IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/rdevec/v28y2024i2p600-629.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Revenue losses from corporate tax avoidance: Estimations from the UNUWIDER Government Revenue Dataset

Author

Listed:
  • Alessandro Chiari

Abstract

Corporate profit shifting to tax havens negatively impacts corporate tax revenue, particularly in low‐income countries. Two studies published in 2016 and 2018 have proven this correlation using data from 2013. In this paper, I use the 2021 version of the UNU‐WIDER Government Revenue Dataset (GRD) to estimate government revenue losses in 2019 and to observe possible changes associated with the release of the new dataset. My estimations indicate that global tax revenue losses in 2019 are around USD 480 billion if estimated using statutory tax rates, compared to USD 500 billion in 2013. The volume of tax revenue losses in 2019 increases to USD 600 billion if estimated using effective tax rates. In terms of GDP percentage, my estimations confirm the presence of a higher share of losses in low‐income, and more generally, in non‐OECD countries, and they show a higher intensity of tax avoidance practices in those countries. The results also suggest that the total level of tax revenue losses has plateaued, with no increase in losses occurring since 2013 if estimated using statutory tax rates, while an increasing trend is visible for estimates using effective tax rates, although not with the same magnitudes with respect to others recent studies.

Suggested Citation

  • Alessandro Chiari, 2024. "Revenue losses from corporate tax avoidance: Estimations from the UNUWIDER Government Revenue Dataset," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(2), pages 600-629, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:rdevec:v:28:y:2024:i:2:p:600-629
    DOI: 10.1111/rode.13072
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/rode.13072
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/rode.13072?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ludvig Wier & Gabriel Zucman, 2022. "Global profit shifting, 1975-2019," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2022-121, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    2. Devereux, Michael P. & Lockwood, Ben & Redoano, Michela, 2008. "Do countries compete over corporate tax rates?," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(5-6), pages 1210-1235, June.
    3. 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.
    4. Ernesto Crivelli & Ruud De Mooij & Michael Keen, 2016. "Base Erosion, Profit Shifting and Developing Countries," FinanzArchiv: Public Finance Analysis, Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, vol. 72(3), pages 268-301, September.
    5. Sèna Kimm Gnangnon & Jean‐François Brun, 2019. "Trade openness, tax reform and tax revenue in developing countries," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 42(12), pages 3515-3536, December.
    6. Khalid Sekkat & Marie‐Ange Veganzones‐Varoudakis, 2007. "Openness, Investment Climate, and FDI in Developing Countries," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 11(4), pages 607-620, November.
    7. Luisa R. Blanco & Cynthia L. Rogers, 2014. "Are Tax Havens Good Neighbours? FDI Spillovers and Developing Countries," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(4), pages 530-540, April.
    8. Thomas Tørsløv & Ludvig Wier & Gabriel Zucman, 2023. "The Missing Profits of Nations," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 90(3), pages 1499-1534.
    9. 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.
    10. Gabriel Zucman, 2014. "Taxing across Borders: Tracking Personal Wealth and Corporate Profits," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 28(4), pages 121-148, Fall.
    11. Peter Reuter, 2012. "Draining Development? Controlling Flows of Illicit Funds from Developing Countries," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 2242.
    12. Gabriel Zucman, 2013. "The Missing Wealth of Nations: Are Europe and the U.S. net Debtors or net Creditors?," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 128(3), pages 1321-1364.
    13. Fuest, Clemens & Hebous, Shafik & Riedel, Nadine, 2011. "International debt shifting and multinational firms in developing economies," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 113(2), pages 135-138.
    14. Simon Naitram, 2022. "How big are strategic spillovers from corporate tax competition?," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 60(2), pages 847-869, April.
    15. Gaëtan Nicodème, 2001. "Computing effective corporate tax rates: comparisons and results," European Economy - Economic Papers 2008 - 2015 153, Directorate General Economic and Financial Affairs (DG ECFIN), European Commission.
    16. John Creedy & Norman Gemmell, 2011. "Corporation tax asymmetries: effective tax rates and profit shifting," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 18(4), pages 422-435, August.
    17. Clausing, Kimberly A., 2009. "Multinational Firm Tax Avoidance and Tax Policy," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 62(4), pages 703-725, December.
    18. Kimberly A. Clausing, 2016. "The Effect of Profit Shifting on the Corporate Tax Base in the United States and Beyond," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 69(4), pages 905-934, December.
    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. Garcia-Bernardo, Javier & Janský, Petr, 2024. "Profit shifting of multinational corporations worldwide," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    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. 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.
    4. Javier Garcia-Bernardo & Petr Janský & Thomas Tørsløv, 2022. "Decomposing Multinational Corporations’ Declining Effective Tax Rates," IMF Economic Review, Palgrave Macmillan;International Monetary Fund, vol. 70(2), pages 338-381, June.
    5. 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.
    6. Arjan Lejour & Jan Möhlmann & Maarten ’t Riet, 2022. "The immeasurable tax gains by Dutch shell companies," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 29(2), pages 316-357, April.
    7. 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).
    8. 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.
    9. Chen, Xuyang & Hindriks, Jean, 2023. "Multinational Taxation under Pressure: The Role of Tax Deductibility," LIDAM Discussion Papers CORE 2023013, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE).
    10. Alex Cobham & Petr Janský, 2017. "Global distribution of revenue loss from tax avoidance: Re-estimation and country results," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2017-55, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    11. Alessandro Ferrari & Sébastien Laffitte & Mathieu Parenti & Farid Toubal, 2022. "Profit Shifting Frictions and the Geography of Multinational Activity," Working Papers halshs-04103710, HAL.
    12. Xuyang Chen, 2024. "The Global Minimum Tax, Investment Incentives and Asymmetric Tax Competition," Papers 2409.05397, arXiv.org.
    13. Petr Janský & Jan Láznička & Miroslav Palanský, 2021. "Tax treaties worldwide: Estimating elasticities and revenue foregone," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(2), pages 359-401, May.
    14. Javier Garcia-Bernardo & Petr Janský & Thomas Tørsløv, 2021. "Multinational corporations and tax havens: evidence from country-by-country reporting," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 28(6), pages 1519-1561, December.
    15. repec:idq:ictduk:13662 is not listed on IDEAS
    16. Tommaso Faccio & Roberto Iacono, 2022. "Corporate Income Taxation and Inequality: Review and Discussion of Issues Raised in The triumph of injustice—How the rich dodge taxes and how to make them pay (2019)," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 68(3), pages 819-829, September.
    17. Delis, Fotios & Economidou, Claire & Hasan, Iftekhar, 2022. "Democracy, Institutions, and International Profit-Shifting," MPRA Paper 111715, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    18. Mr. Shafik Hebous & Mr. Alexander D Klemm & Yuou Wu, 2021. "How Does Profit Shifting Affect the Balance of Payments?," IMF Working Papers 2021/041, International Monetary Fund.
    19. Alex Cobham & Petr Janský, 2017. "Global distribution of revenue loss from tax avoidance: Re-estimation and country results," WIDER Working Paper Series 055, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    20. Ludvig Wier & Hayley Reynolds, 2018. "Big and ‘unprofitable’: How 10% of multinational firms do 98% of profit shifting," WIDER Working Paper Series 111, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    21. Niels Johannesen & Thomas Tørsløv & Ludvig Wier, 2016. "Are less developed countries more exposed to multinational tax avoidance? Method and evidence from micro-data," WIDER Working Paper Series 010, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).

    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:bla:rdevec:v:28:y:2024:i:2:p:600-629. 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: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=1363-6669 .

    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.