Taxation Of Foreign Direct Investment An Introduction

This book describes the many different ways in which national tax rules and international tax principles affect foreign direct investment decisions, and examines their impact on the establishment and operation of foreign-invested projects. It focuses on tax provisions in both host and home countries, and looks at the role of tax treaties, the methods of relieving double taxation and of countering tax avoidance.

This report presents the results of consultations carried out in the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Russian Federation and the Slovak Republic on the role of the tax system in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI). It provides information on the design of tax systems to facilitate the formulation of taxation policies in the region, and makes specific recommendations for ensuring that the tax systems do not inhibit FDI.

This paper identifies tax factors in 21 developing countries that have an impact on foreign direct investment flows. It categorizes those factors into issues associated with tax coordination; tax rates and rate structures; and composition of the tax base. Recent actions by countries reveal no clear pattern in their attempts to increase tax coordination, while many have reduced corporate tax rates and stream-lined tax incentives. However, broad-based tax reform is lacking in most, leaving room for further possibilities in tax reform for attracting foreign investment. The paper also addresses nontax factors that can be instrumental in attracting foreign investment.

A reduction in average tax rates on U.S. investment abroad and a relative shift of U.S. investment toward industrial countries, rather than developing countries, suggests a tougher climate ahead for developing countries that wish to attract foreign direct investment.

Tax incentives neither ma ...