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Economic integration and the optimal corporate tax structure with heterogeneous firms

Author Info

  • Christian Bauer

    ()

    (University of Munich)

  • Ronald B. Davies

    ()

    (University College Dublin)

  • Andreas Haufler

    ()

    (University of Munich)

Abstract

We study the optimal combination of corporate tax rate and tax base in a model of a small open economy with heterogeneous firms. We show that it is optimal for the small country's government to effectively subsidize capital inputs by granting a tax allowance in excess of the true costs of capital. Economic integration reduces the optimal capital subsidy and drives low-productivity firms from the small country's home market, replacing them with high-productivity exporters from abroad. This endogenous policy response creates a selection effect that increases the average productivity of home firms when trade barriers fall, in addition to the well-known direct effects.

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Paper provided by Oxford University Centre for Business Taxation in its series Working Papers with number 1114.

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Date of creation: 2011
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Handle: RePEc:btx:wpaper:1114
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Keywords: corporate tax reform; trade liberalization; firm heterogeneity;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
  • H25 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Business Taxes and Subsidies
  • H87 - Public Economics - - Miscellaneous Issues - - - International Fiscal Issues; International Public Goods
  • F15 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Economic Integration

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Cited by:

  1. Dominika Langenmayr & Andreas Hau fler & Christian J. Bauer, 2013. "Should tax policy favour high or low productivity firms?," Working Papers 1308, Oxford University Centre for Business Taxation.
  2. Peter Egger & Horst Raff, 2011. "Tax Rate and Tax Base Competition for Foreign Direct Investment," CESifo Working Paper Series 3596, CESifo Group Munich.
  3. Langenmayr, Dominika & Haufler, Andreas & Bauer, Christian J., 2012. "Should tax policy favor high- or low-productivity firms?," Discussion Papers in Economics 14277, University of Munich, Department of Economics.

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