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Why Capital Income Taxes Survive in Open Economies: The Role of Multinational Firms

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  • Fuest, Clemens
  • Huber, Bernd

Abstract

This paper discusses the role of multinational firms and double taxation treaties for corporate income taxation in open economies. We show that it is optimal for a small open economy to levy positive corporate income taxes if multinational firms are taxed according to the full taxation after deduction system or the foreign tax credit system. Positive corporate taxes also occur in the asymmetric case where some countries apply the exemption system and others apply the tax credit system. If all countries apply the exemption system, the optimal corporate income tax is zero. We also show that, under tax competition, corporate income taxes are not necessarily too low from the perspective of the economy as a whole. While the undertaxation result is confirmed for the case of the exemption system, tax rates may also be inefficiently high if the deduction or the credit systems are applied.

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  • Fuest, Clemens & Huber, Bernd, 2002. "Why Capital Income Taxes Survive in Open Economies: The Role of Multinational Firms," Munich Reprints in Economics 20311, University of Munich, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:lmu:muenar:20311
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    Cited by:

    1. Stéphane Guimbert, 2002. "Réformes de la fiscalité du capital en Europe," Revue Française d'Économie, Programme National Persée, vol. 16(4), pages 113-169.
    2. Wataru Johdo, 2013. "Corporate Tax Reductions, Cross-Border Ownership and Welfare," The Japanese Economic Review, Japanese Economic Association, vol. 64(4), pages 484-503, December.
    3. Wataru Johdo, 2009. "New Entry, International Location Patterns and Welfare," American Journal of Economics and Business Administration, Science Publications, vol. 1(2), pages 133-137, June.
    4. Wataru Johdo, 2010. "Profit Tax And Firm Mobility In A Three‐Country Model," Australian Economic Papers, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(2), pages 111-126, June.
    5. Gebhard Kirchgässner, 2004. "Die Bedeutung der Körperschaftssteuer: Theoretische Überlegungen, die internationale Entwicklung und die Situation in der Schweiz," Aussenwirtschaft, University of St. Gallen, School of Economics and Political Science, Swiss Institute for International Economics and Applied Economics Research, vol. 59(03), pages 239-272, September.
    6. Fuest, Clemens & Hemmelgarn, Thomas, 2005. "Corporate tax policy, foreign firm ownership and thin capitalization," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 508-526, September.
    7. Johannes Becker & May Elsayyad & Clemens Fuest, 2012. "Auswirkungen der Globalisierung auf die Struktur der Besteuerung," Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik, Verein für Socialpolitik, vol. 13(1-2), pages 4-18, February.
    8. B. Anthony Billings & Mbodja Mougoué & Buagu Musazi, 2009. "How Firms' Foreign Tax Credit Limitation Affects the Amount of Foreign Assets Deployed," Public Finance Review, , vol. 37(2), pages 170-197, March.
    9. Dickescheid, Thomas, 2002. "Steuerwettbewerb und Direktinvestitionen," Beiträge zur Finanzwissenschaft, Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, edition 1, volume 16, number urn:isbn:9783161477348, May.

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