This brief assesses the effect of a capital gains tax cut on firms' decisions to undertake new investment projects and the possible effect of such projects on economic growth and employment. The authors' analysis takes into account such factors as projects' degree of uncertainty, investors'...

Congress currently is considering changes in the capital gains tax, including reducing the rate, indexing the rate to inflation, or some combination of reduction and indexing. These changes have been advocated on the grounds that a cut in the rate will stimulate investment and economic growth....