Choosing a country for international business. Comparison of Russia and USA_

In the XXI century, an entrepreneur has a much wider choice of countries and regions to start a business than before. Choice factors such as proximity to commodity markets, cheap access to raw materials and cheap or skilled labor are superior to the size of the market, the quality of the business environment (convenience of doing business), and the tax environment of a particular country or region. This article analyzes the main components of the business environment and the tax environment of the Russian Federation and the United States of America in comparison. The business environment is considered as a set of relations with regulatory authorities, the level of corruption, business ethics, the legal system, the quality of the workforce, the depth and frequency of financial reporting. The tax system is analyzed from a corporate perspective in terms of the main taxes paid by corporations in both countries: Corporate Income Tax (CIT), Value Added Tax (VAT), sales taxes, and payroll taxes. The business environment as we have defined it is clearly more favorable for business in the United States, but Russia has some advantages over the United States in corporate taxation, such as a lower CPN rate and special tax regimes. However, the other tax burden under consideration makes Russia much less competitive to start and run a business.