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Assessing Tax Burden Differential Between Foreign Multinationals and Local Firms: Implications for FDI Tax Incentives

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  • Athiphat Muthitacharoen

Abstract

This study uses firm-level data from ASEAN5 to examine whether there are systemic differences in how reported profit is taxed between foreign multinational and comparable local firms. Using propensity score matching, it finds that the effective tax rate (ETR: tax expense divided by pre-tax profit) of foreign MNEs is 1.8 percentage point lower than that of local firms. It also shows that the preferential tax treatment is responsible for 95% of the ETR differential. Under the baseline scenario, the associated revenue loss is 2.6% of total corporate income revenue.

Suggested Citation

  • Athiphat Muthitacharoen, 2020. "Assessing Tax Burden Differential Between Foreign Multinationals and Local Firms: Implications for FDI Tax Incentives," PIER Discussion Papers 127, Puey Ungphakorn Institute for Economic Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:pui:dpaper:127
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Tax Incentive; Foreign Direct Investment; Multinational Enterprises;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E62 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Fiscal Policy; Modern Monetary Theory
    • F23 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - Multinational Firms; International Business
    • H25 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Business Taxes and Subsidies

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