Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/238093 
Authors: 
Year of Publication: 
2021
Series/Report no.: 
Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies Working Paper No. HEIDWP02-2021
Publisher: 
Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva
Abstract: 
This paper studies how intangible asset intensity affects multinationals' profitshifting behavior. Intangible assets reduce the cost of booking profits in low-tax jurisdictions, independently from where profits are generated. Consequently they can be instrumental to implementing tax-avoidance schemes. Using a large firm-level, parent-subsidiaries matched panel data set I test if multinationals characterized by high intangible asset intensity report higher profits in low-tax jurisdictions, respect to corporations with low intangible asset intensity. I find that, intangible asset intensity exacerbates multinationals' profit-shifting behavior. Splitting the sample between tech and non-tech companies, I find that, although tech companies leverage intangible asset intensity for profit-shifting more than the rest of the sample, there is no statistical difference between profit-shifting of tech companies with high intangibles intensity and non-tech companies with high intangibles intensity.
Subjects: 
intangible assets
international profit-shifting
corporate taxation
JEL: 
F23
H25
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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