https://www.nber.org/system/file ... s/w24749/w24749.pdf
ABSTRACT
We study a Chinese policy that awards substantial tax cuts to firms with R&D investment over a
threshold or “notch.” Quasi-experimental variation and administrative tax data show a significant
increase in reported R&D that is partly driven by firms relabeling expenses as R&D. Structural
estimates show relabeling accounts for 24.2% of reported R&D and that productivity increases by
9% when real R&D doubles. Policy simulations show firm selection and relabeling determine the
cost-effectiveness of stimulating R&D, that notch-based policies are more effective than tax
credits when relabeling is prevalent, and that modest spillovers justify the program from a welfare
perspective.