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Taxation and Private Investment: Evidence for Chile

Author

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  • Rodrigo Vergara

    (Instituto de Economía. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.)

Abstract

Along with several structural reforms, Chile embarked upon a major income tax reform in the eighties. Its basic feature was a significant reduction in the corporate income tax rate. The purpose of this paper is to investigate empirically the link between the tax reform and the investment performance of Chile since the reform. Macroeconomic and microeconomic evidence is found to be consistent with the hypothesis of the reduction in the corporate income tax as being one of the determinants of the investment boom of the late eighties and nineties in Chile. Macro data for the period 1975-2003 are used and the evidence indicates that the tax reform explains an increase in private investment of three percentage points of the GDP. On the other hand, information on 87 publicly held companies is used to construct a panel for the period 1980-2002. The microeconomic evidence confirms that investment was positively affected by the tax reform.

Suggested Citation

  • Rodrigo Vergara, 2004. "Taxation and Private Investment: Evidence for Chile," Documentos de Trabajo 268, Instituto de Economia. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile..
    • Handle: RePEc:ioe:doctra:268
    as

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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Chang-Tai Hsieh & Jonathan A. Parker, 2007. "Taxes and Growth in a Financially Underdeveloped Country: Evidence from the Chilean Investment Boom," Economía Journal, The Latin American and Caribbean Economic Association - LACEA, vol. 0(Fall 2007), pages 1-53.
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    6. repec:esr:chaptr:jacb200114 is not listed on IDEAS
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    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • E22 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Investment; Capital; Intangible Capital; Capacity
    • H25 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Business Taxes and Subsidies
    • H32 - Public Economics - - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents - - - Firm

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