期刊名称:DIW Diskussionspapiere / Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Berlin
出版年度:2008
卷号:2008
出版社:Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Berlin
摘要:German corporated companies are taxed with a federal corporation tax and with a
local busi-ness tax. The latter has a similar, but broader tax base (including
e.g. 25% of interest pay-ments) and its tax rate is set independently by every
municipality including the so called city-states (Stadtstaaten). The federal
corporation tax revenue is equally split between the federal government and the
federal states (Länder). Till now the federal tax rate has been fixed by the
German government. Federal states have not had the right to rule the tax rate of
their share of corporation tax. At present a federal commission is discussing
whether this should be possible in the future. Once granted this privilege, the
city-states will be able to substitute their part of corporation tax by a higher
local business tax. Furthermore, because of its broader tax base, there will be
a reduction of the statutory tax rate for corporations without a decrease in tax
revenue. This paper analyses the revenue effects of this substitution for the
city-states taking into account the German fiscal equalization system and the
incentive of profit shifting to the city-states. The analysis shows some
positive revenue effects to the city-states, if they will substitute their part
of corporation tax by a higher local business tax. The revenue effects are
subject to different scenarios and add up to 17.5 million for Hamburg, 10.4
million for Berlin and 3.6 million for Bremen.