IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/mhr/finarc/urnsici0015-2218(291106)672_145sctrad_2.0.tx_2-m.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Statutory Corporate Tax Rates and Double-Taxation Treaties as Determinants of Multinational Firm Activity

Author

Listed:
  • Peter Egger
  • Valeria Merlo

Abstract

This paper analyzes the influence of statutory corporate tax rates on profits and of double-taxation treaties (DTTs) on multinational firm (MNE) activity at the micro level. It provides an assessment of the effects of these profit tax instruments on the extensive and the intensive margin of activity. In particular, we estimate two-part quasi-maximum-likelihood models using panel data on the foreign activity of German MNEs in the decade 1996-2005 and find that statutory tax rates affect MNE activity negatively both at the extensive and at the intensive margin of investment, while DTTs primarily induce a positive effect at the extensive margin.

Suggested Citation

  • Peter Egger & Valeria Merlo, 2011. "Statutory Corporate Tax Rates and Double-Taxation Treaties as Determinants of Multinational Firm Activity," FinanzArchiv: Public Finance Analysis, Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, vol. 67(2), pages 145-170, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:mhr:finarc:urn:sici:0015-2218(291106)67:2_145:sctrad_2.0.tx_2-m
    DOI: 10.1628/001522108X588754
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mohrsiebeck.com/en/article/statutory-corporate-tax-rates-and-double-taxation-treaties-as-determinants-of-multinational-firm-activity-101628001522111x588754
    Download Restriction: Fulltext access is included for subscribers to the printed version.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1628/001522108X588754?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Buettner, Thiess & Overesch, Michael & Schreiber, Ulrich & Wamser, Georg, 2009. "Taxation and capital structure choice--Evidence from a panel of German multinationals," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 105(3), pages 309-311, December.
    2. Buettner, Thiess & Wamser, Georg, 2013. "Internal Debt and Multinational Profit Shifting: Empirical Evidence From Firm-Level Panel Data," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 66(1), pages 63-95, March.
    3. Schreiber, Ulrich & Overesch, Michael & Büttner, Thiess & Wamser, Georg, 2006. "The Impact of Thin-Capitalization Rules on Multinationals? Financing and Investment Decisions," ZEW Discussion Papers 06-068, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    4. Thiess Buettner & Michael Overesch & Georg Wamser, 2011. "Tax Status and Tax Response Heterogeneity of Multinationals' Debt Finance," FinanzArchiv: Public Finance Analysis, Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, vol. 67(2), pages 103-122, June.
    5. Johannes Becker & Clemens Fuest, 2010. "Taxing Foreign Profits With International Mergers And Acquisitions," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 51(1), pages 171-186, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Sean Mc Auliffe & Georg U. Thunecke & Georg Wamser, 2023. "The Tax-Elasticity of Tangible Fixed Assets: Evidence from Novel Corporate Tax Data," CESifo Working Paper Series 10628, CESifo.
    2. Ronald B. Davies & Iulia Siedschlag & Zuzanna Studnicka, 2021. "The impact of taxes on the extensive and intensive margins of FDI," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 28(2), pages 434-464, April.
    3. Overesch Michael, 2016. "Steuervermeidung multinationaler Unternehmen," Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik, De Gruyter, vol. 17(2), pages 129-143, July.
    4. Peter Vaz da Fonseca & Michele Nascimento Juca, 2020. "The Influence of Taxes on Foreign Direct Investment: Systematic Literature Review and Bibliometric Analysis," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(2), pages 55-77.
    5. Harendt, Christoph & Dreßler, Daniel & Overesch, Michael, 2016. "The Impact of Tax Treaties and Repatriation Taxes on FDI Revisited," VfS Annual Conference 2016 (Augsburg): Demographic Change 145588, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    6. Egger, Peter H. & Merlo, Valeria & Wamser, Georg, 2014. "Unobserved tax avoidance and the tax elasticity of FDI," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 1-18.
    7. Badi H. Baltagi & Peter Egger & Michael Pfaffermayr, 2014. "Panel Data Gravity Models of International Trade," CESifo Working Paper Series 4616, CESifo.
    8. Hearson, Martin, 2018. "When do developing countries negotiate away their corporate tax base?," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 87762, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    9. Martin Hearson, 2017. "What makes countries negotiate away their corporate tax base?," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2017-122, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    10. Petr Janský & Jan Láznička & Miroslav Palanský, 2021. "Tax treaties worldwide: Estimating elasticities and revenue foregone," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(2), pages 359-401, May.
    11. Simon Behrendt & Georg Wamser, 2018. "Tax-Response Heterogeneity and the Effects of Double Taxation Treaties on the Location Choices of Multinational Firms," CESifo Working Paper Series 6869, CESifo.
    12. Dominik Gajewski, 2013. "The Holding Company as an Instrument of Companies’ Tax-Financial Policy Formation," Contemporary Economics, University of Economics and Human Sciences in Warsaw., vol. 7(1), March.
    13. Mário MARQUES & Carlos PINHO, 2014. "Effects of Corporate Taxation and Bilateral Tax Treaties on European Multinationals’ Investment, 2005-2009. A Multi-Country Analysis," Applied Econometrics and International Development, Euro-American Association of Economic Development, vol. 14(1), pages 33-44.
