International tax reform: its effect on repatriation decisions of multinational corporations

The purpose of this research is to identify the ways in which post-1986 international tax reform is expected to affect the repatriation decisions of multinational corporations (MNCs) and to develop expectations about the degree to which future tax reform initiatives will result in the full convergence in rates across international boundaries. The research presents comparative income tax rate data for 14 developed countries and the 11 European Monetary Union (EMU) member states for the 1985–1997 period. All countries reduced their top corporate income tax rate during that period, and the inter-country variation in rates decreased. The reduction in the variation in rates across countries should provide MNCs with more flexibility in dividend repatriation decisions as the difference in tax cost between repatriating foreign earnings and reinvesting them abroad is diminished. Although the research shows a trend toward more similar rates during the 1985–1997 period, it also identifies and discusses political pressures that mitigate against the full convergence in rates.