As other developed nations race to cut corporate tax rates in order to attract jobs and investment, politicians in the United States are sitting on their hands. Kevin Hasset of the American Enterprise Institute explains how this hurts America:
Imagine you are the CEO of a major U.S. manufacturing company. You are looking to locate a new domestic plant. All other factors being equal, would you locate the plant in the state with the highest taxes? Now, make that question international. Would you locate a plant in a country with high taxes or low? The obvious answer points to a growing economic problem for the United States. Among the 30 wealthy countries that make up the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the U.S. ranks second, just below Japan, for the highest combined tax rate (federal and state) on corporate profits. Our position in the world hierarchy is relatively new. In 1994, the U.S. ranked 18th. But since then, other nations have been cutting rates—from an average of 37 percent to 28 percent—while the U.S., at 39 percent, has maintained its high level. …most foreign multinationals are headquartered in countries that charge taxes only on domestic operations. If a French firm locates a plant in Ireland, then all of the profits of the Irish plant are taxable in Ireland, but are free from French taxation. So French firms have an enormous incentive to locate in the country with the lowest taxes they can find. That rules out the United States. …the latest literature suggests that relative tax rates are a big, big deal. Indeed, the dramatic flow of international capital to the lowest tax environment is one of the strongest and most reliable findings in the history of economic science. If a country lowers its rate below its rivals, as Ireland, now with a 12.5 percent rate, began doing more than a decade ago, then multinationals flood that nation with capital. It’s very much in the data. …The status quo—one of the most unfriendly tax policies toward business on earth—is unacceptable to anyone who cares about the future of American industry. No one should be surprised if our best firms continue to flee overseas and if foreign-based firms prefer locating their plants outside America.
