Investment and Capital Constraints: Repatriations Under the American Jobs Creation Act

Michael Faulkender and Mitchell Petersen

The Review of Financial Studies, 2012, vol. 25, issue 11, 3351-3388

Abstract: The American Jobs Creation Act (AJCA) significantly lowered U.S. firms' tax cost when accessing their unrepatriated foreign earnings. Using this temporary shock to the cost of internal financing, we examine the role of capital constraints in firms' investment decisions. Controlling for the capacity to repatriate foreign earnings under the AJCA, we find that a majority of the funds repatriated by capital-constrained firms were allocated to approved domestic investment. Although unconstrained firms account for a majority of repatriated funds, no increase in investment resulted. Contrary to other examinations of the AJCA, we find little change in leverage and equity payouts. The Author 2012. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Society for Financial Studies. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com., Oxford University Press.

Date: 2012
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Working Paper: Investment and Capital Constraints: Repatriations Under the American Jobs Creation Act (2009)
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