Do tax reductions stimulate firm productivity? A quasi-natural experiment from China

Tax reductions for firms in the real economy are important reforms to address slowdowns in economic development in the complex current social and economic situation. To deeply explore the influence of tax reductions on firm development, this article considers firm total factor productivity as an indicator. A policy allowing accelerated depreciation of fixed assets implemented in 2014 and 2015 is taken as a policy shock to construct a gradual difference in difference (DID) model. Based on data from listed companies in China from 2010 to 2018, this article studies the influence of the policy on firm total factor productivity. The empirical results show that the policy significantly and sustainably improved the total factor productivity of the pilot firms. The policy improved productivity mainly by increasing corporate investment in fixed assets, stimulating R&D spending, and alleviating internal financing constraints. Further results reveal that the productivity effect of the policy is more prominent in non-state-owned enterprises and labor-intensive or growth-oriented enterprises. The research in this article helps deepen the understanding of the micro-foundations of the effects of tax reductions and provides a reference to leverage the micro-effects of such policies.