Are Tax Havens Good Neighbors? An LDC Perspective

26 Pages Posted: 22 Jul 2009 Last revised: 4 Apr 2011

See all articles by Luisa R. Blanco

Luisa R. Blanco

Pepperdine University School of Public Policy

Cynthia L. Rogers

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Date Written: July 10, 2009

Abstract

Tax competition and spillover models offer ambiguous predictions of tax haven impacts on non-tax havens. The implications of tax havens for less developed countries (LDCs), in particular, are not well understood and are little studied. This paper investigates the impact of tax havens on foreign direct investment (FDI) in non-tax haven LDCs. We investigate spillover and agglomeration factors by including measures of proximity to the nearest tax haven and the level of FDI inflows in the nearest tax haven. Employing cross sectional data of 115 LDCs from 1990 to 2006, we find evidence of spillovers from tax havens to nearby LDCs. FDI inflows in LDCs are positively and significantly related to FDI inflows in the nearest tax haven. Geographic diffusion has nuanced effects. LDCs at a medium distance to the nearest tax haven have higher levels of FDI than LDCs that are close to a tax haven. On the other hand, LDCs at a medium distance to a tax haven are less influenced by FDI spillovers compared with LDCs at closer proximity. Taken together, our results suggest that tax havens make good regional neighbors, but not good immediate neighbors for LDCs. These findings are robust to several model specifications, including one with spatially correlated error terms..

Keywords: Tax havens, Foreign Direct Investment, Less Developed Countries, Spatial Econometrics

JEL Classification: H87, F21

Suggested Citation

Blanco, Luisa R. and Rogers Amon, Cynthia L., Are Tax Havens Good Neighbors? An LDC Perspective (July 10, 2009). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1432630 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1432630

Luisa R. Blanco (Contact Author)

Pepperdine University School of Public Policy ( email )

24255 Pacific Coast Highway
Malibu, CA 90263
United States

Cynthia L. Rogers Amon

affiliation not provided to SSRN ( email )

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