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Stock option taxation and venture capital activity: a cross-country study

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  • Magnus Henrekson
  • Tino Sanandaji
Abstract
The VC sector is interesting both in its own right and as a proxy for entrepreneurial finance more broadly. We highlight the tax treatment of stock options as an important factor for variations in the size of the VC sector. VC often relies on option-based contracts to mitigate incentive problems. Granting stock options to founders and key employees also allows credit-constrained start-ups to attract and retain top talent. Such compensation cannot be unambiguously classified as either capital or labor income. Some tax systems treat stock options in VC-funded firms as highly taxed employee compensation, whereas others treat them as capital gains with low flat tax rates. The effective rate depends on tax practices and is not readily indicated by statutory taxes. The tax consultancy firm PwC calculated the effective tax rate for a standardized entrepreneurial case in 22 countries, which is supplemented with our own calculations for 16 additional countries. For this sample, we find a negative cross-country relationship between the effective tax rate on employee stock options and the extent of VC activity. The negative effect is stronger for countries with high R&D investments and weaker in countries with low R&D spending.

Suggested Citation

  • Magnus Henrekson & Tino Sanandaji, 2018. "Stock option taxation and venture capital activity: a cross-country study," Venture Capital, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(1), pages 51-71, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:veecee:v:20:y:2018:i:1:p:51-71
    DOI: 10.1080/13691066.2017.1400159
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ricardo J. Caballero, 2007. "Specificity and the Macroeconomics of Restructuring," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262033623, April.
    2. Persson, Lars & Norbäck, Pehr-Johan & Tåg, Joacim, 2012. "Buying to Sell: Private Equity Buyouts and Industrial Restructuring," CEPR Discussion Papers 8992, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
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    Cited by:

    1. Magnus Henrekson & Dan Johansson & Johan Karlsson, 2024. "To Be or Not to Be: The Entrepreneur in Neo-Schumpeterian Growth Theory," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 48(1), pages 104-140, January.
    2. Magnus Henrekson & Tino Sanandaji, 2018. "Stock option taxation: a missing piece in European innovation policy?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 51(2), pages 411-424, August.
    3. Akcigit, Ufuk & Dinlersoz, Emin & Greenwood, Jeremy & Penciakova, Veronika, 2022. "Synergizing ventures," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    4. Niklas Elert & Magnus Henrekson, 2019. "The collaborative innovation bloc: A new mission for Austrian economics," The Review of Austrian Economics, Springer;Society for the Development of Austrian Economics, vol. 32(4), pages 295-320, December.
    5. Jeremy Greenwood & Pengfei Han & Juan M. Sánchez, 2022. "Financing Ventures," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 63(3), pages 1021-1053, August.
    6. Elert, Niklas & Henrekson, Magnus, 2021. "Innovative Entrepreneurship as a Collaborative Effort: An Institutional Framework," Foundations and Trends(R) in Entrepreneurship, now publishers, vol. 17(4), pages 330-435, June.
    7. Henrekson, Magnus & Lakomaa, Erik & Sanandaji, Tino, 2021. "The Interaction of Schumpeterian Institutional Entrepreneurship and Hayekian Institutional Change in Innovative Industries," Working Paper Series 1409, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.

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