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Capital Structure and International Debt Shifting

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Author Info
Harry Huizinga () (Tilburg University and CEPR.)
Luc Laeven () (International Monetary Fund and CEPR.)
Gaëtan Nicodème () (Centre Emile Bernheim, Solvay Business School, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels and European Commission.)

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Abstract

This paper presents a model of a multinational firm’s optimal debt policy that incorporates international taxation factors. The model yields the prediction that a multinational firm’s indebtedness in a country depends on a weighted average of national tax rates and differences between national and foreign tax rates. These differences matter as multinationals have an incentive to shift debt to high-tax countries. The predictions of the model are tested using a novel firm-level dataset for European multinationals and their subsidiaries, combined with newly collected data on the international tax treatment of dividend and interest streams. Our empirical results show that a foreign subsidiary’s capital structure reflects local corporate tax rates as well as tax rate differences vis-à-vis the parent firm and other foreign subsidiaries, although the overall economic effect of taxes on leverage appears to be small. Ignoring the international debt shifting arising from differences in national tax rates woudunderstate the impact of national taxes on debt policies by about 25%.

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File URL: http://www.solvay.edu/EN/Research/Bernheim/documents/wp07015.pdf
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Publisher Info
Paper provided by Université Libre de Bruxelles, Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management, Centre Emile Bernheim (CEB) in its series Working Papers CEB with number 07-015.RS.

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Length: 65 pages
Date of creation: Jun 2007
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Handle: RePEc:sol:wpaper:07-015

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Related research
Keywords: corporate taxation; financial structure; debt shifting;

Other versions of this item:

Find related papers by JEL classification:
F23 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - Multinational Firms; International Business
G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Capital and Ownership Structure
H25 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Business Taxes and Subsidies

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References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
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    Other versions:
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    Other versions:
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  6. Kenneth A. Froot & James R. Hines, Jr., 1995. "Interest Allocation Rules, Financing Patterns, and the Operations of U.S. Multinationals," NBER Working Papers 4924, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  12. Simeon Djankov & Caralee McLiesh & Andrei Shleifer, 2005. "Private Credit in 129 Countries," NBER Working Papers 11078, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  16. Hovakimian, Armen & Hovakimian, Gayane & Tehranian, Hassan, 2004. "Determinants of target capital structure: The case of dual debt and equity issues," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 71(3), pages 517-540, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  18. Hines, James Jr., 1994. "Credit and deferral as international investment incentives," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 55(2), pages 323-347, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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Full references

Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Paolo Panteghini, 2009. "The capital structure of multinational companies under tax competition," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer, vol. 16(1), pages 59-81, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  2. Michael Pfaffermayr & Matthias Stöckl & Hannes Winner, 2008. "Capital Structure, Corporate Taxation and Firm Age," Working Papers 0829, Oxford University Centre for Business Taxation. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  3. Ruud A. de Mooij & Sjef Ederveen, 2008. "Corporate Tax Elasticities A Reader’s Guide to Empirical Findings," Working Papers 0822, Oxford University Centre for Business Taxation. [Downloadable!]
  4. Overesch, Michael & Voeller, Dennis, 2008. "The Impact of Personal and Corporate Taxation on Capital Structure Choices," ZEW Discussion Papers 08-020, ZEW - Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung / Center for European Economic Research. [Downloadable!]
  5. Salvador Barrios & Harry Huizinga & Luc Laeven & Gaëtan J.A. Nicodème, 2008. "International Taxation and Multinational Firm Location Decisions," CESifo Working Paper Series CESifo Working Paper No. , CESifo GmbH. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  6. Alfons Weichenrieder & Tina Klautke, 2008. "Taxes and the Efficiency Costs of Capital Distortions," CESifo Working Paper Series CESifo Working Paper No. , CESifo GmbH. [Downloadable!]
  7. Overesch, Michael & Wamser, Georg, 2006. "German inbound investment, corporate tax planning, and thin-capitalization rules : a difference-in-differences approach," ZEW Discussion Papers 06-75, ZEW - Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung / Center for European Economic Research. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  8. Thiess Buettner & Michael Overesch & Ulrich Schreiber & Georg Wamser, 2006. "The Impact of Thin-Capitalization Rules on Multinationals’ Financing and Investment Decisions," CESifo Working Paper Series CESifo Working Paper No. , CESifo GmbH. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  9. Harry Huizinga & Johannes Voget & Wolf Wagner, 2008. "International Taxation and Takeover Premiums in Cross-border M&As," Working Papers 0826, Oxford University Centre for Business Taxation. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  10. Peter Egger & Wolfgang Eggert & Hannes Winner, 2007. "Saving Taxes Through Foreign Plant Ownership," CESifo Working Paper Series CESifo Working Paper No. , CESifo GmbH. [Downloadable!]
  11. Dhammika Dharmapala, 2008. "What Problems and Opportunities are Created by Tax Havens?," Working Papers 0820, Oxford University Centre for Business Taxation. [Downloadable!]
  12. Christian Keuschnigg & Peter Egger & Wolfgang Eggert & Hannes Winner, 2009. "Corporate Taxation, Debt Financing and Foreign Plant Ownership," University of St. Gallen Department of Economics working paper series 2009 2009-01, Department of Economics, University of St. Gallen. [Downloadable!]
  13. Marcin Piatkowski & Mariusz Jarmuzek, 2008. "Zero Corporate Income Tax in Moldova: Tax Competition and Its Implications for Eastern Europe," IMF Working Papers 08/203, International Monetary Fund. [Downloadable!]
  14. Carone, Giuseppe & Nicodème, Gaëtan & Schmidt, Jan, 2007. "Tax revenues in the European Union: Recent trends and challenges ahead," MPRA Paper 3996, University Library of Munich, Germany. [Downloadable!]
  15. Michael Broer, 2008. "Gestaltungsmöglichkeiten der Stadtstaaten bei gegebener Steuersatzautonomie für die Körperschaftsteuer : eine empirische Analyse," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 768, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research. [Downloadable!]
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