Reinvestment and effective corporate income tax rates in V4 countries

Abstract

Research background: In the Visegrad Four (V4) countries (Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia), the inward foreign direct investment (FDI) shows high shares in the exports and gross domestic product (GDP). Furthermore, reinvested earnings play a significant role in the national balances of payments (BoP). Therefore, it is crucial to investigate the reinvestment rates and effective corporate income tax rates (ETRs) of transnational corporations (TNCs) and financial institutions settled in the V4 countries and compare them with the said rates in other European Union (EU) Member States. It is essential to unveil factors shaping investors? decisions to reinvest profits. Policymakers should reflect on them when cultivating the overall business climate to boost citizens? welfare. Purpose of the article: We aim to identify the determinants of the FDI profit reinvestment rate in the V4 countries as host economies from 2014 to 2019 and draw a comparison with the EU?27 average. We dedicate special attention to the correlation between the reinvestment and the ETRs and other selected business climate indicators as specified in the World Bank?s Ease of Doing Business (World Bank, 2020). Methods: To assess the determinants of the reinvestment rates, we employ a three-stage model of multiple linear regression, where we analyse extensive datasets published by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Eurostat, World Bank, and public and aggregate country-by-country reports (CbCR) provided by the respective financial institutions and TNCs. Findings & value added: Our research shows that the corporate income tax (CIT) rate and ETRs significantly correlate with the reinvestment rate. The same applies to three Ease of Doing Business sub-indicators (Starting a business, Getting credit, and Contract enforcement). Contrary to the findings of Lundan (2006), Beugelsdijk et al. (2010), Nguyen and Rugman (2015), and Sutherland et al. (2020), macroeconomic factors, the profitability of corporations, and exchange rate stability turned out to be statistically insignificant. Our research has policy implications, for it can contribute to policy discussions on enhancing business environments in the V4 countries and ways to motivate foreign investors to reinvest their profits. The added value combines macroeconomic data with the unique and relatively new CbCR databases.