2022/06/25 by Jarkko Harju, Aliisa Koivisto, Tuomas Matikka · 1 voice
Business, Management and Accounting · Economics, Econometrics and Finance · #Corporate Taxation and Avoidance #Fiscal Policy and Economic Growth #Taxation and Compliance Studies
paper · doi:10.1016/j.jpubeco.2022.104704
We study the impact of corporate taxes on firm-level investments and business activity by exploiting a 6 percentage-point reduction in the corporate tax rate in 2012–2014 in Finland. We use detailed administrative data and a difference-in-differences method comparing small corporations (tax rate cuts) to similar partnerships (no change in taxes). We find no significant average investment responses but do observe an average increase in annual sales (1.6%) and variable costs (2%) when comparing years before (2008–2011) and after (2014–2016) the tax rate cuts. These effects are driven by more cash-constrained firms and firms where the main owner actively works in the firm.