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Tax treaties and foreign direct investment: a network approach

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  • Sunghoon Hong

    (Korea Institute of Public Finance)

Abstract

Multinational investors often reduce tax on dividends by using indirect investment routes. This paper constructs a tax rate matrix to represent a real-world network of tax treaties between 70 countries and develops a computation algorithm to study the structure of tax-minimizing (direct or indirect) investment routes in the tax treaty network. The treaty shopping rate, defined as the difference between the foreign tax rates of the direct route and a tax-minimizing route, is about 3.66 percentage points on average. This paper also examines the relationship between FDI and the structure of tax-minimizing routes. Empirical results show that the existence of a tax-minimizing direct route is positively and significantly related to FDI. The inward FDI stock via a tax-minimizing direct route is about 2.14 times larger than the inward FDI stock via a direct route that is not tax-minimizing. By making a direct route tax-minimizing, countries can encourage FDI via the direct route and reduce treaty shopping.

Suggested Citation

  • Sunghoon Hong, 2018. "Tax treaties and foreign direct investment: a network approach," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 25(5), pages 1277-1320, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:itaxpf:v:25:y:2018:i:5:d:10.1007_s10797-018-9489-0
    DOI: 10.1007/s10797-018-9489-0
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    Cited by:

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    3. Alexander Georgievich Gurinovich & Marina Afanasyevna Lapina & Alexey Evgenievich Ivanov, 2020. "Ways of Restricting the Rights of Taxpayers Under Agreements for the Avoidance of Double Taxation in National Legislation," SAGE Open, , vol. 10(4), pages 21582440209, October.
    4. Lejour, Arjan & Mohlmann, Jan & van't Riet, Maarten & Benschop, Thijs, 2019. "Dutch Shell Companies and International Tax Planning," Discussion Paper 2019-024, Tilburg University, Center for Economic Research.
    5. Lee, Siwook & Kim, Daeyong, 2022. "The impact of tax treaties on foreign direct investment: The evidence reconsidered," KDI Journal of Economic Policy, Korea Development Institute (KDI), vol. 44(3), pages 27-48.
    6. West, Ashley & Wilkinson, Brett, 2024. "What do we know about tax treaties and how can accounting research contribute?," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    7. Annette Alstadsæter & Julie Brun Bjørkheim & Ronald B. Davies & Johannes Scheuerer, 2022. "Pennies from Haven: Wages and Profit Shifting," CESifo Working Paper Series 9590, CESifo.
    8. Sébastien Laffitte & Farid Toubal, 2019. "A Fistful of Dollars? Foreign Sales Platforms and Profit Shifting in Tax Havens," Working Papers 2019-02, CEPII research center.
    9. Arjan Lejour & Maarten van 't Riet, 2023. "Disentangling business- and tax-motivated bilateral royalty flows," CPB Discussion Paper 450, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
    10. Baptiste Souillard, 2020. "Import Competition And Corporate Tax Avoidance: Evidence From The China Shock," Working Papers ECARES 2020-30, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    11. 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.
    12. Park, Sung Jae & Lee, Kyu-Min & Yang, Jae-Suk, 2023. "Calculating the country risk embedded in treaty-shopping networks," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    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. Sacco, Pier Luigi & Arenas, Alex & De Domenico, Manlio, 2023. "The political economy of big data leaks: Uncovering the skeleton of tax evasion," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    15. Tembo Nakamoto & Odile Rouhban & Yuichi Ikeda, 2019. "Location-Sector Analysis of International Profit Shifting on a Multilayer Ownership-Tax Network," Papers 1904.09165, arXiv.org.
    16. Lejour, Arjan & Mohlmann, Jan & van't Riet, Maarten & Benschop, Thijs, 2019. "Dutch Shell Companies and International Tax Planning," Discussion Paper 2019-024, Tilburg University, Center for Economic Research.
    17. Tembo Nakamoto & Odile Rouhban & Yuichi Ikeda, 2020. "Location-sector analysis of international profit shifting on a multilayer ownership-tax network," Evolutionary and Institutional Economics Review, Springer, vol. 17(1), pages 219-241, January.
    18. Kunka Petkova & Andrzej Stasio & Martin Zagler, 2020. "On the relevance of double tax treaties," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 27(3), pages 575-605, June.
    19. Sunghoon Hong, 2022. "Tax treaties and foreign equity holding companies of multinational corporations," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 16(2), pages 483-520, February.
    20. Sebastian Beer & Jan Loeprick, 2021. "Too high a price? Tax treaties with investment hubs in Sub-Saharan Africa," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 28(1), pages 113-153, February.
    21. Kunka Petkova & Andrzej Leszek Stasio & Martin Zagler, 2020. "Bilateral Tax Competition and Regional Spillovers in Tax Treaty Formation," JRC Working Papers on Taxation & Structural Reforms 2020-07, Joint Research Centre.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Tax treaty network; Tax-minimizing route; Treaty shopping rate; Foreign direct investment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F23 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - Multinational Firms; International Business
    • H25 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Business Taxes and Subsidies
    • H87 - Public Economics - - Miscellaneous Issues - - - International Fiscal Issues; International Public Goods

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