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Local Corporate Taxation and Business Activity

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Abstract

We use a natural experiment and administrative data to study the effect of corporate tax cuts on business activity. For identification, we exploit the abolition of municipal corporate income taxation in Sweden in 1985, which created variation in corporate tax changes faced by different municipalities. Our findings indicate an expansion of business activity and employment in large firms following a tax cut. However, we find no significant impact on these outcomes for small firms. In addition, firm entry rates increase in municipalities experiencing the largest tax cuts.

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  • Lundberg, Jacob & Massenz, Gabriella, 2025. "Local Corporate Taxation and Business Activity," Working Paper Series 1531, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:iuiwop:1531
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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • G31 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Capital Budgeting; Fixed Investment and Inventory Studies
    • G38 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Government Policy and Regulation
    • H21 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Efficiency; Optimal Taxation
    • H25 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Business Taxes and Subsidies

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