, April.
    10. Gordon, Roger H & Sarada,, 2017. "How Should Taxes Be Designed to Encourage Entrepreneurship?," University of California at San Diego, Economics Working Paper Series qt86z3h4n4, Department of Economics, UC San Diego.
    11. Haufler, Andreas & Norbäck, Pehr-Johan & Persson, Lars, 2014. "Entrepreneurial innovations and taxation," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 13-31.
    12. Teodora Roman & Nicu Marcu & Valentina Diana Rusu & Erika Maria Doacă & Adelina Andreea Siriteanu, 2023. "Tax Payment and the Performance of SMEs: A Longitudinal Analysis on EU Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-15, January.
    13. Jack Mintz & Patrick Smith & V. Balaji Venkatachalam, 2021. "A New Approach to Improving Small-Business Tax Competitiveness," SPP Research Papers, The School of Public Policy, University of Calgary, vol. 14(24), October.
    14. Gordon, Roger & Sarada,, 2018. "How should taxes be designed to encourage entrepreneurship?," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 166(C), pages 1-11.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Taxation; Entrepreneurial Entry; Quality of Entrepreneurial Firms;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H24 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Personal Income and Other Nonbusiness Taxes and Subsidies
    • H25 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Business Taxes and Subsidies
    • L26 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Entrepreneurship

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