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Corporate tax policy, entrepreneurship and incorporation in the EU

Author

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  • Ruud A. de Mooij
  • Gaëtan Nicodème

Abstract

In Europe, declining corporate tax rates have come along with rising tax-to-GDP ratios. This paper explores to what extent income shifting from the personal to the corporate tax base can explain these diverging developments. A panel of European data on firm births and legal form of business was used to analyze income shifting via increased entrepreneurship and incorporation. The results suggest that lower corporate taxes exert an ambiguous effect on entrepreneurship. The effect on incorporation is significant and large. It implies that the revenue effects of lower corporate tax rates - possibly induced by tax competition -- partly show up in lower personal tax revenues rather than lower corporate tax revenues. Simulations suggest that between 10% and 17% of corporate tax revenue can be attributed to income shifting. Income shifting is found to have raised the corporate tax-to-GDP ratio by some 0.2%-points since the early 1990s.

Suggested Citation

  • Ruud A. de Mooij & Gaëtan Nicodème, 2007. "Corporate tax policy, entrepreneurship and incorporation in the EU," European Economy - Economic Papers 2008 - 2015 269, Directorate General Economic and Financial Affairs (DG ECFIN), European Commission.
    • Handle: RePEc:euf:ecopap:0269
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    Cited by:

    1. Canavire-Bacarreza, Gustavo & Martínez-Vázquez, Jorge & Vulovic, Violeta, 2013. "Taxation and Economic Growth in Latin America," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 4583, Inter-American Development Bank.
    2. Fabien Candau & Jacques Le Cacheux, 2017. "Corporate Income Tax as a Genuine Own Resource," Post-Print hal-02633862, HAL.
    3. Tomasz Skica & Tomasz Wo³owiec & Pavel Pavlov, 2014. "Eeconomic Relations Between Personal And Corporate Income Tax," "e-Finanse", University of Information Technology and Management, Institute of Financial Research and Analysis, vol. 10(1), pages 60-68, June.
    4. Clemens Fuest & Felix Hugger & Susanne Wildgruber, 2022. "Why Is Corporate Tax Revenue Stable While Tax Rates Fall? Evidence from Firm-Level Data," National Tax Journal, University of Chicago Press, vol. 75(3), pages 481-515.
    5. European Commission, 2011. "Tax Reforms in EU Member States 2011: tax policy challenges for economic growth and fiscal sustainability," Taxation Papers 28, Directorate General Taxation and Customs Union, European Commission.
    6. Ladislav Mejzlík & Markéta Arltová & David Procházka & Leoš Vítek, 2015. "Implementace mezinárodních standardů účetního výkaznictví v České republice a její vliv na zdanění podniků [The Adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards in the Czech Republic and Its," Politická ekonomie, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 2015(7), pages 811-832.
    7. Edmark, Karin & Gordon, Roger, 2012. "Taxes and the Choice of Organizational Form by Entrepreneurs in Sweden," Working Paper Series 907, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.
    8. International Monetary Fund, 2008. "France: Selected Issues," IMF Staff Country Reports 2008/074, International Monetary Fund.
    9. Slavomira Tahlova & Anna Banociova, 2019. "Assessment of Corporate Income Tax Revenues in the Light of Their Current Determinants," Montenegrin Journal of Economics, Economic Laboratory for Transition Research (ELIT), vol. 15(1), pages 87-97.
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    11. Simone Bertoli & Francesco Farina, 2007. "The functional distribution of income: a review of the theoretical literature and of the empirical evidence around its recent pattern in European countries," Department of Economic Policy, Finance and Development (DEPFID) University of Siena 005, Department of Economic Policy, Finance and Development (DEPFID), University of Siena.
    12. Taro Ohno & Masaki Hotei & Eiichiro Sato & Chie Umezaki, 2015. "Decomposition of the Variation of Corporate Tax Revenues : Based on Consideration of Corporate Tax Paradox-," Public Policy Review, Policy Research Institute, Ministry of Finance Japan, vol. 11(2), pages 333-360, March.
    13. Fabien Candau & Jacques Le Cacheux, 2017. "Corporate Income Tax as a Genuine own Resource," Working papers of CATT hal-01847937, HAL.
    14. Mario Mansour, 2015. "Tax Policy in MENA Countries: Looking Back and Forward," IMF Working Papers 2015/098, International Monetary Fund.
    15. Giuseppe Carone & Jan Host Schmidt & Gaetan Nicodeme, 2007. "Tax revenues in the European Union: Recent trends and challenges ahead," European Economy - Economic Papers 2008 - 2015 280, Directorate General Economic and Financial Affairs (DG ECFIN), European Commission.
    16. Marcin Piatkowski & Mariusz Jarmuzek, 2008. "Zero Corporate Income Tax in Moldova: Tax Competition and Its Implications for Eastern Europe," IMF Working Papers 2008/203, International Monetary Fund.
    17. Doris Prammer, 2011. "Quality of taxation and the crisis: Tax shifts from a growth perspective," Taxation Papers 29, Directorate General Taxation and Customs Union, European Commission.
    18. Ergete Ferede, 2013. "Tax progressivity and self-employment: evidence from Canadian provinces," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 40(1), pages 141-153, January.
    19. Bofinger, Peter & Schnabel, Isabel & Feld, Lars P. & Schmidt, Christoph M. & Wieland, Volker, 2014. "Mehr Vertrauen in Marktprozesse. Jahresgutachten 2014/15 [More confidence in market processes. Annual Report 2014/15]," Annual Economic Reports / Jahresgutachten, German Council of Economic Experts / Sachverständigenrat zur Begutachtung der gesamtwirtschaftlichen Entwicklung, volume 127, number 201415.
    20. Cassette, Aurélie & Paty, Sonia, 2008. "Tax competition among Eastern and Western European countries: With whom do countries compete?," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 32(4), pages 307-325, December.
    21. Peter Egger & Christian Keuschnigg & Hannes Winner, 2008. "Incorporation and Taxation: Theory and Firm-level Evidence," University of St. Gallen Department of Economics working paper series 2008 2008-20, Department of Economics, University of St. Gallen.
    22. Margaret K. McKeehan & George R. Zodrow, 2019. "Balancing Act: Weighing the Factors Affecting the Taxation of Capital Income in a Small Open Economy," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: George R Zodrow (ed.), TAXATION IN THEORY AND PRACTICE Selected Essays of George R. Zodrow, chapter 12, pages 347-396, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..

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    JEL classification:

    • H25 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Business Taxes and Subsidies
    • L26 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Entrepreneurship

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