IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/zbw/arqudp/343580.html

Patent concentration, limited comparable information, and tax-motivated income shifting

Author

Listed:
  • Amberger, Harald
  • Osswald, Benjamin

Abstract

We study the effect of patent concentration on tax-motivated income shifting. Using affiliate-level data for European multinational corporations (MNCs) and employing the relative share of patents held by an MNC in a country-industry-year as a measure, we show that the concentration of patent ownership facilitates tax-motivated income shifting. This effect is economically significant: a one standard deviation increase in patent concentration implies 59.6 percent more income shifting at the margin. When testing for the mechanism, we find that our results are driven by patent concentration limiting the information set of the local tax authority and increasing an MNC's transfer-pricing discretion. Overall, our study identifies patent concentration as an important driver of tax-motivated income shifting and suggests that the size of the local tax authority's information set is critical in curtailing potentially aggressive tax strategies. Hence, in order to be effective, taxpolicy measures must broaden this information set.

Suggested Citation

  • Amberger, Harald & Osswald, Benjamin, 2021. "Patent concentration, limited comparable information, and tax-motivated income shifting," arqus Discussion Papers in Quantitative Tax Research 302, arqus - Arbeitskreis Quantitative Steuerlehre.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:arqudp:343580
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/343580/1/1983264504.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Karkinsky, Tom & Riedel, Nadine, 2012. "Corporate taxation and the choice of patent location within multinational firms," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(1), pages 176-185.
    2. Huizinga, Harry & Laeven, Luc, 2008. "International profit shifting within multinationals: A multi-country perspective," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(5-6), pages 1164-1182, June.
    3. Stijn Claessens & Luc Laeven, 2004. "What drives bank competition? Some international evidence," Proceedings, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, pages 563-592.
    4. Merz, Julia & Overesch, Michael, 2016. "Profit shifting and tax response of multinational banks," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 57-68.
    5. Ufuk Akcigit & William R. Kerr, 2018. "Growth through Heterogeneous Innovations," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 126(4), pages 1374-1443.
    6. Elizabeth King, 2009. "Transfer Pricing and Corporate Taxation," Springer Books, Springer, number 978-0-387-78183-9, December.
    7. Clausing, Kimberly A., 2003. "Tax-motivated transfer pricing and US intrafirm trade prices," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(9-10), pages 2207-2223, September.
    8. Ufuk Akcigit & Sina T. Ates, 2023. "What Happened to US Business Dynamism?," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 131(8), pages 2059-2124.
    9. Dhammika Dharmapala, 2014. "What Do We Know about Base Erosion and Profit Shifting? A Review of the Empirical Literature," Fiscal Studies, Institute for Fiscal Studies, vol. 35, pages 421-448, December.
    10. Griffith, Rachel & Miller, Helen & O'Connell, Martin, 2014. "Ownership of intellectual property and corporate taxation," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 12-23.
    11. Sebastian Beer & Jan Loeprick, 2015. "Profit shifting: drivers of transfer (mis)pricing and the potential of countermeasures," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 22(3), pages 426-451, June.
    12. Kenneth J. Klassen & Petro Lisowsky & Devan Mescall, 2017. "Transfer Pricing: Strategies, Practices, and Tax Minimization," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 34(1), pages 455-493, March.
    13. Bartelsman, Eric J. & Beetsma, Roel M. W. J., 2003. "Why pay more? Corporate tax avoidance through transfer pricing in OECD countries," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(9-10), pages 2225-2252, September.
    14. Ernst, Holger, 2003. "Patent information for strategic technology management," World Patent Information, Elsevier, vol. 25(3), pages 233-242, September.
    15. Mitchell A. Petersen, 2009. "Estimating Standard Errors in Finance Panel Data Sets: Comparing Approaches," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 22(1), pages 435-480, January.
    16. Grubert, Harry, 2003. "Intangible Income, Intercompany Transactions, Income Shifting, and the Choice of Location," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 56(1), pages 221-242, March.
    17. Gao, Huasheng & Hsu, Po-Hsuan & Li, Kai, 2018. "Innovation Strategy of Private Firms," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 53(1), pages 1-32, February.
    18. Jost H. Heckemeyer & Michael Overesch, 2017. "Multinationals profit response to tax differentials: Effect size and shifting channels," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 50(4), pages 965-994, November.
    19. Bronwyn Hall & Christian Helmers & Mark Rogers & Vania Sena, 2014. "The Choice between Formal and Informal Intellectual Property: A Review," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 52(2), pages 375-423, June.
    20. Kevin Markle, 2016. "A Comparison of the Tax†Motivated Income Shifting of Multinationals in Territorial and Worldwide Countries," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 33(1), pages 7-43, March.
    21. Dischinger, Matthias & Riedel, Nadine, 2011. "Corporate taxes and the location of intangible assets within multinational firms," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(7), pages 691-707.
    22. James R. Hines & Eric M. Rice, 1994. "Fiscal Paradise: Foreign Tax Havens and American Business," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 109(1), pages 149-182.
