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The Gains from Preferential Tax Regimes Reconsidered

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  • Wooton, Ian
  • Gaigné, Carl

Abstract

The EU policy against harmful tax competition aims at eliminating tax policies targeted at attracting the internationally mobile tax base. We examine this issue by considering two countries which decide their corporate tax rates their tax regimes (discriminatory or non-discriminatory tax policy). Firms produce under imperfect competition and trade between countries is costly. The endogenous spatial allocation of mobile firms depends upon different parameters of the economy while the distribution of immobile firms is exogenous. We show that countries discriminate against immobile firms when trade costs are high. Trade integration makes imposing the same tax on all firms more appealing such that, at low trade costs, the unique Nash equilibrium is characterized by uniform corporate taxes being set by both governments. However, when trade costs reach intermediates values, fiscal competition may lead to tax discrimination while uniform taxation is socially preferred

Suggested Citation

  • Wooton, Ian & Gaigné, Carl, 2010. "The Gains from Preferential Tax Regimes Reconsidered," CEPR Discussion Papers 7814, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
  • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:7814
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    Cited by:

    1. Gaigné, Carl & Riou, Stéphane & Thisse, Jacques-François, 2012. "Are compact cities environmentally friendly?," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 72(2), pages 123-136.
    2. Bofinger, Peter & Feld, Lars P. & Schmidt, Christoph M. & Schnabel, Isabel & Wieland, Volker, 2018. "Vor wichtigen wirtschaftspolitischen Weichenstellungen. Jahresgutachten 2018/19 [Setting the Right Course for Economic Policy. Annual Report 2018/19]," Annual Economic Reports / Jahresgutachten, German Council of Economic Experts / Sachverständigenrat zur Begutachtung der gesamtwirtschaftlichen Entwicklung, volume 127, number 201819.
    3. Andreas Haufler & Hayato Kato & Hayato Kato, 2024. "A Global Minimum Tax for Large Firms Only: Implications for Tax Competition," CESifo Working Paper Series 11087, CESifo.
    4. Nelly Exbrayat & Carl Gaigné & Stéphane Riou, 2012. "The effects of labour unions on international capital tax competition," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 45(4), pages 1480-1503, November.
    5. Carl Gaigné & Stéphane Riou & Jacques-François Thisse, 2012. "Are Compact Cities Environmentally (and Socially) Desirable ?," Cahiers de recherche CREATE 2012-4, CREATE.
    6. Jota Ishikawa & Toshihiro Okubo, 2017. "Greenhouse-Gas Emission Controls and Firm Locations in North–South Trade," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 67(4), pages 637-660, August.
    7. Nelly Exbrayat & Thierry Madiès & Stéphane Riou, 2013. "Bailout policy in a globalized economy," Post-Print halshs-00945455, HAL.
    8. Nelly Exbrayat & Thierry Madiès & Stéphane Riou, 2020. "A Simple Model of Corporate Bailouts in a Globalized Economy," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 122(4), pages 1575-1605, October.
    9. Clemens Fuest & Samina Sultan, 2019. "How Will Brexit Affect Tax Competition and Tax Harmonization? The Role of Discriminatory Taxation," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 72(1), pages 111-138, March.
    10. Hernández-Murillo, Rubén, 2019. "Interjurisdictional competition with adverse selection," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 173(C), pages 85-95.
    11. Persyn, Damiaan, 2013. "Union wage demands with footloose firms and agglomeration forces," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 43(1), pages 142-150.
    12. Ruben Hernandez-Murillo, 2014. "Interjurisdictional Competition and Location Decisions of Firms," Working Papers 2014-36, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
    13. Nelly Exbrayat & Thierry Madiès & Stéphane Riou, 2013. "Abram Bergson," Working Papers 1340, Groupe d'Analyse et de Théorie Economique Lyon St-Étienne (GATE Lyon St-Étienne), Université de Lyon.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Imperfect competition; Preferential tax regimes; Tax competition; Trade costs;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F12 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Models of Trade with Imperfect Competition and Scale Economies; Fragmentation
    • H87 - Public Economics - - Miscellaneous Issues - - - International Fiscal Issues; International Public Goods

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