Proposal: Treat profits and losses symmetrically so that the taxing authority shares in losses in the same proportion as it shares in profits. Just as companies making profits pay a share of those profits in taxes, companies make losses would receive a subsidy or negative tax from the government...

We study the investment incentives of a regulated, incumbent firm in a deregulation process. The regulator cannot commit to a long-term regulatory policy, and investment decisions are taken before optimal regulatory policies are imposed. We characterize the regulated incumbent's incentive to...