Tax Treaty Shopping and Developing Countries: Serious Potential for Tax Revenue Loss

Arjan Lejour; Maarten van 't Riet

Tax Treaty Shopping and Developing Countries: Serious Potential for Tax Revenue Loss

Arjan Lejour, Maarten van 't Riet

Research output: Online publication or Non-textual form › Web publication/site › Professional

Abstract

Analysis of the international network of double tax treaties reveals a large potential for tax avoidance. Developing countries are not, on average, more likely to suffer from tax revenue losses than other countries. Yet, this average masks that several countries, such as Bangladesh, Egypt, Kenya, Indonesia, Uganda and Zambia, are all vulnerable to substantial potential losses of withholding tax revenue by treaty shopping. The treaties responsible for this are referred to as potentially aggressive tax treaties. This is concluded by two Dutch economists and tax scholars, in a study commissioned by ICTD. Summary of Working Paper 173.

Original language	English
Publisher	International Center for Tax and Development (ICTD)
Media of output	Online
Publication status	Published - 10 Nov 2023

Keywords

developing countries
tax avoidance
tax treaties
treaty shopping

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

https://www.ictd.ac/publication/tax-treaty-shopping-2/

1 Working paper

Tax Treaty Shopping and Developing Countries
Lejour, A. & van't Riet, M., 15 Sept 2023, Institute of Development Studies, (ICTD working paper; vol. 173).
Research output: Working paper › Other research output

Open Access

1 Finished

Connecting Organizations
Bekker, S. (Researcher), Bomer, A. (Researcher), Borghouts, I. (Researcher), De Pietro, C. (Researcher), Dusarduijn, S. (Researcher), Elsweier, F. (Researcher), Essers, P. (Researcher), Garcia Anton, R. (Researcher), Gribnau, H. (Researcher), Gubbels, N. (Researcher), Hoogeveen, M. (Researcher), Houwerzijl, M. (Researcher), Kaufmann, W. (Researcher), Kemmeren, E. (Researcher), Lafarre, A. (Principal Investigator), Lejour, A. (Researcher), Li, J. (Researcher), Loth, M. (Researcher), Mc Cahery, J. (Researcher), Montebovi, S. (Researcher), Peters, C. (Researcher), Rombouts, B. (Researcher), Russo, R. (Researcher), Staats, G. (Researcher), Starink, B. (Researcher), Steegmans, M. (Researcher), Stevens, S. (Researcher), Stevens, T. (Researcher), Sumner, I. (Researcher), Tjong Tjin Tai, E. (Researcher), Tzankova, I. (Researcher), Verbruggen, P. (Researcher), Vermeulen, E. (Researcher), Westerhout, E. (Researcher), Weterings, W. (Researcher), Wibier, R. (Researcher), Xu, D. (Researcher), Zegveld, C. (Researcher), Zekić, N. (Researcher), van Gulijk, S. (Researcher), van Hout, D. (Researcher), van Hulten, M. (Researcher), van Kempen, T. (Researcher), van Kesteren, H. (Researcher), van Vijfeijken, I. (Researcher), Van der Elst, C. (Researcher), Van der Sangen, G. (Researcher), Öner, C. (Researcher), Kryla-Cudna, K. (Researcher), Mak, V. (Researcher), Smit, D. (Researcher), Op Heij, D. (Researcher), Onţanu, E. A. (Researcher), Salah, O. (Researcher), Wijntjens, L. (Researcher), van Norden, G.-J. (Researcher), Vereijken-van den Bosch, S. (Researcher), Fernandez de Aranguiz Chueca, A. (Researcher), Diamant, Y. (Researcher), Geiregat, S. (Researcher), van der Burgt, B. (Researcher), Hofman, A. (Researcher) & Groeneveld-Tijssens, N. (Researcher)
1/01/19 → 31/12/23
Project: Research project

Cite this

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abstract = "Analysis of the international network of double tax treaties reveals a large potential for tax avoidance. Developing countries are not, on average, more likely to suffer from tax revenue losses than other countries. Yet, this average masks that several countries, such as Bangladesh, Egypt, Kenya, Indonesia, Uganda and Zambia, are all vulnerable to substantial potential losses of withholding tax revenue by treaty shopping. The treaties responsible for this are referred to as potentially aggressive tax treaties. This is concluded by two Dutch economists and tax scholars, in a study commissioned by ICTD. Summary of Working Paper 173.",

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AB - Analysis of the international network of double tax treaties reveals a large potential for tax avoidance. Developing countries are not, on average, more likely to suffer from tax revenue losses than other countries. Yet, this average masks that several countries, such as Bangladesh, Egypt, Kenya, Indonesia, Uganda and Zambia, are all vulnerable to substantial potential losses of withholding tax revenue by treaty shopping. The treaties responsible for this are referred to as potentially aggressive tax treaties. This is concluded by two Dutch economists and tax scholars, in a study commissioned by ICTD. Summary of Working Paper 173.

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Tax Treaty Shopping and Developing Countries: Serious Potential for Tax Revenue Loss

Abstract

Keywords

UN SDGs

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Research output

Tax Treaty Shopping and Developing Countries

Projects

Connecting Organizations

Cite this