Abstract:

This paper investigates the asset pricing implications of tax policy changes. News about tax cuts decreases future tax revenues and increases future consumer demand and output. Using cross-sectional variation in industry exposure to structurally identified tax news, I develop a factor mimicking private income tax shocks. I construct an investment strategy, which generates annualized risk-adjusted returns of 5.16 % over the Fama-French 3-factor model. I rationalize the finding by arguing that firms with more elastic demands bear higher consumption risk, which works through a wealth effect.