Investment Tax Incentives, Prices, and the Supply of Capital Goods

39 Pages Posted: 20 Sep 2000 Last revised: 4 Dec 2022

See all articles by Austan Goolsbee

Austan Goolsbee

University of Chicago - Booth School of Business; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Date Written: September 1997

Abstract

Using data on the prices of capital goods, this paper shows that much of the benefit of" investment tax incentives does not go to investing firms but rather to capital suppliers through" higher prices. The reduction in the cost of capital from a 10 percent investment tax credit" increases equipment prices 3.5-7.0 percent. This lasts several years and is largest for assets with" large order backlogs, low import competition, or with a large fraction of buyers able to use" investment subsidies. Capital goods workers' wages rise, too. Instrumental variables estimates" of the short-run supply elasticity are around 1 and can explain the traditionally small estimates of" investment demand elasticities. In absolute value, the demand elasticity implied here exceeds 1."

Suggested Citation

Goolsbee, Austan, Investment Tax Incentives, Prices, and the Supply of Capital Goods (September 1997). NBER Working Paper No. w6192, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=225949

Austan Goolsbee (Contact Author)

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