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Optimal Capital Versus Labor Taxation with Innovation-Led Growth

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  • Aghion, Philippe
  • Akcigit, Ufuk
  • Fernández-Villaverde, Jesús

Abstract

Chamley (1986) and Judd (1985) showed that, in a standard neoclassical growth model with capital accumulation and infinitely lived agents, either taxing or subsidizing capital cannot be optimal in the steady state. In this paper, we introduce innovation-led growth into the Chamley-Judd framework, using a Schumpeterian growth model where productivity-enhancing innovations result from profit-motivated R&D investment. Our main result is that, for a given required trend of public expenditure, a zero tax/subsidy on capital becomes suboptimal. In particular, the higher the level of public expenditure and the income elasticity of labor supply, the less should capital income be subsidized and the more it should be taxed. Not taxing capital implies that labor must be taxed at a higher rate. This in turn has a detrimental effect on labor supply and therefore on the market size for innovation. At the same time, for a given labor supply, taxing capital also reduces innovation incentives, so that for low levels of public expenditure and/or labor supply elasticity it becomes optimal to subsidize capital income.

Suggested Citation

  • Aghion, Philippe & Akcigit, Ufuk & Fernández-Villaverde, Jesús, 2012. "Optimal Capital Versus Labor Taxation with Innovation-Led Growth," Scholarly Articles 27755236, Harvard University Department of Economics.
  • Handle: RePEc:hrv:faseco:27755236
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    Cited by:

    1. Aghion, Philippe & Akcigit, Ufuk & Cagé, Julia & Kerr, William R., 2016. "Taxation, corruption, and growth," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 24-51.
    2. Steve Raymond & Lukas Schmid & Anastasios Karantounias & Mariano Croce, 2017. "A Tax Plan for Endogenous Innovation," 2017 Meeting Papers 109, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    3. Marchese, Carla & Marsiglio, Simone & Privileggi, Fabio & Ramello, Giovanni, 2014. "Endogenous Recombinant Growth through Market Production of Knowledge and Intellectual Property Rights," Department of Economics and Statistics Cognetti de Martiis. Working Papers 201413, University of Turin.
    4. Gianluca Benigno & Luca Fornaro, 2018. "Stagnation Traps," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 85(3), pages 1425-1470.
    5. Chen, Ping-Ho & Chu, Angus C. & Chu, Hsun & Lai, Ching-Chong, 2023. "Optimal capital taxation in an economy with innovation-driven growth," Macroeconomic Dynamics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 27(3), pages 635-668, April.
    6. PAUL D. McNELIS & NAOYUKI YOSHINO, 2018. "Household Income Dynamics In A Lower-Income Small Open Economy: A Comparison Of Banking And Crowdfunding Regimes," The Singapore Economic Review (SER), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 63(01), pages 147-166, March.
    7. Simon Bösenberg & Peter Egger & Benedikt Zoller-Rydzek, 2018. "Capital taxation, investment, growth, and welfare," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 25(2), pages 325-376, April.
    8. Peter Spencer & Peter Smith & Paulo Santos Monteiro, 2020. "How to better align the U.K.’s corporate tax structure with national objectives," Discussion Papers 20/02, Department of Economics, University of York.
    9. Long, Xin & Pelloni, Alessandra, 2017. "Factor income taxation in a horizontal innovation model," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 154(C), pages 137-159.
    10. Chen, Ping-ho & Chu, Angus C. & Chu, Hsun & Lai, Ching-chong, 2017. "Short-run and long-run effects of capital taxation on innovation and economic growth," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 207-221.
    11. Marchese, Carla & Marsiglio, Simone & Privileggi, Fabio & Ramello, Giovanni B., 2019. "Endogenous Recombinant Growth And Intellectual Property Rights," Macroeconomic Dynamics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 23(5), pages 2035-2067, July.
    12. He, Qichun & Zhang, Zhixiang, 2019. "Inflation and Growth: An Inverted-U Relationship," MPRA Paper 97092, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    13. Qichun He & Yulei Luo & Jun Nie & Heng-fu Zou, 2023. "Money, Growth, and Welfare in a Schumpeterian Model with the Spirit of Capitalism," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 47, pages 346-372, January.
    14. Guo, Lu & Yan, Chong, 2021. "Optimal Taxation in the Endogenous Growth Framework with the Private Information," MPRA Paper 109548, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    15. repec:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/1i2ig6hi2i8so8g8jbnuokstbu is not listed on IDEAS
    16. Marco Cozzi, 2018. "Optimal Capital Taxation with Incomplete Markets and Schumpeterian Growth," Department Discussion Papers 1803, Department of Economics, University of Victoria.
    17. Gechert, Sebastian & Heimberger, Philipp, 2022. "Do corporate tax cuts boost economic growth?," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    18. Qichun He & Yulei Luo & Jun Nie & Heng-fu Zou, 2023. "Money, Growth, and Welfare in a Schumpeterian Model with the Spirit of Capitalism," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 47, pages 346-372, January.
    19. Barbara Annicchiarico & Valentina Antonaroli & Alessandra Pelloni, 2022. "Optimal factor taxation in a scale free model of vertical innovation," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 60(2), pages 794-830, April.
    20. Fabian ten Kate & Petros Milionis, 2019. "Is capital taxation always harmful for economic growth?," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 26(4), pages 758-805, August.
    21. Salvador Barrios, 2020. "Taxation and growth: Why does it matter and how can it be analysed?," Society and Economy, Akadémiai Kiadó, Hungary, vol. 42(4), pages 366-384, December.
    22. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/1i2ig6hi2i8so8g8jbnuokstbu is not listed on IDEAS
    23. HIRAGUCHI Ryoji, 2018. "Stagnation Traps in an Open Economy," Discussion papers 18062, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).
    24. Óscar Afonso & Ana Maria Bandeira & Manuela Magalhães, 2017. "Effect of the Tax System ON R&D Intensity, Growth, Wages and Consumption Share," Australian Economic Papers, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 56(4), pages 271-291, December.
    25. Wei‐Neng Wang & Chia‐Ying Liu & Juin‐Jen Chang, 2021. "Tax policy implications for a two‐engine growing economy," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 87(3), pages 979-1009, January.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • H2 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue
    • O3 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights
    • O4 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity

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