IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bcp/journl/v7y2023i7p567-581.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Effects of Tax Incentives and Subsidies on Economic Growth in Developing Economies

Author

Listed:
  • Okoth Erick

    (MA. Economics student at Sakarya University, 54050 Sakarya, Türkiye BSc. Economics and Statistics graduate of South-Eastern Kenya University, 170-90200 Kitui, Kenya.)

Abstract

Tax incentives are defined as tax rules that go against the generally accepted principles of tax neutrality and fairness which are aimed at fostering both foreign and local investment since they promote greater investment competitiveness among emerging nations, maximize returns on investments, and reduce costs and inefficiencies in the investment market. Subsidies on the other hand are described as any government aid to private industry producers or consumers, whether financial or in-kind, which requires no commensurate repayment to the government in exchange but prerequisite the benefit on a certain conduct by the receiving firm or industry. This study aims to investigate the potential effectiveness of tax incentives and subsidies in enhancing economic development and growth among developing economies. Most developing economies, if not all, that are members of the UN organization work toward achieving the SDGs by 2030, and this is significantly influenced by the amount of investment they attract to boost economic growth and encourage improvements in citizen welfare. This study uses secondary data from World Bank, IMF, and OECD reports for a target period of 2010 – 2022 to examine how tax incentives affect economic development in emerging economies with a focus on Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, and Türkiye. For this study, the researcher used STATA version 15 to investigate the underlying relationship between the variables. The researcher performed a panel data regression analysis using the generalized estimating equations approach. The P-value approach used by the researcher assesses the relevance of the study’s variables, for which the p-value is set at 0.05. This is a comparative study, as such the researcher prefers to use the generalized estimating equation method to perform a panel data regression analysis because it can simulate the population as a whole and because the data may be correlated, which would violate the independence assumptions of other traditional regression procedures. The study obtained positive and significant effects of subsidies on investments and economic growth. Incentives on taxes on production, sales, and transfers and taxes on profits and capital gains registered a non-significant positive effect on investment; however, the effects were insignificant and negative for economic growth.

