Tax Multipliers Across the Business Cycle
38 Pages Posted: 7 Dec 2020
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Tax Multipliers Across the Business Cycle
Tax Multipliers Across the Business Cycle
Date Written: December 1, 2020
Abstract
We estimate the impact of tax shocks on output across different stages of the business cycle. We do this for a panel of nine advanced economies using a harmonized dataset of narratively identified exogenous tax changes and a smooth transition local projection model. The output response to an exogenous tax shock is significant, but only during economic expansions. In recessions, the tax multiplier is insignificant, both in the short- and long run. We also find that, during booms, output only responds to tax hikes and is unresponsive to tax cuts. The results on the state-dependent and asymmetric effects of tax shocks are robust to a number of alternative model specifications
and definitions of the business cycle.
Keywords: tax multiplier, state-dependent effects of fiscal policy, local projection method, fiscal multiplier
JEL Classification: E32, E62
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation