IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/unu/wpaper/wp-2020-49.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Depreciation allowances in South Africa

Author

Listed:
  • Estian Calitz
  • Eva Muwanga-Zake
  • Alexius Sithole
  • Wynnona Steyn

Abstract

Nowadays, tax depreciation allowances are used less as instruments of macroeconomic stabilization and more as long-term measures to stimulate investment. This paper tabulates the types of accelerated depreciation allowances in South Africa and calculates the magnitude of these benefits in addition to standard across-the-board accounting depreciation by companies. Using anonymized tax assessment data from the South African Revenue Service, the analysis generates the aggregate and sectoral composition of tax depreciation and tax investment allowances for 2014-17.

Suggested Citation

  • Estian Calitz & Eva Muwanga-Zake & Alexius Sithole & Wynnona Steyn, 2020. "Depreciation allowances in South Africa," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2020-49, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    • Handle: RePEc:unu:wpaper:wp-2020-49
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.wider.unu.edu/sites/default/files/Publications/Working-paper/PDF/wp2020-49.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jacco L. Wielhouwer & Eelke Wiersma, 2017. "Investment Decisions and Depreciation Choices under a Discretionary Tax Depreciation Rule," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(3), pages 603-627, July.
    2. Feldstein, Martin & Dicks-Mireaux, Louis & Poterba, James, 1983. "The effective tax rate and the pretax rate of return," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 21(2), pages 129-158, July.
    3. Howard Pack & Kamal Saggi, 2006. "Is There a Case for Industrial Policy? A Critical Survey," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 21(2), pages 267-297.
    4. Mervyn A. King & Don Fullerton, 1984. "The United Kingdom," NBER Chapters, in: The Taxation of Income from Capital: A Comparative Study of the United States, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Germany, pages 31-86, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Philip Bazel & Jack Mintz & Austin Thompson, 2018. "2017 Tax Competitiveness Report: The Calm Before the Storm," SPP Research Papers, The School of Public Policy, University of Calgary, vol. 11(7), February.
    6. Alexander Klemm, 2010. "Causes, benefits, and risks of business tax incentives," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 17(3), pages 315-336, June.
    7. Ada Jansen & Winile Ngobeni & Alexius Sithole & Wynnona Steyn, 2020. "The corporate income tax gap in South Africa: A top-down approach," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2020-40, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    8. Kunka Petkova & Alfons J. Weichenrieder, 2020. "The relevance of depreciation allowances as a fiscal policy instrument: A hybrid approach to CCCTB?," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 47(3), pages 579-610, August.
    9. Hulse, David S. & Livingstone, Jane R., 2010. "Incentive effects of bonus depreciation," Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 29(6), pages 578-603, November.
    10. Sebastian James, 2009. "Incentives and Investments," World Bank Publications - Reports 27875, The World Bank Group.
    11. Mervyn A. King & Don Fullerton, 1984. "Introduction to "The Taxation of Income from Capital: A Comparative Study of the United States, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Germany"," NBER Chapters, in: The Taxation of Income from Capital: A Comparative Study of the United States, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Germany, pages 1-6, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    12. Estian Calitz & Sally Wallace & Le Roux Burrows, 2013. "The Impact of Tax Incentives to Stimulate Investment in South Africa," International Center for Public Policy Working Paper Series, at AYSPS, GSU paper1306, International Center for Public Policy, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University.
    13. Eichfelder, Sebastian & Schneider, Kerstin, 2018. "How do tax incentives affect business investment? Evidence from German bonus depreciation," arqus Discussion Papers in Quantitative Tax Research 231, arqus - Arbeitskreis Quantitative Steuerlehre.
    14. Zee, Howell H. & Stotsky, Janet G. & Ley, Eduardo, 2002. "Tax Incentives for Business Investment: A Primer for Policy Makers in Developing Countries," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 30(9), pages 1497-1516, September.
    15. S. Abbas & Alexander Klemm, 2013. "A partial race to the bottom: corporate tax developments in emerging and developing economies," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 20(4), pages 596-617, August.
    16. Mervyn A. King & Don Fullerton, 1984. "The United States," NBER Chapters, in: The Taxation of Income from Capital: A Comparative Study of the United States, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Germany, pages 193-267, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    17. Gramlich, Edward M, 1971. "The Usefulness of Monetary and Fiscal Policy as Discretionary Stabilization Tools," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 3(2), pages 506-532, May.
    18. Richard Goode, 1955. "Accelerated Depreciation Allowances as a Stimulus to Investment," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 69(2), pages 191-220.