Suggested Citation

  • Okoth Erick, 2023. "Effects of Tax Incentives and Subsidies on Economic Growth in Developing Economies," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 7(7), pages 567-581, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:bcp:journl:v:7:y:2023:i:7:p:567-581
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.rsisinternational.org/journals/ijriss/Digital-Library/volume-7-issue-7/567-581.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.rsisinternational.org/journals/ijriss/articles/effects-of-tax-incentives-and-subsidies-on-economic-growth-in-developing-economies/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Peter N. Ireland, 1994. "Two perspectives on growth and taxes," Economic Quarterly, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, issue Win, pages 1-18.
    2. Mr. Gerd Schwartz & Réjane Hugounenq & Mr. Benedict J. Clements, 1995. "Government Subsidies: Concepts, International Trends, and Reform Options," IMF Working Papers 1995/091, International Monetary Fund.
    3. Michel De Vroey & Pierre Malgrange, 2012. "From The Keynesian Revolution to the Klein-Goldberger model: Klein and the dynamization of Keynesian theory," History of Economic Ideas, Fabrizio Serra Editore, Pisa - Roma, vol. 20(2), pages 113-136.
    4. Barine Michael Nwidobie, 2020. "Tax incentives and economic growth in Nigeria: a paradox?," International Journal of Economics and Accounting, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 9(3), pages 273-288.
    5. Stefan Parys & Sebastian James, 2010. "The effectiveness of tax incentives in attracting investment: panel data evidence from the CFA Franc zone," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 17(4), pages 400-429, August.
    6. Stausholm, Saila Naomi, 2017. "Rise of ineffective incentives: New empirical evidence on tax holidays in developing countries," SocArXiv 4sn3k, Center for Open Science.
    7. Alexander Klemm & Stefan Parys, 2012. "Empirical evidence on the effects of tax incentives," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 19(3), pages 393-423, June.
    8. Alexander Klemm, 2010. "Causes, benefits, and risks of business tax incentives," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 17(3), pages 315-336, June.
    9. Seth Nana Kwame Appiah-Kubi & Karel Malec & Joseph Phiri & Mansoor Maitah & Zdeňka Gebeltová & Luboš Smutka & Vojtech Blazek & Kamil Maitah & Jitka Sirohi, 2021. "Impact of Tax Incentives on Foreign Direct Investment: Evidence from Africa," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-12, August.
    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. Munongo, Simon & Akanbi, Olusegun Ayo & Robinson, Zurika, 2017. "Do tax incentives matter for investment? A literature review," Business and Economic Horizons (BEH), Prague Development Center (PRADEC), vol. 13(2).
    2. Mr. Manuk Ghazanchyan & Mr. Alexander D Klemm & Yong Sarah Zhou, 2018. "Tax Incentives in Cambodia," IMF Working Papers 2018/071, International Monetary Fund.
    3. Emmanuel Ekow Asmah & Francis Kwaw Andoh & Edem Titriku, 2020. "Trade misinvoicing effects on tax revenue in sub‐Saharan Africa: The role of tax holidays and regulatory quality," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 91(4), pages 649-672, December.
    4. Segundo Camino‐Mogro, 2023. "Tax incentives, private investment and employment: Evidence from an Ecuadorian reform," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 35(7), pages 2129-2156, October.
    5. Alvaro Cuervo-Cazurra & Bernardo Silva-Rêgo & Ariane Figueira, 2022. "Financial and fiscal incentives and inward foreign direct investment: When quality institutions substitute incentives," Journal of International Business Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 5(4), pages 417-443, December.
    6. Alexander Klemm & Stefan Parys, 2012. "Empirical evidence on the effects of tax incentives," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 19(3), pages 393-423, June.
    7. Maria O. Kakaulina & Dmitry R. Gorlov, 2022. "Assessment of the Impact of Tax Incentives on Investment Activity in Special Economic Zones of the Russian Federation," Journal of Applied Economic Research, Graduate School of Economics and Management, Ural Federal University, vol. 21(2), pages 282-324.
    8. Laudage, Sabine, 2020. "Corporate tax revenue and foreign direct investment: Potential trade-offs and how to address them," IDOS Discussion Papers 17/2020, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS).
    9. Mario Mansour, 2015. "Tax Policy in MENA Countries: Looking Back and Forward," IMF Working Papers 2015/098, International Monetary Fund.
    10. Ligia Alba Melo-Becerra & Javier Ávila Mahecha & Jorge Enrique Ramos-Forero, 2017. "The Effect of Corporate Taxes on Investment: Evidence from the Colombian Firms," IHEID Working Papers 10-2017, Economics Section, The Graduate Institute of International Studies.
    11. Nguyen-Thanh, David & Strupat, Christoph, 2012. "Is the Burden Too Small? – Effective Tax Rates in Ghana," Ruhr Economic Papers 389, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    12. Mario Mansour & Mr. Gregoire Rota Graziosi, 2013. "Tax Coordination, Tax Competition, and Revenue Mobilization in the West African Economic and Monetary Union," IMF Working Papers 2013/163, International Monetary Fund.
    13. Masaaki Suzuki, 2013. "Corporate Effective Tax Rates in Asian Countries," KIER Working Papers 875, Kyoto University, Institute of Economic Research.
    14. Azevedo, Alcino & Pereira, Paulo J. & Rodrigues, Artur, 2021. "Optimal timing and capacity choice with taxes and subsidies under uncertainty," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    15. Thomas Goda & Sebastián Ballesteros,, 2020. "The impact of effective corporate tax rates on investment," Documentos de Trabajo de Valor Público 18212, Universidad EAFIT.
    16. S. Abbas & Alexander Klemm, 2013. "A partial race to the bottom: corporate tax developments in emerging and developing economies," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 20(4), pages 596-617, August.
    17. Bird, Richard M. & Zolt, Eric M., 2011. "Dual Income Taxation: A Promising Path to Tax Reform for Developing Countries," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 39(10), pages 1691-1703.
    18. Alou Adesse Dama & Gregoire Rota-Graziosi & Faycal Sawadogo, 2024. "The regressivity of CIT exemptions in Africa," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 31(3), pages 909-934, June.
    19. Eric Amankwaah & Nicholas Mensah & Nana Okyir Baidoo, 2022. "The impact of location tax incentives on the growth of rural economy: evidence from Ghana," Future Business Journal, Springer, vol. 8(1), pages 1-19, December.
    20. Athiphat Muthitacharoen, 2017. "Assessing the Importance of Taxation on FDI: Evidence from South-East Asian Developing Countries," PIER Discussion Papers 65, Puey Ungphakorn Institute for Economic Research.

    More about this item

    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:bcp:journl:v:7:y:2023:i:7:p:567-581. 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: Dr. Pawan Verma (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://rsisinternational.org/journals/ijriss/ .

    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.