International Taxation and Multinational Activity (National Bureau of Economic Research Conference Report)

Because the actions of multinational corporations have a clear and direct effect on the flow of capital throughout the world, how and why these firms behave the way they do is a major issue for national governments and their policymakers. With an unprecedented ability to adjust the scale, character, and location of their global operations, international corporations have become increasingly sensitive to the kind and degree of tax obligations imposed on them by both host and home countries. Tax rules affect the volume of foreign direct investment, corporate borrowing, transfer pricing, dividend and royalty payments, and research and development. National governments that tax the profits of international firms face important challenges in designing tax policies to attract them. This collection examines the global ramifications of tax policies, offering up-to-date, theoretically innovative, and empirically sound perspectives on a problem of immense significance to future economic growth around the globe. Rosanne Altshuler, Harry Grubert, and T. Scott Newlon Rosanne Altshuler, Harry Grubert, and T. Scott Newlon -- James R. Hines Jr. Rosanne Altshuler, Harry Grubert, and T. Scott Newlon -- James R. Hines Jr. -- Shang-Jin Wei Rosanne Altshuler, Harry Grubert, and T. Scott Newlon -- James R. Hines Jr. -- Shang-Jin Wei -- Deborah L. Swenson Rosanne Altshuler, Harry Grubert, and T. Scott Newlon -- James R. Hines Jr. -- Shang-Jin Wei -- Deborah L. Swenson -- Harry Grubert Rosanne Altshuler, Harry Grubert, and T. Scott Newlon -- James R. Hines Jr. -- Shang-Jin Wei -- Deborah L. Swenson -- Harry Grubert -- Julie H. Collins, John R. M. Hand, and Douglas A. Shackelford Rosanne Altshuler, Harry Grubert, and T. Scott Newlon -- James R. Hines Jr. -- Shang-Jin Wei -- Deborah L. Swenson -- Harry Grubert -- Julie H. Collins, John R. M. Hand, and Douglas A. Shackelford -- Kimberly A. Clausing Rosanne Altshuler, Harry Grubert, and T. Scott Newlon -- James R. Hines Jr. -- Shang-Jin Wei -- Deborah L. Swenson -- Harry Grubert -- Julie H. Collins, John R. M. Hand, and Douglas A. Shackelford -- Kimberly A. Clausing -- James R. Hines Jr. and Adam B. Jaffe Rosanne Altshuler, Harry Grubert, and T. Scott Newlon-- James R. Hines Jr.-- Shang-Jin Wei-- Deborah L. Swenson-- Harry Grubert-- Julie H. Collins, John R. M. Hand, and Douglas A. Shackelford-- Kimberly A. Clausing-- James R. Hines Jr. and Adam B. Jaffe-- Jason G. Cummins This book contains nine papers that were prepared as part of a research project on the impact of taxation on international capital flows, undertaken by the National Bureau of Economic Research. These papers present quantitative findings concerning the effects of taxation on foreign direct investment, international tax avoidance, and international productivity spillovers This paper attempts to address two related questions.