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The Accounting Review Vol. 53 No. 3 1978

Choosing the Form for Business Tax Incentives.

Sam A. Hicks

Assistant Professor of Accounting. The University of Alabama. 1

Abstract

Business tax incentives are an integral part of the tax policy of the United States. An important consideration that is often overlooked in designing business tax incentives is the selection of the "form" for the tax incentive. This paper examines the alternative forms of business tax incentives and analyzes their effect on the investment in capital goods. The alternative forms are classified as tax credits, accelerated deductions, additional deductions, exclusions, exemptions, reduced tax rates, and specially taxed organizations. Also, a model useful in comparing the alternative forms is developed. It is concluded that business tax incentives in forms treated as permanent differences by accounting principles have a more favorable effect on the investment in capital goods. Thus, these forms (the reduced tax rate, additional deduction, exclusion, or exemption) are the preferred forms for business tax incentives.

DOI
10.2308/tar-4485714
Volume
53
Issue
3
Pages
708-716
Language
en
Sources
openalex crossref

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