Narrow Your Choices

Refine By Countries

Refine By Series

Refine By Language

Refine By Date

—

Refine By IMF Taxonomy

Refine By JEL Taxonomy

Refine by LOC Taxonomy

Refine By THEMA Taxonomy

  • Print
  • Save

Business and Economics > Corporate Taxation

You are looking at 1 - 10 of 18 items for :

  • Type: Journal Issue x
Clear All Modify Search
Cover IMF Working Papers
Cross-Country Evidence on the Revenue Impact of Tax Reforms
Mr. David Amaglobeli
,
Mr. Valerio Crispolti
, and
Xuguang Simon Sheng
Many countries face the challenge of raising additional tax revenues without hurting economic growth. Comprehensive, cross-country information on the revenue impact of tax policy changes can thus support informed decision-making on viable reforms. We assess the likely revenue impact of various tax policy changes based on a sample of 21 advanced and emerging market economies, using granular information from the IMF Tax Policy Reform Database v.4.0. Our findings suggest that the revenue yield of a tax policy change varies significantly depending on the tax instrument adopted (e.g., VAT or personal income tax) and the nature of the change (i.e., rate, base). For example, in our sample, base-broadening changes to personal and corporate income taxes as well as to excise and property taxes have generally a more significant and long-lasting revenue yields than rate changes. By contrast, rate changes appear to have a relatively more significant revenue impact in the case of VAT and social security contributions. We also observe an asymmetry in the revenue impact of most tax policy measures when controlling for the direction of tax changes (i.e., its significance varies depending on whether taxes are increased or decreased). While our results are based on qualitative information of tax policy changes (i.e., dummy variables), the revenue yields of rate measures are not materially different from those that would be obtained using quantitative information on the size of the change.
Keywords:
corporate income tax; personal income tax; value added taxes; social security contributions; excise; property taxes; tax reforms; revenue yield; revenue impact; Tax-to-GDP ratio; rate change; SSC rate hike; Tax collection; Value-added tax
Cover IMF Working Papers
Tec(h)tonic Shifts: Taxing the “Digital Economy”
Aqib Aslam
and
Ms. Alpa Shah
The ever-increasing digitalization of businesses has accelerated the need to address the many shortcomings and unresolved issues within the international corporate income tax system. In particular, the customer or “user”—through their online activities—is now considered by many as being a critical driving force behind the value of digital services. Furthermore, the rapid growth of digital service providers over the last decade has made them an increasingly popular target for special taxes—similar to wealth and solidarity taxes—which can also help mobilize much-needed revenues in the wake of a crisis. This paper argues that a plausible conceptual case can be made to tax the value generated by users under the corporate income tax. However, a number of issues need to be tackled for user-based tax measures to become a reality, which include agreement among countries on whether user value justifies a reallocation of taxing rights, establishing the legal right to tax income derived from user value, as well as an appropriate metric for valuing user-generated data if it is ever to be used as a tax base. Furthermore, attempting to tax only certain types of business is ill-advised, especially as user data is now being exploited widely enough for it to be recognized as an input for almost all businesses. Several options present themselves for consideration—from a modified permanent establishment definition combined with taxation by formulary apportionment, to user-based royalty-type taxes—each with their own merits and misdemeanors.
Keywords:
WP; user data; withholding tax; multinational enterprise; tax treatment; company activity; gross income; resource company; Corporate Taxation; Digitalization; income tax; social media; natural resource; digital economy; small business; Corporate income tax; Data collection; Income and capital gains taxes; Income tax systems; Global; profit margin; customer base; computer database; resident company; market power
Cover IMF Working Papers
The Optimal Turnover Threshold and Tax Rate for SMEs
Feng Wei
and
Jean-François Wen
Presumptive income taxes in the form of a tax on turnover for SMEs are pervasive as a way to reduce the costs of compliance and administration. We analyze a model where entrepreneurs allocate labor to the formal and informal sectors. Formal sector income is subjected either to a corporate income tax or a tax on turnover, depending on whether their turnover exceeds a threshold. We characterize the private sector equilibrium for any given configuration of tax policy parameters (corporate income tax rate, turnover tax rate, and threshold). Given private behavior, social welfare is optimized. We interpret the first-order conditions for welfare maximization to identify the key margins and then simulate a calibrated version of the model.
