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Optimal fiscal barriers to international economic integration in the presence of tax havens

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  • Johannesen, Niels

Abstract

This paper develops a model where firms can shift profits to tax havens by means of intra-firm loans and countries can protect themselves against profit shifting by taxing cross-border interest flows. The model considers two countries with a scope for welfare improving economic integration. The first-best tax system has two important characteristics: (i) the tax rate on interest flows to the other country is zero to ensure the optimal level of economic integration; (ii) the tax rate on interest flows to tax havens is high enough to deter profit shifting to tax havens. In second-best environments, countries face a trade-off between economic integration and protection against tax havens, which causes protection to be suboptimally low. The key to the result is that economic integration makes it easier for multinational firms to circumvent taxes on interest payments to tax havens with conduit loans. The paper thus provides an explanation for the empirical puzzle that many countries do not tax interest payments to tax havens despite the scope for profit shifting.

Suggested Citation

  • Johannesen, Niels, 2012. "Optimal fiscal barriers to international economic integration in the presence of tax havens," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 96(3), pages 400-416.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:pubeco:v:96:y:2012:i:3:p:400-416
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2011.12.008
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    Cited by:

    1. Hsun Chu & Chu-Chuan Cheng & Yu-Bong Lai, 2015. "A political economy of tax havens," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 22(6), pages 956-976, December.
    2. 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.
    3. Langenmayr, Dominika & Haufler, Andreas & Bauer, Christian J., 2015. "Should tax policy favor high- or low-productivity firms?," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 18-34.
    4. Gresik, Thomas A. & Schindler, Dirk & Schjelderup, Guttorm, 2015. "The Effect of Tax Havens on Host Country Welfare," Discussion Papers 2015/19, Norwegian School of Economics, Department of Business and Management Science.
    5. Finke, Katharina & Fuest, Clemens & Nusser, Hannah & Spengel, Christoph, 2014. "Extending taxation of interest and royalty income at source: An option to limit base erosion and profit shifting?," ZEW Discussion Papers 14-073, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    6. Mihai-Bogdan AFRASINEI & Iuliana Eugenia GEORGESCU & Costel ISTRATE, 2016. "The Influence Of The Connections Of Romanian Non-Listed Firms To Tax Havens On Their Profitability," CES Working Papers, Centre for European Studies, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, vol. 8(4), pages 572-596, December.
    7. Johannesen, Niels, 2022. "The global minimum tax," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 212(C).
    8. Mr. Alexander D Klemm & Ms. Li Liu, 2019. "The Impact of Profit Shifting on Economic Activity and Tax Competition," IMF Working Papers 2019/287, International Monetary Fund.
    9. Panagiotis Delimatsis & Bernard Hoekman, 2017. "National Tax Regulation, International Standards and the GATS: Argentina—Financial Services," RSCAS Working Papers 2017/42, European University Institute.
    10. Sunghoon Hong, 2018. "Tax treaties and foreign direct investment: a network approach," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 25(5), pages 1277-1320, October.
    11. Hebous, Shafik & Lipatov, Vilen, 2014. "A journey from a corruption port to a tax haven," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(3), pages 739-754.
    12. John D. Wilson, 2015. "Tax Havens in a World of Competing Countries," CESifo DICE Report, Ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 12(4), pages 32-29, 01.
    13. Mohammed Mardan, 2019. "Tax Systems and Development," CESifo Working Paper Series 7940, CESifo.
    14. John D. Wilson, 2015. "Tax Havens in a World of Competing Countries," ifo DICE Report, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 12(4), pages 32-39, 01.
    15. Niels Johannesen, 2011. "Strategic Line Drawing between Debt and Equity," EPRU Working Paper Series 2011-04, Economic Policy Research Unit (EPRU), University of Copenhagen. Department of Economics.
    16. repec:ces:ifodic:v:12:y:2015:i:4:p:19149988 is not listed on IDEAS
    17. Niels Johannesen, 2012. "Cross-border hybrid instruments," EPRU Working Paper Series 2012-02, Economic Policy Research Unit (EPRU), University of Copenhagen. Department of Economics.
    18. Ludvig Wier & Hayley Reynolds, 2018. "Big and 'unprofitable': How 10 per cent of multinational firms do 98 per cent of profit shifting," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2018-111, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    19. Shafik Hebous, 2014. "Money at the Docks of Tax Havens: A Guide," FinanzArchiv: Public Finance Analysis, Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, vol. 70(3), pages 458-485, September.
    20. Xiangjun Ma, 2017. "Do taxes influence the organizational boundaries of international firms? An incomplete-contracting model with empirical evidence," The Journal of International Trade & Economic Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(7), pages 801-828, October.
    21. Hebous, Shafik & Johannesen, Niels, 2021. "At your service! The role of tax havens in international trade with services," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    22. John D. Wilson, 2015. "Tax Havens in a World of Competing Countries," ifo DICE Report, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 12(04), pages 32-39, January.
    23. Ludvig Wier & Hayley Reynolds, 2018. "Big and ‘unprofitable’: How 10% of multinational firms do 98% of profit shifting," WIDER Working Paper Series 111, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    24. Ludvig Wier & Hayley Erasmus, 2023. "The Dominant Role of Large Firms in Profit Shifting," IMF Economic Review, Palgrave Macmillan;International Monetary Fund, vol. 71(3), pages 791-816, September.
    25. Johannesen, Niels, 2014. "Tax avoidance with cross-border hybrid instruments," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 40-52.

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