    23. Lisa De Simone & Lillian F. Mills & Bridget Stomberg, 2019. "Using IRS data to identify income shifting to foreign affiliates," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 24(2), pages 694-730, June.
    24. Jennifer L. Blouin & Leslie A. Robinson & Jeri K. Seidman, 2018. "Conflicting Transfer Pricing Incentives and the Role of Coordination," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 35(1), pages 87-116, March.
    25. Jost H. Heckemeyer & Pia Olligs & Michael Overesch, 2018. ""Home Sweet Home" versus International Tax Planning: Where Do Multinational Firms Hold their U.S. Trademarks?," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 71(3), pages 485-520, September.
    26. Jost H. Heckemeyer & Michael Overesch, 2017. "Multinationals’ profit response to tax differentials: Effect size and shifting channels," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 50(4), pages 965-994, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. De Vito, Antonio & Hillmann, Lisa & Jacob, Martin & Vossebürger, Robert, 2025. "Do personal income taxes affect corporate tax-motivated profit shifting?," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 79(2).
    2. Sebastian Beer & Ruud de Mooij & Li Liu, 2020. "International Corporate Tax Avoidance: A Review Of The Channels, Magnitudes, And Blind Spots," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(3), pages 660-688, July.
    3. Cooper, Maggie & Nguyen, Quyen T.K., 2020. "Multinational enterprises and corporate tax planning: A review of literature and suggestions for a future research agenda," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(3).
    4. Chatjuthamard, Pattanaporn & Chintrakarn, Pandej & Jiraporn, Pornsit, 2026. "Strategic income shifting in uncertain times: Insights from economic policy uncertainty," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    5. Sabine Schenkelberg, 2020. "The Cadbury Schweppes judgment and its implications on profit shifting activities within Europe," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 27(1), pages 1-31, February.
    6. Dominika Langenmayr & Franz Reiter, 2022. "Trading offshore: evidence on banks’ tax avoidance," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 124(3), pages 797-837, July.
    7. Delis, Fotis & Delis, Manthos D. & Laeven, Luc & Ongena, Steven, 2025. "Global evidence on profit shifting within firms and across time," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 79(2).
    8. Ropponen, Olli, 2021. "Interest Limitation Rules and Business Cycles: Empirical Evidence," ETLA Working Papers 90, The Research Institute of the Finnish Economy.
    9. Nicolay, Katharina & Nusser, Hannah & Pfeiffer, Olena, 2017. "On the interdependency of profit shifting channels and the effectiveness of anti-avoidance legislation," ZEW Discussion Papers 17-066, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    10. Jost H. Heckemeyer & Michael Overesch, 2017. "Multinationals’ profit response to tax differentials: Effect size and shifting channels," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 50(4), pages 965-994, November.
    11. Michael Overesch & Sina Willkomm, 2025. "The relation between corporate social responsibility and profit shifting of multinational enterprises," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 32(2), pages 466-500, April.
    12. Becker, Johannes & Johannesen, Niels & Riedel, Nadine, 2020. "Taxation and the allocation of risk inside the multinational firm," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    13. Laudage Teles, Sabine & Riedel, Nadine & Schmidt, Katharina & Strohmaier, Kristina & Voget, Johannes & Wickel, Sophia, 2026. "Transfer price documentation rules and multinational firm behavior – Evidence from France," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 257(C).
    14. Hebous, Shafik & Johannesen, Niels, 2021. "At your service! The role of tax havens in international trade with services," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    15. Petr Janský & Miroslav Palanský, 2019. "Estimating the scale of profit shifting and tax revenue losses related to foreign direct investment," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 26(5), pages 1048-1103, October.
    16. Riedel Nadine, 2018. "Quantifying International Tax Avoidance: A Review of the Academic Literature," Review of Economics, De Gruyter, vol. 69(2), pages 169-181, August.
    17. Makoto Hasegawa, 2023. "Territorial Tax Reform and Profit Shifting by US and Japanese Multinationals," National Tax Journal, University of Chicago Press, vol. 76(4), pages 771-804.
    18. Nerudova, Danuse & Dobranschi, Marian & Solilová, Veronika & Litzman, Marek, 2023. "Onshore and offshore profit shifting and tax revenue losses in the European Union," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    19. Bornemann, Tobias & Laplante, Stacie K. & Osswald, Benjamin, 2018. "The effect of intellectual property boxes on innovative activity & effective tax rates," arqus Discussion Papers in Quantitative Tax Research 234, arqus - Arbeitskreis Quantitative Steuerlehre.
    20. Fuest, Clemens & Hugger, Felix & Neumeier, Florian, 2022. "Corporate profit shifting and the role of tax havens: Evidence from German country-by-country reporting data," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 194(C), pages 454-477.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • H25 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Business Taxes and Subsidies
    • H26 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Tax Evasion and Avoidance
    • L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms
    • O34 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Intellectual Property and Intellectual Capital

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:zbw:arqudp:343580. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.arqus.info/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.