The Effect of the Expected Holding Period on the Market Reaction to a Decline in the Capital Gains Tax Rate

2002 ◽  
Vol 24 (s-1) ◽  
pp. 49-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jia-Wen Liang ◽  
Steven R. Matsunaga ◽  
Dale C. Morse

We use the market reaction to capital gains tax rate reduction in the 1997 Tax Relief Act to investigate the market reaction to a change in investor-level tax rates. We find that the positive market reaction was lower for dividend-paying securities and securities with longer expected holding periods. Our results also support the hypothesis that a longer expected holding period reduces the impact of the dividend-paying status. These results are consistent with the tax capitalization model and suggest that the expected holding period is a significant variable in explaining the market reaction to a change in capital gains tax rates.

Author(s):  
John R. Aulerich ◽  
James Molloy

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: x-small;">A reduction in the long-term capital gains tax rate provides investors with new strategies to minimize taxes and protect investment gains.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>One such opportunity exists when an investor decides to sell a profitable stock with a holding period of less than one-year, resulting in short-term ordinary taxes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The investor would find it more beneficial to sell the stock after one-year lapses, resulting in lower long-term capital gain taxes, although the longer holding period exposes the investor to the uncertainty of stock price movement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>A strategy to extend the holding period without excess risk would be to use the protective put option strategy, sometimes referred to as &ldquo;investment insurance&rdquo;.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The strategy involves the purchase of a put option to protect against the possible decline in the stock price, to take advantage of the lower long-term capital gains tax rate, and to preserve the upside potential of the stock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Pursuant to IRS Publication 550, the IRS does not allow the use of a protective put to extend the holding period on the same security considered for sale.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Since the IRS does not allow a direct protective put hedge, this study will explore an alternative strategy involving the purchase of a put on a highly correlated investment to extend the holding period to recognize lower capital gains tax rates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The paper presents example situations when an investor benefits from utilizing the correlated protective put option strategy.</span></p>


2005 ◽  
Vol 27 (s-1) ◽  
pp. 55-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Garth F. Novack

I provide evidence that changes in shareholder-level taxes influence investment returns even when income from the investment is not subject by statute to the rate that is changed. Using an equilibrium model of after-tax investment returns I predict the yields of Treasury bills, which are subject only to ordinary tax rates, will have an inverse reaction to changes in the capital gains tax rate as the income on them becomes increasingly tax-disadvantaged when compared to other investments. In a sample comprised of short-term Treasury bills, yields appear to increase in response to the May 7, 1997 surprise reduction in capital gains tax rates. The increase is statistically significant and is robust to other macroeconomic and institutional determinants of Treasury bills.


2013 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhonglan Dai ◽  
Douglas A. Shackelford ◽  
Harold H. Zhang

ABSTRACT This paper presents an empirical investigation of the impact of capital gains taxes on stock return volatility. We predict that the more stock returns are subject to capital gains taxation, the greater the increase in return volatility following a capital gains tax rate cut due to reduced risk-sharing in firms' cash flows between shareholders and the government. Consistent with this prediction, we find larger increases in the return volatility for more appreciated stocks than for less appreciated stocks and for non-dividend-paying stocks than for dividend-paying stocks after both 1978 and 1997 capital gains tax rate reductions. The findings imply that capital gains taxes convey a heretofore overlooked benefit of lower stock return volatility.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 399-416
Author(s):  
Ole Agersnap ◽  
Owen Zidar

This paper uses a direct-projections approach to estimate the effect of capital gains taxation on realizations at the state level and then develops a framework for determining revenue-maximizing rates at the federal level. We find that the elasticity of revenues with respect to the tax rate over a 10-year period is −0.5 to −0.3, indicating that capital gains tax cuts do not pay for themselves and that a 5 percentage point rate increase would yield $18 to $30 billion in annual federal tax revenue. Our long-run estimates yield revenue-maximizing capital gains tax rates of 38 to 47 percent. (JEL E62, H25, H71)


1980 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-145
Author(s):  
John T. Pounder ◽  
Richard A. Schoney ◽  
Gustof A. Peterson

Current income tax provisions bear little resemblance to those enacted by the original law, the Revenue Act of 1913. Because of the progressive nature of the federal income tax, a need for special provisions for capital gains was recognized. In 1921, gains from the sale or disposition of capital assets and certain other capital items were identified and taxed differently from income from other sources. The capital gains provisions resulted in the separation of ordinary and capital gains income.Gains and losses from the sale or exchange of a capital asset and other capital items are classified as either short- or long-term, depending on the period of time the property is held. Income from items held for less than the required period is taxed as ordinary income. Income from items held for longer than the required period receive preferential treatment only if the net long-term gain exceeds the net short-term capital loss. If long-term capital gains are realized, 60 percent of the excess gain is claimable as a deduction; the remaining 40 percent of the net gain is taxed at the taxpayer's ordinary tax rate. If the net short-term capital gain exceeds the net long-term loss, 100 percent of the excess is taxable at the normal rate.


2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 114-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Kawano

This paper provides evidence that dividend and capital gains tax rates importantly influence household portfolio choices. Using data from the Surveys of Consumer Finances around the 2003 dividend tax reductions, I estimate the relationship between taxes and household portfolio dividend yields. I find that a one percentage point decrease in the dividend tax rate relative to the long-term capital gains tax rate causes household portfolio dividend yields to increase by 0.04 percentage points. The results suggest that high income households significantly increased their portfolio dividend yields in response to the 2003 dividend tax rate reductions. (JEL D14, G11, G35, H24)


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