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Advancing Corporate Tax Transparency

Author

Listed:
  • Giulia Aliprandi

    (EU Tax Observatory)

  • Kane Borders

    (EU Tax Observatory)

Abstract
Multinational enterprises have risen to become dominant forces in the global economy, accompanied by a troubling trend of aggressive tax avoidance. In 2022 alone, an estimated $1 trillion in profits was shifted to tax havens by multinationals, amounting to 35% of all profits booked outside their headquarters countries (Alstadsæter et al., 2023). Despite tax avoidance being a major public concern, the specific practices employed by individual companies have remained largely opaque to the public due to a lack of transparency and public disclosure obligations. Comprehensive transparency measures promote informed policymaking, accountability, public trust, and sustainable development globally. This report examines the current landscape of corporate tax transparency and evaluates how emerging transparency measures could shape future developments in this critical area. We focus on corporate tax transparency measures via Country-by-Country Reporting (CbCR), where multinationals disclose detailed financial and tax-related information for each country of operation. We collected the publicly available CbCR reports and compiled them into a single database: the Public CbCR Database. This new data source highlights that large multinationals, particularly from Western Europe, are leading the way as primary publishers of such reports. Overall, the large multinationals publishing public CbCR account for less than 2% of large companies, and less than 5% of global revenues and global profits. Despite the small numbers, our research reveals an upward trend in voluntary CbCR disclosures, signalling increasing tax transparency practices. However, significant gaps remain, as U.S. multinationals and firms from major economies like China and Russia have only a few CbCR disclosures available. The European Union (EU) made an important step in furthering corporate tax transparency by adopting a mandatory CbCR directive that started applying this year in many EU countries. Our simulations reveal the impact this directive will have. Nearly one-third of large U.S. MNEs will be compelled to publish more disaggregated financial information than ever before publicly available. The increased disclosure from these U.S. corporate giants, who have historically been opaque, could be a breakthrough in tax transparency. However, the directive has serious limitations, as the requirements for geographical disaggregations are largely insufficient to truly evaluate the activity of multinationals. Broader adoption and enhancement of corporate tax transparency initiatives are crucial, we suggest several ways to improve the directive going forward.

Suggested Citation

  • Giulia Aliprandi & Kane Borders, 2024. "Advancing Corporate Tax Transparency," Reports 005, EU Tax Observatory.
    • Handle: RePEc:dbp:report:005
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Giulia Aliprandi & Kane Borders, 2023. "Tax Transparency by Multinationals: Trends in Country-by-Country Reports Public Disclosure," Notes 005, EU Tax Observatory.
    2. Annette Alstadsaeter & Sarah Godar & Panayiotis Nicolaides & Gabriel Zucman, 2023. "Global Tax Evasion Report 2024," Working Papers halshs-04563948, HAL.
    3. Sarah Godar & Giulia Aliprandi & Tommaso Faccio & Petr Janský & Katia Toledo Ruiz, 2024. "The long way to tax transparency: lessons from the early publishers of country-by-country reports," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 31(2), pages 593-634, April.
    4. Johannesen, Niels & Larsen, Dan Thor, 2016. "The power of financial transparency: An event study of country-by-country reporting standards," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 120-122.
    5. Verena K. Dutt & Christopher A. Ludwig & Katharina Nicolay & Heiko Vay & Johannes Voget, 2019. "Increasing tax transparency: investor reactions to the country-by-country reporting requirement for EU financial institutions," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 26(6), pages 1259-1290, December.
    6. Katarzyna Anna Bilicka & Elisa Casi & Carol Seregni & Barbara Stage, 2021. "Tax Strategy Disclosure: A Greenwashing Mandate?," CESifo Working Paper Series 9030, CESifo.
    7. Preetika Joshi, 2020. "Does Private Country‐by‐Country Reporting Deter Tax Avoidance and Income Shifting? Evidence from BEPS Action Item 13," Journal of Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 58(2), pages 333-381, May.
    8. Eberhartinger, Eva & Speitmann, Raffael & Sureth-Sloane, Caren, 2020. "Real effects of public country-by-country reporting and the firm structure of European banks," arqus Discussion Papers in Quantitative Tax Research 255, arqus - Arbeitskreis Quantitative Steuerlehre.
    9. Gundert, Hannah & Spengel, Christoph & Weck, Stefan, 2024. "Leveling the playing field? A qualitative and quantitative examination of the EU directive on public country-by-country reporting," ZEW Discussion Papers 24-019, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    10. Chen, Yi-Chun & Hung, Mingyi & Wang, Yongxiang, 2018. "The effect of mandatory CSR disclosure on firm profitability and social externalities: Evidence from China," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(1), pages 169-190.
    11. Giulia Aliprandi & Kane Borders, 2023. "Tax Transparency by Multinationals: Trends in Country-by-Country Reports Public Disclosure," Post-Print halshs-04103949, HAL.
    12. Dutt, Verena K. & Nicolay, Katharina & Spengel, Christoph, 2021. "Reporting behavior and transparency in European banks' country-by-country reports," ZEW Discussion Papers 21-019, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    13. Herita Akamah & Ole-Kristian Hope & Wayne B Thomas, 2018. "Tax havens and disclosure aggregation," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 49(1), pages 49-69, January.
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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • H26 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Tax Evasion and Avoidance
    • F23 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - Multinational Firms; International Business
    • M48 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Accounting - - - Government Policy and Regulation

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