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Inflation and the Tax Treatment of Firm Behavior

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  • Alan J. Auerbach

Abstract

In the past decade, economists have be-gun to realize that inflation, even when fully anticipated, constitutes a great deal more than a tax on money balances. The primary reason for inflation's wider impact is the existence of a tax system designed with stable prices in mind. This paper offers a brief summary of the effects of inflation on the tax treatment of the firm, focusing on four important decisions the firm makes: the scale of investment; the method of finance; the durability of assets used in production; and the holding period of these assets. There are a number of interesting and related issues which cannot be covered in a paper of this length. As I will be considering inflation that is both uniform and fully anticipated, questions concerning the behavior of the firm in response to uncertainty about inflation, or to a concommitant change in relative prices, will not arise.

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  • Alan J. Auerbach, 1980. "Inflation and the Tax Treatment of Firm Behavior," NBER Working Papers 0547, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:0547
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Roger H. Gordon & Burton G. Malkiel, 1980. "Taxation and Corporation Finance," NBER Working Papers 0576, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Auerbach, Alan J, 1979. "Inflation and the Choice of Asset Life," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 87(3), pages 621-638, June.
    3. Patric H. Hendershott, 1979. "The Decline in Aggregate Share Values: Inflation, Taxation, Risk and Profitability," NBER Working Papers 0370, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Martin Feldstein & Lawrence Summers, 1983. "Inflation and the Taxation of Capital Income in the Corporate Sector," NBER Chapters, in: Inflation, Tax Rules, and Capital Formation, pages 116-152, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Alan J. Auerbach, 1979. "Wealth Maximization and the Cost of Capital," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 93(3), pages 433-446.
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    Cited by:

    1. Pellechio, Anthony J., 1988. "Taxation, Rental Income, and Optimal Holding Periods for Real Property," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association, vol. 41(1), pages 97-107, March.
    2. Roger H. Gordon, 1994. "Fiscal Policy during the Transition in Eastern Europe," NBER Chapters, in: The Transition in Eastern Europe, Volume 2, Restructuring, pages 37-70, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Gordon, Roger H. & Ley, Eduardo, 1994. "Implications of Existing Tax Policy for Cross-Border Activity Between the United States and Mexico After NAFTA," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 47(2), pages 435-446, June.
    4. Alan J. Auerbach & David Reishus, 1986. "Taxes and the Merger Decision: An Empirical Analysis," NBER Working Papers 1855, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. David Altig & Alan J. Auerbach & Erin Eidschun & Laurence Kotlikoff & Victor Yifan Ye, 2024. "Inflation's Fiscal Impact on American Households," NBER Chapters, in: NBER Macroeconomics Annual 2024, volume 39, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    6. Pellechio, Anthony J., 1988. "Taxation, Rental Income, and Optimal Holding Periods for Real Property," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 41(1), pages 97-107, March.
    7. Cohen, Darrel S. & Hassett, Kevin A., 1999. "Inflation, Taxes, and the Durability of Capital," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 52(1), pages 91-98, March.
    8. Glenn Jenkins, 1981. "An International Comparative Analysis Of The Taxation Of The Steel Industry," Development Discussion Papers 1981-07, JDI Executive Programs.
    9. Darrel Cohen & Kevin Hassett & R. Glenn Hubbard, 1999. "Inflation and the User Cost of Capital: Does Inflation Still Matter?," NBER Chapters, in: The Costs and Benefits of Price Stability, pages 199-234, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    10. David F. Bradford, 1981. "Issues in the Design of Saving and Investment Incentives," NBER Working Papers 0637, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    11. Gordon, Roger H. & Ley, Eduardo, 1994. "Implications of Existing Tax Policy for Cross-Border Activity Between the United States and Mexico after NAFTA," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association, vol. 47(2), pages 435-46, June.
    12. Alain Gubian & François Guillaumat-Tailliet & Jacques Le Cacheux, 1986. "Fiscalité des entreprises et décision d'investissement. Eléments de comparaison internationale France, RFA, Etats-Unis," Revue de l'OFCE, Programme National Persée, vol. 16(1), pages 181-216.

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