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Multinationals and Income Shifting by Debt

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  • Dirk Schindler
  • Guttorm Schjelderup

Abstract

Existing literature studies debt shifting and transfer pricing separately. In practice, however, the choice of debt-to-asset ratios in affiliates and the interest rate on internal debt are interrelated management decisions that are also mutually affected by government regulation. Therefore, this paper models these strategies as simultaneous decisions made by the management. We find that the tax sensitivity of the corporate tax base depends on whether debt shifting and transfer pricing are cost complements or substitutes. A second result is that stricter regulation of debt shifting and transfer pricing may have the effect of fostering such activities.

Suggested Citation

  • Dirk Schindler & Guttorm Schjelderup, 2016. "Multinationals and Income Shifting by Debt," International Journal of the Economics of Business, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(3), pages 263-286, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:ijecbs:v:23:y:2016:i:3:p:263-286
    DOI: 10.1080/13571516.2015.1129095
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    Cited by:

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    2. Jarle Møen & Dirk Schindler & Guttorm Schjelderup & Julia Tropina Bakke, 2019. "International Debt Shifting: The Value-Maximizing Mix of Internal and External Debt," International Journal of the Economics of Business, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(3), pages 431-465, September.
    3. Regina Ortmann & Erich Pummerer, 2023. "Distortional effects of separate accounting and formula apportionment on factor allocation," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 93(8), pages 1277-1307, October.
    4. S. Juranek & D. Schindler & A. Schneider, 2023. "Royalty taxation under tax competition and profit shifting," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 56(4), pages 1377-1412, November.
    5. Peter Vaz da Fonseca & Michele Nascimento Juca, 2020. "The Influence of Taxes on Foreign Direct Investment: Systematic Literature Review and Bibliometric Analysis," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(2), pages 55-77.
    6. Harendt, Christoph, 2018. "Tax Influence on Financial Structures of M&As," VfS Annual Conference 2018 (Freiburg, Breisgau): Digital Economy 181552, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    7. Nicola Comincioli & Paolo Panteghini & Sergio Vergalli, 2020. "Debt Shifting and Transfer Pricing in a Volatile World," CESifo Working Paper Series 8807, CESifo.
    8. Alex A. T. Rathke, 2023. "Profit shifting under the arm's length principle," Papers 2309.13449, arXiv.org.
    9. Harendt, Christoph, 2018. "Tax influence on financial structures of M&As," ZEW Discussion Papers 18-004, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    10. Andrea Lassmann & Benedikt Marian Maximilian Zoller-Rydzek, 2019. "Decomposing the Margins of Transfer Pricing," KOF Working papers 19-450, KOF Swiss Economic Institute, ETH Zurich.
    11. von Hagen, Dominik & Harendt, Christoph, 2017. "Impact of controlled foreign corporation rules on post-acquisition investment and profit shifting in targets," ZEW Discussion Papers 17-062, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.

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