We analyze the effects of a Chinese policy that awards substantial corporate tax cuts to firms that increase R&D investment over a given threshold, or notch. We exploit this quasi-experimental variation with administrative tax data in order to shed light on longstanding questions on the effects...

We study a Chinese policy that awards substantial tax cuts to firms with R&D investment over a threshold or “notch.” Quasi-experimental variation and administrative tax data show a significant increase in reported R&D that is partly driven by firms relabeling expenses as R&D. Structural...

Contrary to some commentators' perceptions, the economic case for corporate tax rate reduction does not involve the hope that corporations will “use” their tax savings to make additional investments, pay higher wages, or hire additional employees. Profit-maximizing corporations look at the...