Keywords:
WP; tax rate; income tax; production function; Turnover Tax; Threshold; Corporate Income Tax; Tax Compliance; Informality; tax regimes firms choose; turnover tax rate; middle cost firm; profit-difference curve; presumptive regime; Sales tax; Presumptive tax; Compliance costs; Sub-Saharan Africa; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
Macroeconomic Effects of Tax Rate and Base Changes: Evidence from Fiscal Consolidations
Ms. Era Dabla-Norris
and
Frederico Lima
This paper examines the macroeconomic effects of tax changes during fiscal consolidations. We build a new narrative dataset of tax changes during fiscal consolidation years, containing detailed information on the expected revenue impact, motivation, and announcement and implementation dates of nearly 2,500 tax measures across 10 OECD countries. We analyze the macroeconomic impact of tax changes, distinguishing between tax rate and tax base changes, and further separating between changes in personal income, corporate income, and value added tax. Our results suggest that base broadening during fiscal consolidations leads to smaller output and employment declines compared to rate hikes, even when distinguishing between tax types.
Keywords:
tax base; tax rate; narrative dataset; tax multipliers; tax shock; estimated tax; tax measure; tax multiplier; debt ratio; Personal income tax; Corporate income tax; Value-added tax; Southern Europe; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
Tax Policy Measures in Advanced and Emerging Economies: A Novel Database
Mr. David Amaglobeli
,
Mr. Valerio Crispolti
,
Ms. Era Dabla-Norris
,
Pooja Karnane
, and
Florian Misch
This paper describes a new, comprehensive database of tax policy measures in 23 advanced and emerging market economies over the last four decades. We extract this information from more than 900 OECD Economic Surveys and 37,000 tax-related news from the International Bureau of Fiscal Documentation using text-mining techniques. The innovation of this dataset lies in its granularity: changes in the rates and bases of personal and corporate income taxes, value added and sale taxes, social security contributions, excise, and property taxes are systematically documented. In addition, the database provides information on the announcement and implementation dates, whether the measures represent major changes, are part of a broader tax package, and phased in over several years. The paper also presents a range of stylized facts suggesting that information from this database is useful to deepen the analysis of tax policy changes for research and policy purposes.
Keywords:
WP; tax; VAT; CIT; PIT; tax measure; Tax Reforms; Text Mining; Tax Policy; Implementation Lags; Political Economy; tax package; reform package; major tax; rate change; VAT measure; Corporate income tax; Personal income tax; Tax type organization; Value-added tax; Social security contributions; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
Curbing Corporate Debt Bias
Ruud A. de Mooij
and
Mr. Shafik Hebous
Tax provisions favoring corporate debt over equity finance (“debt bias”) are widely recognized as a risk to financial stability. This paper explores whether and how thin-capitalization rules, which restrict interest deductibility beyond a certain amount, affect corporate debt ratios and mitigate financial stability risk. We find that rules targeted at related party borrowing (the majority of today’s rules) have no significant impact on debt bias—which relates to third-party borrowing. Also, these rules have no effect on broader indicators of firm financial distress. Rules applying to all debt, in contrast, turn out to be effective: the presence of such a rule reduces the debt-asset ratio in an average company by 5 percentage points; and they reduce the probability for a firm to be in financial distress by 5 percent. Debt ratios are found to be more responsive to thin capitalization rules in industries characterized by a high share of tangible assets.
Keywords:
WP; dependent variable; TCR rule; Corporate tax; capital structure; debt bias; thin capitalization rule; interest deductibility; TCR variable; so-called thin capitalization rules; EBITDFA percentage; debt-asset ratio; tcrs in industry; uniform tcrs; TCR type; Corporate income tax; Thin capitalization rules; Financial statistics; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
U.S. Corporate Income Tax Reform and its Spillovers
Kimberly Clausing
,
Edward Kleinbard
, and
Ms. Thornton Matheson
