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Tax Incentives and R&D Activity: Firm-Level Evidence from Taiwan

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  • Chia-Hui Huang
  • Chih-Hai Yang

Abstract

This paper investigates the effect of tax incentives on R&D activities in Taiwanese manufacturing firms. Specifically, we assess the potential R&D-enhancing effect on recipients of R&D tax credits compared with their non-recipient counterparts. Moreover, the potential difference in the R&D-enhancing effect between high-tech and non-high-tech firms is also examined. Utilizing a firm-level panel dataset during 2001 and 2005, empirical results obtained by propensity score matching show that recipients of R&D tax credits appear on average to have 93.53% higher R&D expenditures and a 14.47% higher growth rate for R&D expenditures than non-recipients with similar characteristics. The R&D-enhancing effect of R&D tax credits is not found to be particularly relevant to high-tech or non-high-tech firms. We further employ a generalized method of moment (GMM) of the panel fixed model to control for the endogeneity of R&D tax credits and firm heterogeneity in determining R&D expenditure. Various estimates based on the entire sample and high-tech-firms are quite similar and there is a significantly R&D-enhancing effect of R&D tax credits. This result suggests that the R&D preferential policy has induced more R&D expenditure by firms in Taiwan. While the existence of the R&D-enhancing effect brought on by tax incentives is intuitive, the estimates can provide insightful implications for the R&D tax policy.

Suggested Citation

  • Chia-Hui Huang & Chih-Hai Yang, 2009. "Tax Incentives and R&D Activity: Firm-Level Evidence from Taiwan," Global COE Hi-Stat Discussion Paper Series gd09-102, Institute of Economic Research, Hitotsubashi University.
    • Handle: RePEc:hst:ghsdps:gd09-102
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    File URL: http://gcoe.ier.hit-u.ac.jp/research/discussion/2008/pdf/gd09-102.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Özçelik, Emre & Taymaz, Erol, 2008. "R&D support programs in developing countries: The Turkish experience," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(2), pages 258-275, March.
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    1. Hiroyuki Kasahara & Katsumi Shimotsu & Michio Suzuki, 2012. "Does an R&D Tax Credit Affect R&D Expenditure? The Japanese Tax Credit Reform in 2003," Global COE Hi-Stat Discussion Paper Series gd11-220, Institute of Economic Research, Hitotsubashi University.
    2. Kasahara, Hiroyuki & Shimotsu, Katsumi & Suzuki, Michio, 2014. "Does an R&D tax credit affect R&D expenditure? The Japanese R&D tax credit reform in 2003," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 72-97.
    3. Hiroyuki KASAHARA & Katsumi SHIMOTSU & Michio SUZUKI, 2011. "How Much Do R&D Tax Credits Affect R&D Expenditures? Japanese tax credit reform in 2003," Discussion papers 11072, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).
    4. Yohei KOBAYASHI, 2011. "Effect of R&D Tax Credits for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in Japan: Evidence from firm-level data," Discussion papers 11066, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).
    5. Yohei Kobayashi, 2014. "Effect of R&D tax credits for SMEs in Japan: a microeconometric analysis focused on liquidity constraints," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 42(2), pages 311-327, February.
    6. Pöschel, Carla, 2020. "Incentive Effects of R&D Tax Incentives: A Meta-Analysis Focusing on R&D Tax Policy Designs," arqus Discussion Papers in Quantitative Tax Research 243, arqus - Arbeitskreis Quantitative Steuerlehre, revised 2020.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • H25 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Business Taxes and Subsidies
    • H32 - Public Economics - - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents - - - Firm
    • K34 - Law and Economics - - Other Substantive Areas of Law - - - Tax Law
    • O32 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Management of Technological Innovation and R&D
    • O38 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Government Policy

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