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Quarterly Journal of Economics Vol. 109 No. 1 1994

Fiscal Paradise: Foreign Tax Havens and American Business

James R. Hines1; E. M. Rice2

1 Harvard University · 2 World Bank

open access

Abstract

The tax haven affiliates of American corporations account for more than 20 percent of U. S. foreign direct investment, and nearly a third of the foreign profits of U. S. firms. American companies report extraordinarily high profit rates on their tax haven investments in 1982. This behavior implies that the revenue-maximizing tax rate for a typical haven is around 5–8 percent. American (and foreign) investment in tax havens has an uncertain effect on U. S. tax revenue, but since low tax rates encourage American companies to shift profits out of high-tax foreign countries, it is possible that low foreign tax rates ultimately enhance U. S. tax collections.

DOI
10.2307/2118431
Volume
109
Issue
1
Pages
149-182
Language
en
Sources
bibtex:phds-export.bib openalex crossref

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