This paper examines the main distortions of the U.S. corporate income tax (CIT), focusing on its international aspects, and proposes a set of reforms to alleviate them. A bold reform to replace the CIT with a corporate-level rent tax could induce efficiency-enhancing reform of the international tax system. Since fundamental reform is politically difficult, this paper also proposes an incremental reform that would reduce tax expenditures, reduce the CIT rate to 25-28 percent, and impose a minimum rent tax on foreign earnings. Finally, this paper analyzes empirically the likely impact of the incremental on corporate revenues outside the U.S.: Though a U.S. rate cut would likely lower revenues elsewhere, implementation of a strong minimum tax could more than offset that effect for most countries with effective tax rates above 15 percent.
Keywords:
WP; firm; gross income; earnings; return; tax treatment; Corporate income tax; tax reform; international taxation; cost of capital; passive income; accelerated depreciation; earnings before interest; taxes; depreciation and amortization; taxable income; beneficial owner; single tax; tax return; tax liability; firm level; METRs range; Income; Income tax systems; Income and capital gains taxes; Wages; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
Japan’s Corporate Income Tax: Facts, Issues and Reform Options
Ruud A. de Mooij
and
Ikuo Saito
This paper explores how corporate income tax reform can help Japan increase investment and boost potential growth. Using international and Japan-specific empirical estimates of corporate tax elasticities, investment is predicted to expand by around 0.4 percent for each point of rate reduction. International consensus estimates suggest further that between 10 and 30 percent of the static revenue loss could be recovered in the long run through dynamic scoring, although Japan’s offset may be closer to the lower bound. Compensating fiscal measures are necessary in light of Japan’s tight fiscal constraints. The scope for base broadening in the corporate income tax is found to be limited and some forms of base broadening will undo positive investment effects of a rate cut. Alternative revenue sources include higher consumption and property taxes. A gradual approach toward lowering tax rates mitigates windfall gains and reduces short-run revenue costs. An incremental allowance-for-corporate-equity system could boost investment with limited fiscal costs in the short run.
Keywords:
WP; CIT rate; rate reduction; tax burden; cost of capital; taxable income; Corporate income tax; Japan; Tax distortions; Investment; Dynamic scoring; CIT reform; reform option; revenue-to-GDP ratio; CIT base; revenue loss; reduction in Japan; enterprise tax; rate change; rate of return; Income; Personal income tax; Allowance for corporate equity; Consumption taxes; Europe
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Spain: Staff Report for the 2014 Article IV Consultation
International Monetary Fund. European Dept.
This 2014 Article IV Consultation highlights that economic growth in Spain has resumed, and unemployment is falling. Exporters are gaining market share, and the current account is in surplus for the first time in decades. Financial conditions have improved sharply, with sovereign yields at record lows. Business investment is rebounding strongly and private consumption has also started to recover owing to improved employment prospects and rising confidence. Executive Directors have welcomed the improving Spanish economy. They have stressed that labor market reform should be accompanied by product and service market liberalization to maximize the gains to growth and jobs.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; government tax Reform Proposa; government Tax Reform Proposal; rate; government; vis nonresident; increase VAT; trend productivity growth; committee's recommendation; Employment; Unemployment; Labor markets; Wages; Corporate income tax; Europe; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
Reforming Tax Expenditures in Italy: What, Why, and How?
Justin Tyson
The IMF has advised country authorities to roll back tax expenditures as a way to support fiscal consolidation efforts—urging them to evaluate tax expenditures according to clear criteria, and assessing their impact on public finances, economic efficiency, equity, and administrative and compliance costs. This paper analyzes tax expenditures in Italy, considering the extent to which tax expenditures can be considered part of an optimal tax system and possible reforms.
Keywords:
WP; tax expenditure; expenditure; tax; government; Tax expenditures; optimal taxation; efficiency; equity; budget process; substitute tax regime; expenditure program; labor tax wedge; draft tax reform law; tax design; tax norm; tax expenditure cost; single tax; differential VAT regime; Value-added tax; Tax allowances; Personal income tax; Corporate income tax