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The Costs of Corporate Tax Complexity

Author

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  • Eric Zwick
Abstract
Does tax code complexity alter corporate behavior? We investigate this question by studying the decision to claim refunds for tax losses. In a sample of 1.2 million observations from the population of corporate tax returns, only 37 percent of eligible firms claim their refund. A simple cost-benefit analysis of the tax loss choice cannot explain low take-up, motivating an exploration of how complexity alters this calculation. Research designs exploiting tax preparer switches, deaths, and relocations show that sophisticated preparers increase claim rates for small firms. Imperfect take-up has implications for measuring marginal tax rates and for the design of fiscal policy.

Suggested Citation

  • Eric Zwick, 2021. "The Costs of Corporate Tax Complexity," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 13(2), pages 467-500, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aejpol:v:13:y:2021:i:2:p:467-500
    DOI: 10.1257/pol.20180406
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Bilicka, Katarzyna & Scur, Daniela, 2024. "Organizational capacity and profit shifting," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 238(C).
    2. Nivala, Annika, 2024. "(No) Effects of Subsidizing the First Employee: Evidence of a Low Take-up Puzzle Among Firms," Working Papers 166, VATT Institute for Economic Research.
    3. Annika Nivala, 2024. "(No) Effects of Subsidizing the First Employee: Evidence of a Low Take-up Puzzle Among Firms," Working Papers 23, Finnish Centre of Excellence in Tax Systems Research.
    4. Massenz, Gabriella, 2023. "On the behavioral effects of tax policy," Other publications TiSEM eb44a9f7-b859-480d-b2e4-4, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    5. Cui, Wei & Hicks, Jeffrey & Xing, Jing, 2022. "Cash on the table? Imperfect take-up of tax incentives and firm investment behavior," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 208(C).
    6. Stekelberg, James & Vance, Thomas, 2024. "The effect of transferable tax benefits on consumer intent to purchase an electric vehicle," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 186(C).
    7. Segundo Camino‐Mogro, 2023. "Tax incentives, private investment and employment: Evidence from an Ecuadorian reform," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 35(7), pages 2129-2156, October.
    8. Felipe Lobel, 2022. "The Unequal Incidence of Payroll Taxes with Imperfect Competition: Theory and Evidence," Papers 2210.15776, arXiv.org.
    9. Granja, João & Makridis, Christos & Yannelis, Constantine & Zwick, Eric, 2022. "Did the paycheck protection program hit the target?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 145(3), pages 725-761.
    10. Charles Swenson & Hao Qu, 2022. "Rent-Seeking and the Volume of Tax Laws: The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017," Applied Economics and Finance, Redfame publishing, vol. 9(1), pages 37-53, December.
    11. Abe Dunn & Joshua D Gottlieb & Adam Hale Shapiro & Daniel J Sonnenstuhl & Pietro Tebaldi, 2024. "A Denial a Day Keeps the Doctor Away," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 139(1), pages 187-233.
    12. Bustos, Sebastian & Pomeranz, Dina & Suárez Serrato, Juan Carlos & Vila-Belda, José & Zucman, Gabriel, 2022. "The Race Between Tax Enforcement and Tax Planning: Evidence From a Natural Experiment in Chile," CEPR Discussion Papers 17347, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    13. HONDA Tomohito & HOSONO Kaoru & MIYAKAWA Daisuke & ONO Arito & UESUGI Iichiro, 2024. "Imperfect Take-up of COVID-19 Business Support Programs," Discussion papers 24001, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).
    14. Jeffrey L. Coles & Elena Patel & Nathan Seegert & Matthew Smith, 2022. "How Do Firms Respond to Corporate Taxes?," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 60(3), pages 965-1006, June.
    15. Konda, Laura & Patel, Elena & Seegert, Nathan, 2022. "Tax enforcement and the intended and unintended consequences of information disclosure," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 212(C).
    16. Gao, Wenjing & Mao, Jie & Shi, Xinzheng, 2024. "Do firms benefit from public information services: Evidence from a tax hotline program in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    17. Selale Tuzel & Miao Ben Zhang, 2021. "Economic Stimulus at the Expense of Routine‐Task Jobs," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 76(6), pages 3347-3399, December.
    18. Bertrand Garbinti & Jonathan Goupille-Lebret & Mathilde Muñoz & Stefanie Stantcheva & Gabriel Zucman, 2023. "Tax Design, Information, and Elasticities: Evidence From the French Wealth Tax," NBER Working Papers 31333, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    19. Baumgart, Eike & Blaufus, Kay & Hechtner, Frank, 2023. "The tax treatment of commuting expenses and job-related mobility," arqus Discussion Papers in Quantitative Tax Research 280, arqus - Arbeitskreis Quantitative Steuerlehre.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D22 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Empirical Analysis
    • D61 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Allocative Efficiency; Cost-Benefit Analysis
    • E62 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Fiscal Policy; Modern Monetary Theory
    • H25 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Business Taxes and Subsidies
    • K34 - Law and Economics - - Other Substantive Areas of Law - - - Tax Law

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