The Taxation of Passive Foreign Investment - Lessons from German Experience

32 Pages Posted: 22 Apr 2009

See all articles by Martin Ruf

Martin Ruf

University of Tübingen

Alfons J. Weichenrieder

Goethe University Frankfurt - Department of Applied Econometrics and International Economic Policy; Vienna University of Economics and Business; CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute)

Date Written: April 2009

Abstract

The paper evaluates the working of German CFC rules that restrict the use of foreign subsidiaries located in low-tax countries to shelter passive investment income from home taxation. While passive investments make up a significant fraction of German outbound FDI, we find that German CFC rules are quite effective in restricting investments in low-tax jurisdictions. We find evidence that the German 2001 tax reform, which unilaterally introduced exemption of passive income in medium- and high-tax countries, has led to some shifting of passive assets into countries for which the exemption was previously limited.

Keywords: foreign direct investment, CFC regulation, passive investment

JEL Classification: H25, H73

Suggested Citation

Ruf, Martin and Weichenrieder, Alfons J., The Taxation of Passive Foreign Investment - Lessons from German Experience (April 2009). CESifo Working Paper Series No. 2624, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1392203 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1392203

Martin Ruf

University of Tübingen ( email )

Nauklerstraße 47
Tübingen, D-72076
Germany

HOME PAGE: http://www.uni-tuebingen.de/wiwi/steuern

Alfons J. Weichenrieder (Contact Author)

Goethe University Frankfurt - Department of Applied Econometrics and International Economic Policy ( email )

United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.uni-frankfurt.de/fb02/weichenrieder/

Vienna University of Economics and Business ( email )

Welthandelsplatz 1
Vienna, Wien 1020
Austria

CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute) ( email )

Poschinger Str. 5
Munich, DE-81679
Germany

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