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Taxation and Corporate Investment: The Impact of the 1991 Swedish Tax Reform

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  • Alan J. Auerbach
  • Kevin Hassett
  • Jan Sodersten

Abstract

In 1990, the government of Sweden introduced a major tax reform to take effect in 1991. The Swedish system prior to the legislation was so complex that the size and magnitude of the likely effects of the reform on incentives to invest were unknown. In this paper, we draw on Södersten (1989) and Auerbach and Hassett (1992) and derive an expression for the user cost of capital that captures the essential features of the Swedish tax code both before and after the reform. We estimate the model for investment in equipment and find that the responsiveness of Swedish firms to the user cost is quite similar to that found for the U.S. Finally, we employ our model and estimates to assess the effects of the 1991 reform. We find that the impact of the reform on investment is likely to have been minor and had little to do with the contemporaneous sharp drop in investment.

Suggested Citation

  • Alan J. Auerbach & Kevin Hassett & Jan Sodersten, 1995. "Taxation and Corporate Investment: The Impact of the 1991 Swedish Tax Reform," NBER Working Papers 5189, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:5189
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Auerbach, Alan J, 1989. "Tax Reform and Adjustment Costs: The Impact on Investment and Market Value," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 30(4), pages 939-962, November.
    2. repec:bla:scandj:v:86:y:1984:i:2:p:244-68 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. repec:zbw:bofrdp:1994_008 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Auerbach, Alan J. & Hassett, Kevin, 1992. "Tax policy and business fixed investment in the United States," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 47(2), pages 141-170, March.
    5. Södersten, Jan, 1986. "The Investment Funds System Reconsidered," Working Paper Series 174, Research Institute of Industrial Economics, revised Jan 1988.
    6. repec:bla:scandj:v:96:y:1994:i:3:p:443-61 is not listed on IDEAS
    7. repec:bla:scandj:v:91:y:1989:i:4:p:671-87 is not listed on IDEAS
    8. John B. Taylor, 1982. "The Swedish Investment Funds System as a Stabilization Rule," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 13(1), pages 57-106.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Alan J. Auerbach & Joel Slemrod, 1997. "The Economic Effects of the Tax Reform Act of 1986," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 35(2), pages 589-632, June.
    2. Auerbach, Alan J., 1996. "Measuring the Impact of Tax Reform," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 49(4), pages 665-673, December.
    3. Agell, Jonas & Englund, Peter & Sodersten, Jan, 1996. "Tax Reform of the Century -- the Swedish Experiment," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 49(4), pages 643-664, December.
    4. Cummins, Jason G. & Hassett, Kevin A. & Hubbard, R. Glenn, 1996. "Tax reforms and investment: A cross-country comparison," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 62(1-2), pages 237-273, October.
    5. Auerbach, Alan J., 1996. "Measuring the Impact of Tax Reform," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association, vol. 49(4), pages 665-73, December.
    6. R. Vergara, 2010. "Taxation and private investment: evidence for Chile," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 42(6), pages 717-725.
    7. Djankov, Simeon, 2017. "Corporate tax cuts: examining the record in advanced economies," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 118975, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    8. Karzanova Irina, 2005. "Impact of tax regime on real sector investment in Russia: marginal effective tax rates for physical, human and R&D capital," EERC Working Paper Series 05-16e, EERC Research Network, Russia and CIS.
    9. Hovick Shanazarian, 2006. "Corporate Financial Dynamics: A Pecking-Order Approach," FinanzArchiv: Public Finance Analysis, Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, vol. 61(4), pages 516-534, February.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • H32 - Public Economics - - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents - - - Firm
    • E62 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Fiscal Policy; Modern Monetary Theory

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