International Profit-Shifting out of Developing Countries and the Role of Tax Havens

This article contributes to the debate on how tax avoidance and evasion can hamper development efforts by investigating the link between profit-shifting out of developing countries and tax havens. Analysis of more than 1500 multinational corporations (MNCs) operating in India shows that in 2010 those MNCs with links to tax havens reported lower profits and paid less in taxes per unit of asset than MNCs with no such links. This confirms the notion that when corporations have links to tax havens they enjoy higher incentives, because of the low tax rates, and opportunities to shift income because of the secrecy provisions tax havens offer.