Using a narrative identification of US tax changes over the post-WWII period, we show that corporate income tax cuts foster R&D spending and innovation, leading to a persistent increase in aggregate productivity and output. In contrast, changes in the average personal income tax rate have mostly...

Using a narrative identification of tax changes in the United States over the post-WWII period, we document that a temporary cut in corporate income tax rates leads to a long-lasting increase in innovation and productivity, whereas changes in personal income tax rates only have short-term...