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The Foreign Investment Effects of Tax Treaties

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  • Arjan Lejour

    (CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis)

Abstract

We examine the impact of bilateral and multilateral tax treaties on bilateral FDI stocks. First, we present panel regressions of the effects of treaties on FDI based on an extensive database of all OECD countries from 1985 onwards. We use geographic instruments to correct for the endogeneity of tax treaties. In contrast to many papers we find that these treaties increase bilateral FDI significantly. The incrase is about 16 percent and for new treaties this is even 21 percent. Moreover, the EU parent subsidiary directive doubles bilateral FDI stocks. Second, we analyse the effects of treaty shopping on FDI using the number of tax treaties as proxy for the attractiveness of a country for establishing a holding. This indicator has a significant impact on FDI: twenty extra tax treaties increase bilateral FDI stocks by about 50 percent. Lower withholding tax rates of dividends do also attract FDI.

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  • Arjan Lejour, 2014. "The Foreign Investment Effects of Tax Treaties," Working Papers 1403, Oxford University Centre for Business Taxation.
    • Handle: RePEc:btx:wpaper:1403
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    Cited by:

    1. Maarten van 't Riet & Arjan Lejour, 2014. "Ranking the Stars: Network Analysis of Bilateral Tax Treaties," CPB Discussion Paper 290.rdf, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
    2. Lee, Siwook & Kim, Daeyong, 2022. "The impact of tax treaties on foreign direct investment: The evidence reconsidered," KDI Journal of Economic Policy, Korea Development Institute (KDI), vol. 44(3), pages 27-48.
    3. 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.
    4. 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.
    5. Hearson, Martin, 2018. "Transnational expertise and the expansion of the international tax regime: imposing ‘acceptable’ standards," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 88351, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    6. Maarten van 't Riet & Arjan Lejour, 2014. "Ranking the Stars: Network Analysis of Bilateral Tax Treaties," CPB Discussion Paper 290, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
    7. Luo, Changyuan & Luo, Qin & Zeng, Shuai, 2022. "Bilateral tax agreement and FDI inflows: Evidence from Hong Kong investment in the Mainland China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    bilateral tax treaties; instrumental variables; FDI; treaty shopping;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F21 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Investment; Long-Term Capital Movements
    • F23 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - Multinational Firms; International Business
    • H25 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Business Taxes and Subsidies

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