WASHINGTON—The new tax code is beginning to bear fruit, boosting capital investment that will eventually benefit workers, according to Kevin Hassett, chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers.
“The blue collar wages are surging right now, and the capital formation is taking off,” he said.
Capital formation refers to net additions of capital stock, such as equipment, tools, transportation assets, and electricity that are used in producing goods and services.
As various studies show, capital formation benefits workers, said Hassett. He believes tax cut savings drive up investment and profits, improve productivity and wages, and ultimately boost economic growth.
The tax reform passed in December reduces the corporate income tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent. In addition, it allows companies to deduct 100 percent of the cost of their capital investments in the year the investment is made.
Critics of the tax reform claim that most companies will pass on the tax windfall to shareholders. Businesses, however, have accelerated their capital investments in recent months thanks to tax cuts and the full expensing provision.
Nonresidential fixed investment rose 6.3 percent year-on-year during the fourth quarter of 2017, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Equipment investment increased 8.9 percent during the same period.
According to Morgan Stanley’s composite capital expenditure plans (CapEx) index, future capital investment plans of U.S. companies have also surged. The six-month CapEx plans index reached a reading of 35.4 in March, hitting the highest level in 13 years.
The index, which provides an approximate three-month lead time for growth in equipment spending, shows strong momentum in investment through the second quarter of 2018, stated a Morgan Stanley report.
Labor Productivity Improves
Capital investment raises capital per worker, a situation called capital deepening, which increases labor productivity. Early signs of labor productivity are also positive.In President Barack Obama’s second term, capital deepening’s contribution to labor productivity growth in the private sector turned negative for the first time in U.S. history, said Hassett.
That means depreciation exceeded the investments in the country. That situation has completely turned around under the Trump administration, he explained.
For many years, U.S. corporations have left cash in their foreign subsidiaries to avoid high taxes. The tax reform addresses that problem by providing to American corporations a low repatriation tax rate, encouraging them to bring their overseas cash back to the country.
This change, along with corporate tax cuts, provides a strong incentive for American corporations to invest in the country, which will eventually benefit U.S. workers. According to estimates by the Council of Economic Advisers, households on average will get a $4,000 wage increase from corporate tax reform once the changes are fully implemented.
The massive amount of corporate capital, as well as record low unemployment, are creating a perfect environment for wage growth, Hassett said.
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