Dividend taxes, employment, and firm productivity

Martin Jacob

Journal of Corporate Finance, 2021, vol. 69, issue C

Abstract: The paper examines the effect of dividend taxation on employment and productivity. I exploit a dividend tax cut of 10 percentage points for closely held private corporations in Sweden. Using data on all closely held Swedish firms with exact information on employees and their wages, I find that firms with limited internal funds increase productivity and wages relative to firms with sufficient internal funds whose investment decisions are less affected by dividend taxes. My findings indicate that dividend taxes constrain firms in investing efficiently. Lower taxes can result in higher capital and labor input and, thus, in higher productivity.

Keywords: Dividend taxation; Employment; Wages; Productivity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: G31 H24 H25 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (15)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:corfin:v:69:y:2021:i:c:s0929119921001620

DOI: 10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2021.102040

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