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Tax incentives and direct support for R&D: What do firms use and why?

Author

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  • Isabel Busom

    (Departament d'Economia Aplicada, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona)

  • Beatriz Corchuelo

    (Deparment of Economy, University of Extremadura)

  • Ester Martinez Ros

    (Departamento de Economía de la Empresa, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid and UNU-MERIT)

Abstract

This paper studies whether firms’ use of R&D subsidies and R&D tax incentives is correlated to two sources of underinvestment in R&D, financing constraints and appropriability. We find that financially constrained SMEs are less likely to use R&D tax credits and more likely to obtain subsidies. SMEs using legal methods to protect their intellectual property are more likely to use tax incentives. Results are ambiguous for large firms. For both having previous experience in R&D increases the likelihood of using tax incentives, while it reduces the likelihood of using exclusively subsidies, suggesting that the latter induce entry into R&D. Results imply that direct funding and tax credits do not have the same ability to address each source of R&D underinvestment, and that on average subsidies may be better suited than tax credits at least for SMEs. From a policy perspective these tools may be complements rather than substitutes.

Suggested Citation

  • Isabel Busom & Beatriz Corchuelo & Ester Martinez Ros, 2012. "Tax incentives and direct support for R&D: What do firms use and why?," Working Papers wpdea1212, Department of Applied Economics at Universitat Autonoma of Barcelona.
  • Handle: RePEc:uab:wprdea:wpdea1212
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    Cited by:

    1. Petr Svoboda, 2017. "The Impact of Tax Incentives on Research and Development," Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis, Mendel University Press, vol. 65(2), pages 737-743.
    2. Sancho-Bosch, Diego & Guerrero, Alex J. & Heijs, Joost, 2022. "Technology policy evaluation: The interaction between the financial constraint of firms and level of financial additionality," MPRA Paper 114659, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Desiderio Romero-Jordán & María Delgado-Rodríguez & Inmaculada Álvarez-Ayuso & Sonia Lucas-Santos, 2014. "Assessment of the public tools used to promote R&D investment in Spanish SMEs," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 43(4), pages 959-976, December.
    4. Sander Wennekers & al et, 2014. "Entrepreneurship in the Netherlands - The Top sectors," Scales Research Reports A201417, EIM Business and Policy Research.
    5. Michel Dumont, 2015. "Working Paper 05-15 - Evaluation of federal tax incentives for private R&D in Belgium: An update," Working Papers 1505, Federal Planning Bureau, Belgium.
    6. Filiz Giray & Mehmet Çinar & Simla Güzel, 2015. "R&D IN FUNCTION OF DIRECT PUBLIC SUPPORTS TO SMEs: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY IN TURKEY," Economic Review: Journal of Economics and Business, University of Tuzla, Faculty of Economics, vol. 13(1), pages 29-36, May.
    7. Miguel Sanchez-Martinez & Cristiana Benedetti-Fasil & Peder Christensen & Nicolas Robledo-Bottcher, 2017. "R&D tax credits and their macroeconomic impact in the EU: an assessment using QUEST III," JRC Research Reports JRC108931, Joint Research Centre (Seville site).
    8. Michel Dumont, 2013. "Working Paper 01-13 - The impact of subsidies and fiscal incentives on corporate R&D expenditures in Belgium (2001-2009)," Working Papers 1301, Federal Planning Bureau, Belgium.
    9. David Aristei & Michela Vecchi & Francesco Venturini, 2016. "University and inter-firm R&D collaborations: propensity and intensity of cooperation in Europe," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 41(4), pages 841-871, August.
    10. Dan Andrews & Chiara Criscuolo, 2013. "Knowledge-Based Capital, Innovation and Resource Allocation," OECD Economics Department Working Papers 1046, OECD Publishing.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    R&D; tax incentives; subsidies; policy mix;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H25 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Business Taxes and Subsidies
    • L60 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Manufacturing - - - General
    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives

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