    19. Mervyn A. King & Don Fullerton, 1984. "The Taxation of Income from Capital: A Comparative Study of the United States, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Germany," NBER Books, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, number king84-1, June.
    20. Morrisset, Jacques & Pirnia, Neda, 2000. "How tax policy and incentives affect foreign direct investment - a review," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2509, The World Bank.
    21. Christopher L. House & Matthew D. Shapiro, 2008. "Temporary Investment Tax Incentives: Theory with Evidence from Bonus Depreciation," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 98(3), pages 737-768, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ligia Alba Melo-Becerra & Javier Ávila Mahecha & Jorge Enrique Ramos-Forero, 2017. "The Effect of Corporate Taxes on Investment: Evidence from the Colombian Firms," IHEID Working Papers 10-2017, Economics Section, The Graduate Institute of International Studies.
    2. James Alm & Mir Ahmad Khan, 2015. "Assessing and Reforming Enterprise Taxation in Pakistan," Working Papers 1513, Tulane University, Department of Economics.
    3. Masaaki Suzuki, 2013. "Corporate Effective Tax Rates in Asian Countries," KIER Working Papers 875, Kyoto University, Institute of Economic Research.
    4. Suzuki, Masaaki, 2014. "Corporate effective tax rates in Asian countries," Japan and the World Economy, Elsevier, vol. 29(C), pages 1-17.
    5. Walch, Florian & Dwenger, Nadja, 2011. "Tax Losses and Firm Investment: Evidence from Tax Statistics," VfS Annual Conference 2011 (Frankfurt, Main): The Order of the World Economy - Lessons from the Crisis 48699, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    6. Steven M. Fazzari & Benjamin Herzon, 1995. "Capital Gains Tax Cuts, Investment, and Growth," Economics Working Paper Archive wp_147, Levy Economics Institute.
    7. Bilicka, Katarzyna, 2020. "Are financing constraints binding for investment? Evidence from a natural experiment," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 177(C), pages 618-640.
    8. Ligia Alba Melo-Becerra & Javier Ávila Mahecha & Jorge Enrique Ramos-Forero, 2021. "Corporate Taxation and Investment: Evidence from a Context of Frequent Tax Reforms," Hacienda Pública Española / Review of Public Economics, IEF, vol. 237(2), pages 3-31, June.
    9. Simeon Djankov & Tim Ganser & Caralee McLiesh & Rita Ramalho & Andrei Shleifer, 2010. "The Effect of Corporate Taxes on Investment and Entrepreneurship," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 2(3), pages 31-64, July.
    10. James Alm & Mir Ahmad Khan, 2017. "Tax Policy Effects on Business Incentives in Pakistan," Working Papers 1705, Tulane University, Department of Economics.
    11. Michael P. Devereux & Li Liu & Simon Loretz, 2014. "The Elasticity of Corporate Taxable Income: New Evidence from UK Tax Records," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 6(2), pages 19-53, May.
    12. Sanz Labrador, Ismael & Sanz-Sanz, José Félix, 2013. "Política fiscal y crecimiento económico: consideraciones microeconómicas y relaciones macroeconómicas," Macroeconomía del Desarrollo 5367, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL).
    13. Ligia Alba Melo-Becerra & Héctor Zárate-Solano & Andrés Camilo Gómez-Molina, 2018. "Elasticidad del ingreso corporativo gravable en Colombia," Borradores de Economia 1046, Banco de la Republica de Colombia.
    14. Chang Woon Nam & Doina Radulescu & Doina Maria Radulescu, 2004. "Types of Tax Concessions for Attracting Foreign Direct Investment in Free Economic Zones," CESifo Working Paper Series 1175, CESifo.
    15. Isaac Baley & Andrés Blanco, 2022. "The Macroeconomics of Partial Irreversibility," Working Papers 1312, Barcelona School of Economics.
    16. Isaac Baley & Andrés Blanco, 2022. "The long-run effects of corporate tax reforms," Economics Working Papers 1813, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra.
    17. Fischer, Leonie & Heckemeyer, Jost H. & Spengel, Christoph & Steinbrenner, Daniela, 2021. "Tax policies in a transition to a knowledge-based economy: The effective tax burden of companies and highly skilled labour," ZEW Discussion Papers 21-096, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    18. Elias Steinmüller & Georg U. Thunecke & Georg Wamser, 2019. "Corporate income taxes around the world: a survey on forward-looking tax measures and two applications," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 26(2), pages 418-456, April.
    19. Persson, Torsten & Tabellini, Guido, 2002. "Political economics and public finance," Handbook of Public Economics, in: A. J. Auerbach & M. Feldstein (ed.), Handbook of Public Economics, edition 1, volume 3, chapter 24, pages 1549-1659, Elsevier.
    20. Daphne Chen & Shi Qi & Don Schlagenhauf, 2018. "Corporate Income Tax, Legal Form of Organization, and Employment," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 10(4), pages 270-304, October.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Tax depreciation allowances; Tax investment allowances; Tax expenditures; Corporate income tax;
    All these keywords.

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:unu:wpaper:wp-2020-49. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Siméon Rapin (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/widerfi.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.