A Macroeconomic Perspective on Taxing Multinational Enterprises

Sebastian Dyrda, Guangbin Hong and Joseph Steinberg

Working Papers from University of Toronto, Department of Economics

Abstract: We develop a framework to study the macroeconomic implications of taxing multinational enterprises (MNEs) that shift profits to subsidiaries in low-tax jurisdictions by transferring ownership of non-rival intangible capital. We first prove analytically that profit shifting increases intangible investment, leading to higher profits and output at the MNE level. We then calibrate our model so that it reproduces salient country-level facts about production, trade, FDI, and, most importantly, profit shifting. We use our calibrated model to evaluate the consequences of two proposals by the OECD and G20 governments to reduce profit shifting by MNEs: allocating the rights to tax some of an MNE's profits to the countries in which it sells its products; and a 15% minimum global corporate income tax. We show that these policies would reduce profit shifting by more than two-thirds, but would also reduce intangible investment and output in high-tax regions. This highlights a key tension for policymakers: profit shifting erodes high-tax countries' tax bases, but also boosts economic activity, and thus policies that reduce profit shifting have harmful macroeconomic side effects.

Keywords: Multinational enterprise; transfer pricing; profit shifting; base erosion; intangible capital; corporate tax (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: E6 F23 H25 H27 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: Unknown pages
Date: 2022-09-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-acc, nep-fdg, nep-int, nep-pbe and nep-pub
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Journal Article: A macroeconomic perspective on taxing multinational enterprises (2024)
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