Corporate Income Taxation in the Digital Age: Africa in the Corporate Tax Haven Index 2019

40 Pages Posted: 18 Nov 2019

See all articles by Rachel Etter-Phoya

Rachel Etter-Phoya

Tax Justice Network; University of St Andrews

Shanna Lima

Tax Justice Network

Markus Meinzer

Tax Justice Network

Date Written: August 28, 2019

Abstract

African nations must adopt policies to counter corporate tax avoidance, especially in a digital economy. The Corporate Tax Haven Index of 2019, developed by the Tax Justice Network, is the first systematic, unpoliticised and verifiable measure of how jurisdictions facilitate abusive tax activity by multinational companies and their significance in cross-border activity. Drawing on the data set and results for 64 countries, this paper explores how the nine African jurisdictions that are included have responded to the challenge of tax avoidance and might be intentionally or unwittingly exacerbating profit-shifting activity and the race to the bottom in corporate taxation. The tax treatment of intellectual property and royalties, which are salient in a digital economy, are examined to inform initial recommendations on how African nations may best address the impact of digitalisation on taxation.

Keywords: tax havens, illicit financial flows, digital economy, intellectual property, taxation, Africa, multinational companies, corporate income tax

JEL Classification: F02, F23, F54, F63, K34, O55, P00

Suggested Citation

Etter-Phoya, Rachel and Lima, Shanna and Meinzer, Markus, Corporate Income Taxation in the Digital Age: Africa in the Corporate Tax Haven Index 2019 (August 28, 2019). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3483420 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3483420

Rachel Etter-Phoya (Contact Author)

Tax Justice Network ( email )

38 Stanley Avenue
Chesham, Bucks HP5 2JG
United Kingdom

HOME PAGE: http://taxjustice.net/

University of St Andrews ( email )

St Andrews, KY16 9AL
United Kingdom

Shanna Lima

Tax Justice Network ( email )

Markus Meinzer

Tax Justice Network ( email )

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