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Using Tax Incentives to Compete for Foreign Investment : Are They Worth the Costs?

Author

Listed:
  • Louis T., Jr. Wells
  • Nancy J. Allen
  • Jacques Morisset
  • Neda Pirnia

Abstract

The book contains complementary essays on the use of tax incentives, to attract foreign direct investment (FDI). The first essay presents results of the authors' original research, and explores FDI, and issues of tax incentives, in the context of Indonesia. Their results mostly support the arguments made against incentives, particularly they find little evidence that when Indonesia eliminated tax incentives, there was any decline in the rate of FDI into the country. Similarly, the second essay surveys the research of others on the same topic, and pertaining to the same issues discussed in the first essay. They show that results of other researchers, are generally consistent with the findings of the research in Indonesia, notably that tax incentives, neither affect significantly the amount of direct investment that takes place, nor usually determine the location to which investment is drawn. Nevertheless, recent evidence has shown that when factors such as political, and economic stability, infrastructure, and transport costs are more, or less equal between potential locations, taxes may exert a significant impact. This is evidenced by the growing tax competition in regional groupings (i.e., the European Union) or, at the sub-regional level within one country (i.e., the United States). Both essays provide a basis for much more sophisticated analysis by policymakers than previously, and, both are important because they question governments' institutional arrangements that create agency problems with respect to tax incentive policies.

Suggested Citation

  • Louis T., Jr. Wells & Nancy J. Allen & Jacques Morisset & Neda Pirnia, 2001. "Using Tax Incentives to Compete for Foreign Investment : Are They Worth the Costs?," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 13979.
  • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbpubs:13979
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Chor, Davin, 2009. "Subsidies for FDI: Implications from a model with heterogeneous firms," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(1), pages 113-125, June.
    2. Sharofiddin Ashurov & Anwar Hasan Abdullah Othman & Romzie Bin Rosman & Razali Bin Haron, 2020. "The determinants of foreign direct investment in Central Asian region: A case study of Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan (A quantitative analysis using GMM)," Russian Journal of Economics, ARPHA Platform, vol. 6(2), pages 162-176, June.
    3. Aldaba, Rafaelita M., 2006. "FDI Investment Incentive System and FDI Inflows: The Philippine Experience," Discussion Papers DP 2006-20, Philippine Institute for Development Studies.
    4. Kostas Axarloglou & Frank G. Meanor, Jr., 2006. "Taxation and Ownership Structure in Supplying Foreign Markets," Eastern Economic Journal, Eastern Economic Association, vol. 32(4), pages 685-698, Fall.
    5. Céline Azémar & Rodolphe Desbordes, 2010. "Short‐run Strategies for Attracting Foreign Direct Investment," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(7), pages 928-957, July.
    6. Nathan Jensen & Edmund Malesky & Matthew Walsh, 2015. "Competing for global capital or local voters? The politics of business location incentives," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 164(3), pages 331-356, September.
    7. Ma. Laarni D. Revilla, 2016. "Cross-country Econometric Study on the Impact of Fiscal Incentives on FDI," Working Papers id:11472, eSocialSciences.
    8. Prema-chandra Athukorala, 2012. "Sri Lanka’s Trade Policy: Reverting to Dirigisme?," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(12), pages 1662-1686, December.
    9. Nada Massoud, 2003. "Assessment of FDI Incentives in Egypt," Working Papers 0336, Economic Research Forum, revised 11 2003.
    10. Revilla, Ma. Laarni D., 2016. "Cross-Country Econometric Study on the Impact of Fiscal Incentives on Foreign Direct Investment," Discussion Papers DP 2016-17, Philippine Institute for Development Studies.
    11. Toumi, Sofiane, 2009. "Facteurs d’attractivité des investissements directs étrangers en Tunisie," L'Actualité Economique, Société Canadienne de Science Economique, vol. 85(2), pages 209-237, juin.
    12. Prema-chandra Athukorala, 2009. "Trends and Patterns of Foreign Direct Investments in Asia," Margin: The Journal of Applied Economic Research, National Council of Applied Economic Research, vol. 3(4), pages 365-408, October.
    13. Tomáš Havránek, 2009. "The supply of foreign direct investment incentives: subsidy competition in an oligopolistic framework," Prague Economic Papers, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 2009(2), pages 131-155.
    14. Akinleye Gideon T. & Olarewaju Odunayo M. & Fajuyagbe Samson B., 2019. "Assessing the Effects of Corporate Taxation on the Investment Policy of Manufacturing Firms in Nigeria," Folia Oeconomica Stetinensia, Sciendo, vol. 19(2), pages 7-24, December.
    15. Pritha Mitra, 2010. "How Can Regional Public Expenditure Stimulate FDI in the Mekong?," Chapters, in: Suiwah Leung & Ben Bingham & Matt Davies (ed.), Globalization and Development in the Mekong Economies, chapter 5, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    16. Nathan M. Jensen & Michael G. Findley & Daniel L. Nielson, 2020. "Electoral Institutions and Electoral Cycles in Investment Incentives: A Field Experiment on Over 3,000 U.S. Municipalities," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 64(4), pages 807-822, October.
    17. Revilla, Ma. Laarni D., 2016. "Cross-Country Econometric Study on the Impact of Fiscal Incentives on Foreign Direct Investment," Research Paper Series DP 2016-17, Philippine Institute for Development Studies.

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