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The Nexus of Corporate Income Taxation and Multinational Activity

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  • Johannes Becker
  • Clemens Fuest

Abstract

If a firm operates abroad, the host and the residence country have to decide how to divide the taxing rights among them. Firstly, the host country has to determine whether or not the firm has to file for income taxation at source. Secondly, the income has to be split between the two jurisdictions for tax purposes. These two decisions determine the extent of source- and residence-based taxation. We build a two-country model with costs of tax administration and compliance in order to analyze these two decision margins. We show that the globally optimal solution may imply a mix of source-based and residence-based taxation. Decentralized policies may attain the global optimum if specific transfer pricing rules are applied.

Suggested Citation

  • Johannes Becker & Clemens Fuest, 2012. "The Nexus of Corporate Income Taxation and Multinational Activity," FinanzArchiv: Public Finance Analysis, Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, vol. 68(3), pages 231-251, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:mhr:finarc:urn:sici:0015-2218(201209)68:3_231:tnocit_2.0.tx_2-1
    DOI: 10.1628/001522108X653822
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    7. 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.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    corporate taxation; nexus threshold; multinational firms;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H25 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Business Taxes and Subsidies
    • F23 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - Multinational Firms; International Business

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