Score contribution per author:
α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count
The corporate tax code allows corporations to write off operating losses against past or future tax obligations, resulting in effective tax rates that are firm-specific and dependent on the history of the firm’s performance. Since losses partly reflect a drop in productivity, which is generally persistent, firms with higher expected productivity face higher tax rates. We analyze the distortionary effects of loss-offset provisions on investment and assess the output loss implied by the misallocation of capital. Replacing the corporate income tax with a revenue-neutral value-added tax which equates tax rates across firms leads to a 13.9% increase in aggregate output.