Intangible assets, corporate tax credits and pharmaceutical establishments

Starting in the 1970s, the US government offered tax credits to US corporations doing business in Puerto Rico under Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 936. Firms in the pharmaceutical industry accounted for 50% of tax credits and 20% of employment. The tax credit program was eliminated in 2006, creating a natural experiment on the impact of eliminating corporate tax credits on establishments with high levels of intangible assets such as pharmaceuticals and medical devices. We use panel data on establishments 1990–2017 and a difference in difference methodology to measure the impact of the elimination of the tax credit program. Probability of survival of all manufacturing establishments declined from 90% three years before the elimination of IRC Section 936 to close to 50% three years after. Survival rates of all manufacturing establishments declined during the phaseout and elimination of the tax credit program. Pharmaceutical and medical devices establishments experienced an additional 3.5 to 6.2% decline. Approximately two thirds of the 33% decline in pharmaceutical and medical devices establishments in Puerto Rico can be attributed to the elimination of the tax credit program.