There is unrelenting pressure, particularly on taxation authorities in developing and transition countries, to design tax incentives to attract foreign investment. Although experience shows that justification for the use of such incentives can be found only in limited circumstances, policy makers everywhere continue to confer tax benefits on investors in the hopes of achieving various economic objectives. In this widely-researched volume, a leading consultant and academic in the field of international taxation surveys the major forms of FDI tax incentives in theory and in practice. Although it is not intended as a design guide for national taxation authorities, the books scope and depth make it an indispensable source of comparative analysis, showing where efficiency and cost-effectiveness are most likely to lie in a wide range of economic situations. It is particularly valuable in its discussion of the following issues: Avoiding the race to the bottom that comes from excessive tax competition;The elusive distinction in many countries between standard and special tax rates;The perceived benefits of FDI for the various stakeholders;Locational determinants;Risk factors;Distortionary effects;Sectoral competition; andAdministrative monitoring of compliance. Professor Easson draws on numerous actual patterns that arise in various national, supranational, and sectoral contexts, in each instance shedding light on real conflicts and constraints, and clarifying the choices required of investors, taxation authorities, and target enterprises. Tax Incentives for Direct Investment will clearly be of great use to government policymakers, students of international taxation and international business, and those who determine and advise on the policies of multinational corporations and other international investors.

As barriers to international trade and investment are eliminated, taxation becomes an increasingly important consideration in foreign investment decisions. 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. The study focuses on tax provisions, in both host and home countries, which have the greatest impact upon foreign direct investment, and looks at the role of tax treaties, the methods of relieving double taxation and of countering tax avoidance. It looks at the application of these rules to specific foreign direct investment situations and examines the impact of taxation upon the establishment and operation of foreign-invested projects. It concludes by examining some of the latest developments in international taxation, such as the growing concern over harmful tax competition, and attempts to suggest how the international tax system, as it affects foreign direct investment, may evolve as the 21st century begins. The book should be a valuable guide to tax practitioners and executives of multinational enterprises, and should be a useful reference work for students of international taxation.