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Capital Gains Taxation and Stock Market Activity: Evidence from IPOs
Author(s) -
Reese William A.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
the journal of finance
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 18.151
H-Index - 299
eISSN - 1540-6261
pISSN - 0022-1082
DOI - 10.1111/0022-1082.00073
Subject(s) - capital gains tax , monetary economics , stock (firearms) , initial public offering , term (time) , economics , business , finance , double taxation , ad valorem tax , mechanical engineering , physics , quantum mechanics , engineering
Prior to the Tax Reform Act of 1986 (TRA '86), long‐term capital gains were taxed at a lower rate than short‐term gains, presenting investors with an opportunity to increase their after‐tax return by delaying the sale of appreciated assets until after they qualified for long‐term status and selling depreciated assets prior to long‐term qualification. Using a sample of Initial Public Offerings, I find that stocks that appreciated prior to long‐term qualification exhibit increased volume and decreased returns just after their qualification date, while stocks that depreciated prior to long‐term qualification exhibit these effects just prior to their qualification date.