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The Tax-rate Elasticity of Local Business Profits

Author

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  • Fossen Frank M.

    (University of Nevada, Reno, DIW, and IZA,Reno, United States of America)

  • Steiner Viktor

    (Freie Universität Berlin,Berlin, Germany)

Abstract

Local business profits respond to local business tax (LBT) rates that vary across municipalities. We estimate that a 1% increase in the LBT rate decreases the LBT base by 0.45%, based on the universe of German LBT return files, which include corporations and unincorporated businesses. However, the fiscal equalization scheme largely compensates municipalities for the loss in the LBT base when they increase the LBT rate. Our estimates suggest that using tax revenue data instead of tax return data, as commonly done in the literature, results in a significant bias of the elasticity away from zero.

Suggested Citation

  • Fossen Frank M. & Steiner Viktor, 2018. "The Tax-rate Elasticity of Local Business Profits," German Economic Review, De Gruyter, vol. 19(2), pages 162-189, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:bpj:germec:v:19:y:2018:i:2:p:162-189
    DOI: 10.1111/geer.12123
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    Cited by:

    1. Helmut Bester & Matthias Dahm, 2018. "Credence Goods, Costly Diagnosis and Subjective Evaluation," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 128(611), pages 1367-1394, June.
    2. Blesse, Sebastian & Doerrenberg, Philipp & Rauch, Anna, 2019. "Higher taxes on less elastic goods? Evidence from German municipalities," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 165-186.
    3. Giacomo Corneo, 2015. "Income inequality from a lifetime perspective," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 42(2), pages 225-239, May.
    4. Langenmayr, Dominika & Simmler, Martin, 2021. "Firm mobility and jurisdictions’ tax rate choices: Evidence from immobile firm entry," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 204(C).
    5. Langer, Sebastian & Korzhenevych, Artem, 2018. "The effect of industrial and commercial land consumption on municipal tax revenue: Evidence from Bavaria," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 279-287.
    6. Raju Mainali, 2021. "Spatial Fiscal Interactions in Colombian Municipalities: Evidence from Oil Price Shocks," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-15, June.
    7. Krapf, Matthias & Staubli, David, 2025. "Regional variations in corporate tax responsiveness: Evidence from Switzerland," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).
    8. Reingewertz, Yaniv, 2018. "Corporate taxes and vertical tax externalities: Evidence from narrative federal tax shocks," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 84-97.
    9. Hattendorff, Christian, 2014. "Natural resources, demand for external finance and financial development," Discussion Papers 2014/33, Free University Berlin, School of Business & Economics.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Local business tax; corporate tax; tax responsiveness; tax-rate elasticity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H25 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Business Taxes and Subsidies
    • H71 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - State and Local Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue

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