    14. Peter Egger & Michael Stimmelmayr, 2017. "Taxation and the Multinational Firm," CESifo Working Paper Series 6384, CESifo.
    15. Dominik Gajewski, 2012. "Chosen Tax-Related and Economic Aspects of Choosing the Method of Equity Financing in Relation to Thin Capitalisation in the Countries of OECD," Contemporary Economics, University of Economics and Human Sciences in Warsaw., vol. 6(1), March.
    16. Kunka Petkova & Andrzej Stasio & Martin Zagler, 2020. "On the relevance of double tax treaties," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 27(3), pages 575-605, June.
    17. Martin Hearson, 2017. "Political role models, child marriage, and women’s autonomy over marriage in India," WIDER Working Paper Series 122, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jarle Møen & Dirk Schindler & Guttorm Schjelderup & Julia Tropina, 2011. "International Debt Shifting: Do Multinationals Shift Internal or External Debt?," Working Paper Series of the Department of Economics, University of Konstanz 2011-40, Department of Economics, University of Konstanz.
    2. Feld, Lars P. & Heckemeyer, Jost H. & Overesch, Michael, 2013. "Capital structure choice and company taxation: A meta-study," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 37(8), pages 2850-2866.
    3. Jarle Møen & Dirk Schindler & Guttorm Schjelderup & Julia Tropina Bakke, 2019. "International Debt Shifting: The Value-Maximizing Mix of Internal and External Debt," International Journal of the Economics of Business, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(3), pages 431-465, September.
    4. Martin Ruf, 2011. "Why is the Response of Multinationals' Capital-Structure Choice to Tax Incentives That Low? Some Possible Explanations," FinanzArchiv: Public Finance Analysis, Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, vol. 67(2), pages 123-144, June.
    5. Dirk Schindler & Guttorm Schjelderup, 2013. "Transfer Pricing and Debt Shifting in Multinationals," CESifo Working Paper Series 4381, CESifo.
    6. Jarkko Harju & Ilpo Kauppinen & Olli Ropponen, 2023. "Firm Responses to an Interest Barrier: Empirical Evidence," Working Papers 7, Finnish Centre of Excellence in Tax Systems Research.
    7. Nils aus dem Moore, 2014. "Taxes and Corporate Financing Decisions – Evidence from the Belgian ACE Reform," Ruhr Economic Papers 0533, Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universität Dortmund, Universität Duisburg-Essen.
    8. Haufler, Andreas & Runkel, Marco, 2012. "Firms' financial choices and thin capitalization rules under corporate tax competition," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 56(6), pages 1087-1103.
    9. Schindler, Dirk & Schjelderup, Guttorm, 2012. "Debt shifting and ownership structure," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 56(4), pages 635-647.
    10. Overesch, Michael & Wamser, Georg, 2006. "German inbound investment, corporate tax planning, and thin-capitalization rules: a difference-in-differences approach," ZEW Discussion Papers 06-075, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    11. Egger, Peter & Keuschnigg, Christian & Merlo, Valeria & Wamser, Georg, 2011. "Corporate Taxes, Internal Borrowing, and the Lending Capacity within Multinational Firms," Economics Working Paper Series 1142, University of St. Gallen, School of Economics and Political Science.
    12. Schindler, Dirk & Schjelderup, Guttorm, 2008. "Multinationals, Minority Ownership and Tax-Efficient Financing Structures," Discussion Papers 2008/19, Norwegian School of Economics, Department of Business and Management Science.
    13. Harendt, Christoph, 2018. "Tax Influence on Financial Structures of M&As," VfS Annual Conference 2018 (Freiburg, Breisgau): Digital Economy 181552, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    14. R. Miniaci & M. Parisi & P. Panteghini, 2014. "Debt shifting in Europe," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 21(3), pages 397-435, June.
    15. Francesca Barion & Raffaele Miniaci & Paolo M Panteghini & Maria Laura Parisi, 2010. "Profit shifting by debt financing in Europe," Working Papers 1007, University of Brescia, Department of Economics.
    16. Mardan, Mohammed, 2017. "Why countries differ in thin capitalization rules: The role of financial development," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 1-14.
    17. Overesch Michael, 2016. "Steuervermeidung multinationaler Unternehmen," Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik, De Gruyter, vol. 17(2), pages 129-143, July.
    18. Goldbach, Stefan & Møen, Jarle & Schindler, Dirk & Schjelderup, Guttorm & Wamser, Georg, 2021. "The tax-efficient use of debt in multinational corporations," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    19. Jan Hendrik Fisch & Bjoern Schmeisser, 0. "Phasing the operation mode of foreign subsidiaries: Reaping the benefits of multinationality through internal capital markets," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 0, pages 1-33.
    20. Guttorm Schjelderup, 2016. "The Tax Sensitivity of Debt in Multinationals: A Review," International Journal of the Economics of Business, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(1), pages 109-121, February.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    profit taxation; double-taxation treaties; multinational firms; pseudo-maximum-likelihood models;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C23 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models
    • F23 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - Multinational Firms; International Business
    • H25 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Business Taxes and Subsidies

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:mhr:finarc:urn:sici:0015-2218(291106)67:2_145:sctrad_2.0.tx_2-m. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Thomas Wolpert (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mohrsiebeck.com/fa .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.