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Investor Tax Credits and Entrepreneurship: Evidence from U.S. States

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  • Matthew R. Denes
  • Sabrina T. Howell
  • Filippo Mezzanotti
  • Xinxin Wang
  • Ting Xu

Abstract

Angel investor tax credits are used globally to spur high-growth entrepreneurship. Exploiting their staggered implementation in 31 U.S. states, we find that they increase angel investment yet have no significant impact on entrepreneurial activity. Two mechanisms explain these results: Crowding out of alternative financing and low sensitivity of professional investors to tax credits. With a large-scale survey and a stylized model, we show that low responsiveness among professional angels may reflect the fat-tailed return distributions that characterize high-growth startups. The results contrast with evidence that direct subsidies to firms have positive effects, raising concerns about promoting entrepreneurship with investor subsidies.

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  • Matthew R. Denes & Sabrina T. Howell & Filippo Mezzanotti & Xinxin Wang & Ting Xu, 2020. "Investor Tax Credits and Entrepreneurship: Evidence from U.S. States," NBER Working Papers 27751, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:27751
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    3. Chapman, Gary & Hottenrott, Hanna, 2023. "Founder personality and start-up subsidies," ZEW Discussion Papers 23-008, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    4. Berger, Marius & Gottschalk, Sandra, 2021. "Financing and advising early stage startups: The effect of angel investor subsidies," ZEW Discussion Papers 21-069, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    5. Carlos Esteban Posada, 2020. "Cambio técnico y política económica: la teoría y el caso colombiano (1950-2019)," Documentos de Trabajo de Valor Público 18506, Universidad EAFIT.
    6. Ring, Marius, 2019. "Entrepreneurial Wealth and Employment: Tracing Out the Effects of a Stock Market Crash," MPRA Paper 107020, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 06 Apr 2021.
    7. Sabrina T. Howell & Jason Rathje & John Van Reenen & Jun Wong, 2021. "Opening up military innovation: causal effects of reforms to U.S. defense research," POID Working Papers 004, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    8. Juan Ricardo Perilla Jiménez, 2021. "Sistemas de innovación y crecimiento: ¿una alternativa al viejo enfoque de las ventajas del atraso económico?," Documentos Departamento de Economía 19075, Universidad del Norte.
    9. Howell, Sabrina T. & Rathje, Jason & Van Reenen, John & Wong, Jun, 2021. "Opening up Military Innovation: Causal Effects of 'Bottom-up' Reforms to U.S. Defense Research," IZA Discussion Papers 14297, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    10. Alt, Marius & Berger, Marius & Bersch, Johannes, 2023. "Investor responses to information updates on peer behavior and public investment policy: The case of green investments," ZEW Discussion Papers 23-024, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • G0 - Financial Economics - - General
    • G14 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Information and Market Efficiency; Event Studies; Insider Trading
    • G28 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Government Policy and Regulation
    • H0 - Public Economics - - General
    • H25 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Business Taxes and Subsidies
    • O3 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights

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