REVENUE LOSSES FROM CORPORATE TAX AVOIDANCE: ESTIMATIONS FROM THE UNU-WIDER GOVERNMENT REVENUE DATASET

REVENUE LOSSES FROM CORPORATE TAX AVOIDANCE: ESTIMATIONS FROM THE UNU-WIDER GOVERNMENT REVENUE DATASET

Author: Alessandro Chiari MSc.
Type: IES Working Papers
Year: 2022
Number: 30
ISSN / ISBN:  
Published in: IES Working Papers 30/2022
Publishing place: Prague
Keywords: international taxation; corporate income tax; tax avoidance; tax havens; base erosion; profit shifting; income inequality; developing countries
JEL codes: F21, F23, H25
Suggested Citation: Chiari A. (2022): " Revenue losses from corporate tax avoidance: estimations from the UNU-WIDER Government Revenue Dataset" IES Working Papers 30/2022. IES FSV. Charles University.
Abstract: Corporate profit shifting to tax havens negatively impacts corporate tax revenue, particularly in low-income countries. Two studies published in 2016 and 2018 have proven this correlation using data from 2013. In this paper, I use the most recent version of the UNU-WIDER Government Revenue Dataset (GRD) to estimate government revenue losses in 2019 and to observe possible changes associated with the release of the new dataset. My estimations indicate that global tax revenue losses in 2019 are around USD 480 billion, compared to USD 500 billion in 2013. In terms of GDP percentage, my estimations confirm the presence of a higher share of losses in low-income, and more generally, in non-OECD countries, and they show a higher intensity of tax avoidance practices in those countries. The results also suggest that the total level of tax revenue losses has plateaued, with no increase in losses occurring since 2013.
Downloadable: wp_2022_30_chiari.pdf