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Inflation and the Excess Taxation of Capital Gains on Corporate Stock

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  • Martin Feldstein
  • Joel Slemrod

Abstract

The present study shows that in 1973 individuals paid nearly $500 million of extra tax on corporate stock capital gains because of the distorting effect of inflation. A detailed analysis shows that the distortion was greatest for middle income sellers of corporate stock. In 1973, individuals paid capital gains tax on more than $4.5 billion of nominal capital gains on corporate stock. If the costs of these shares are adjusted for the increases in the consumer price level since they were purchased, the $4.5 billion nominal gain becomes a real capital loss of nearly $1 billion. As a result of this incorrect measurement of capital gains, individuals with similar real capital gains were subject to very different total tax liabilities. These findings are based on a new body of official tax return data on individual sales of corporate stock.

Suggested Citation

  • Martin Feldstein & Joel Slemrod, 1978. "Inflation and the Excess Taxation of Capital Gains on Corporate Stock," NBER Working Papers 0234, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:0234
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Diamond, P. A., 1975. "Inflation and the comprehensive tax base," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 4(3), pages 227-244, August.
    2. Martin Feldstein, 1978. "The Welfare Cost of Capital Income Taxation," NBER Chapters, in: Research in Taxation, pages 29-51, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Martin Feldstein & Jerry Green & Eytan Sheshinski, 1983. "Inflation and Taxes in a Growing Economy with Debt and Equity Finance," NBER Chapters, in: Inflation, Tax Rules, and Capital Formation, pages 44-60, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Feldstein, Martin & Yitzhaki, Shlomo, 1978. "The effects of the capital gains tax on the selling and switching of common stock," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 9(1), pages 17-36, February.
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    Cited by:

    1. McMillan, Melville, 2021. "Should Canada’s Capital Gains Taxes be Increased or Reformed?," Working Papers 2021-6, University of Alberta, Department of Economics.
    2. Martin Feldstein & Joel Slemrod & Shlomo Yitzhaki, 1980. "The Effects of Taxation on the Selling of Corporate Stock and the Realization of Capital Gains," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 94(4), pages 777-791.
    3. C E McLure Jr, 1984. "The Evolution of Tax Advice and the Taxation of Capital Income in the USA," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 2(3), pages 251-269, September.
    4. Kenneth L. Judd, 1983. "Exercises in Voodoo Economics," Discussion Papers 558, Northwestern University, Center for Mathematical Studies in Economics and Management Science.
    5. Martin Feldstein, 1982. "Inflation, Capital Taxation, and Monetary Policy," NBER Chapters, in: Inflation: Causes and Effects, pages 153-168, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    6. Kovenock, Daniel J. & Rothschild, Michael, 1983. "Capital gains taxation in an economy with an `Austrian sector'," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 21(2), pages 215-256, July.
    7. Roy H. Webb, 1980. "Taxing capital gains," Economic Review, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, vol. 66(Nov), pages 14-22.
    8. Ignacio Palacios-Huerta, 2003. "An Empirical Analysis of the Risk Properties of Human Capital Returns," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 93(3), pages 948-964, June.
    9. Kevin Dowd, 1994. "The Costs of Inflation and Disinflation," Cato Journal, Cato Journal, Cato Institute, vol. 14(2), pages 305-331, Fall.
    10. Zoran Ivković & James Poterba & Scott Weisbenner, 2005. "Tax-Motivated Trading by Individual Investors," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 95(5), pages 1605-1630, December.
    11. Robert L. Hetzel, 1990. "A mandate for price stability," Economic Review, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, vol. 76(Mar), pages 45-53.
    12. Judd, Kenneth L, 1985. "Short-run Analysis of Fiscal Policy in a Simple Perfect Foresight Model," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 93(2), pages 298-319, April.
    13. George F. Break & George P. Shultz & Paul A. Samuelson, 1980. "The Role of Government: Taxes, Transfers, and Spending," NBER Chapters, in: The American Economy in Transition, pages 617-674, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    14. Joseph E. Stiglitz, 1980. "On the Almost Neutrality of Inflation: Notes on Taxation and the Welfare Costs of Inflation," NBER Working Papers 0499, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    15. Leung, Charles Ka Yui & Zhang, Guang-Jia, 2000. "Inflation and capital gains taxes in a small open economy," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 9(3), pages 195-208, July.

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