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Effective tax rates and firm size in Ethiopia

Author

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  • Giulia Mascagni
  • Andualem Mengistu

Abstract

The literature on Effective Tax Rates (ETRs) focuses on high‐ and middle‐income countries, but there is very little evidence on low‐income countries. This article addresses this gap with new evidence from Ethiopia. We investigate corporate ETRs in Ethiopia and whether the distributional effects they have in practice are in line with the corporate tax policy design. We calculate ETRs in line with the literature in this field, using profit tax at the numerator and gross profit at the denominator. We then analyse ETRs not only using panel data, focusing particularly on their relation to firm size, but also including other explanatory variables. Our main result is that, despite a proportional tax rate, small firms face a higher effective tax burden than larger firms, while middle‐sized firms face the lowest burden of all. We highlight that tax systems can have practical implications that differ largely from their policy design, due to compliance costs and imperfect enforcement. Measures to reduce compliance costs for small firms are particularly recommended.

Suggested Citation

  • Giulia Mascagni & Andualem Mengistu, 2019. "Effective tax rates and firm size in Ethiopia," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 37(S2), pages 248-273, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:devpol:v:37:y:2019:i:s2:p:o248-o273
    DOI: 10.1111/dpr.12400
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Okunogbe,Oyebola Motunrayo & Santoro,Fabrizio, 2021. "The Promise and Limitations of Information Technology for Tax Mobilization," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9848, The World Bank.
    2. Aliisa Koivisto & Nicholas Musoke & Dorothy Nakyambadde & Caroline Schimanski, 2021. "The case of taxing multinational corporations in Uganda: Do multinational corporations face lower effective tax rates and is there evidence for profit shifting?," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2021-51, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    3. Mascagni, Giulia & Molla, Kiflu & Mengistu, Andualem, 2021. "Trade Tax Evasion and the Tax Rate: Evidence from Transaction-level Trade Data," Working Papers 16548, Institute of Development Studies, International Centre for Tax and Development.
    4. Andualem T Mengistu & Kiflu G Molla & Giulia Mascagni, 2022. "Trade Tax Evasion and the Tax Rate: Evidence from Transaction-level Trade Data," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 31(1), pages 94-122.
    5. Okunogbe,Oyebola Motunrayo & Santoro,Fabrizio, 2022. "Increasing Tax Collection in African Countries : The Role of Information Technology," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10182, The World Bank.
    6. Tom Moerenhout & Joonseok Yang, 2022. "Tax Evasion Attitudes of Small Firms in Low‐ and Middle‐income Countries: Evidence from Nigeria," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 40(6), November.
    7. Mascagni, Giulia & Santoro, Fabrizio & Mukama, Denis & Karangwa, John & Hakizimana, Napthal, 2022. "Active Ghosts: Nil-filing in Rwanda," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    8. Cláudia Braz & Maria Manuel Campos & Sónia Cabral, 2022. "A micro-level analysis of corporate income taxation in Portugal," Economic Bulletin and Financial Stability Report Articles and Banco de Portugal Economic Studies, Banco de Portugal, Economics and Research Department.
    9. Lilia Bliznashka & Simone Passarelli & Chelsey R. Canavan & Amare Worku Tadesse & Yemane Berhane & Wafaie W. Fawzi, 2021. "Changes and challenges in markets for animal source foods: a qualitative study among market vendors in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 13(3), pages 583-595, June.

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