Temporary Investment Tax Incentives: Theory with Evidence from Bonus Depreciation
American Economic Review
vol. 98,
no. 3, June 2008
(pp. 737-68)
Abstract
The intertemporal elasticity of investment for long-lived capital goods is nearly infinite. Consequently, investment prices should fully reflect temporary tax subsidies, regardless of the investment supply elasticity. Since prices move one-for-one with the subsidy, elasticities can be inferred from quantities alone. This paper uses a recent tax policy--bonus depreciation--to estimate the investment supply elasticity. Investment in qualified capital increased sharply. The estimated elasticity is high--between 6 and 14. There is no evidence that market prices reacted to the subsidy, suggesting that adjustment costs are internal, or that measurement error masks the price changes.Citation
House, Christopher L., and Matthew D. Shapiro. 2008. "Temporary Investment Tax Incentives: Theory with Evidence from Bonus Depreciation." American Economic Review, 98 (3): 737-68. DOI: 10.1257/aer.98.3.737Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- G31 Capital Budgeting; Fixed Investment and Inventory Studies
- H25 Business Taxes and Subsidies including sales and value-added (VAT)
- H32 Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents: Firm