We contribute to the literature in two ways. First, we overcome an important
methodological issue in prior literature. Because the theory predicts
that dividend taxes increase required returns, our use of the implied cost
of equity capital provides a theoretically correct and more reliable test of
dividend tax capitalization than studies that use ex post returns. Second,
using this theoretically correct measure, we provide confirming evidence
that a higher level of taxation on dividends versus capital gains is capitalized
into common stock returns and that the magnitude of this dividend tax capitalization
is a function of the marginal investor’s tax attributes. Although