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Does an R&D Tax Credit Affect R&D Expenditure? The Japanese Tax Credit Reform in 2003

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  • Hiroyuki Kasahara
  • Katsumi Shimotsu
  • Michio Suzuki

Abstract

To what extent does a tax credit affect firms' R&D activity? What are the mechanisms? This paper examines the effect of the 2003 Japanese tax credit reform on firms' R&D investment by exploiting cross-sectional variation across firms in the changes in the effective tax credit rate between 2002 and 2003. When we use the benchmark sample to estimate the first-difference equation between 2002 and 2003, our estimate for the elasticity of R&D investment with respect to the effective tax credit rate is 2.05% with a standard error of 0.60, and the estimated effect of the R&D tax credit on R&D investment is significantly larger for small firms with relatively large outstanding debts. When we use different methods and different samples, we find mixed evidence for the positive effect of the R&D tax credit, but an interaction term between the effective tax credit rate and the debt-to-asset ratio is always estimated to be significant for small firms, providing robust evidence for the role of financial constraint in determining the effect of the R&D tax credit.

Suggested Citation

  • 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.
    • Handle: RePEc:hst:ghsdps:gd11-220
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Castellacci, Fulvio & Lie, Christine Mee, 2015. "Do the effects of R&D tax credits vary across industries? A meta-regression analysis," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(4), pages 819-832.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    R&D; Tax Credit; Fnancial Constraint; Japan;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D22 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Empirical Analysis
    • 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
    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives
    • O38 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Government Policy

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