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Watch What I Do, Not What I Say: The Unintended Consequences of the Homeland Investment Act

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  • Dhammika Dharmapala
  • C. Fritz Foley
  • Kristin J. Forbes

Abstract

This paper analyzes the impact on firm behavior of the Homeland Investment Act of 2004, which provided a one-time tax holiday for the repatriation of foreign earnings by U.S. multinationals. The analysis controls for endogeneity and omitted variable bias by using instruments that identify the firms likely to receive the largest tax benefits from the holiday. Repatriations did not lead to an increase in domestic investment, employment or R&D -- even for the firms that lobbied for the tax holiday stating these intentions and for firms that appeared to be financially constrained. Instead, a $1 increase in repatriations was associated with an increase of almost $1 in payouts to shareholders. These results suggest that the domestic operations of U.S. multinationals were not financially constrained and that these firms were reasonably well-governed. The results have important implications for understanding the impact of U.S. corporate tax policy on multinational firms.

Suggested Citation

  • Dhammika Dharmapala & C. Fritz Foley & Kristin J. Forbes, 2009. "Watch What I Do, Not What I Say: The Unintended Consequences of the Homeland Investment Act," NBER Working Papers 15023, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:15023
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • F23 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - Multinational Firms; International Business
    • G14 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Information and Market Efficiency; Event Studies; Insider Trading
    • G18 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Government Policy and Regulation
    • G3 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance
    • H25 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Business Taxes and Subsidies
    • H26 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Tax Evasion and Avoidance

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