World’s Most Business-Friendly Tax Regimes Revealed: U.S. Doesn’t Make Top 30

The United States has appeared well down a list of the world's most business-friendly tax regimes, adding weight to calls from Donald Trump to cut corporate tax rates and slash red tape.

The table, jointly published by the World Bank and consultancy firm PwC, ranked the U.S. at 36th out of 190 countries, based on tax rates and the administrative ease of compliance.

The U.S. had jumped from 53rd place in the previous year. However, its average tax rate, at 44%, and average time to comply, at 175 hours, were largely unchanged, indicating the rise had more to do with what was happening in other countries.

On average, companies around the world paid a total tax rate of 40.6%, down 0.1 percentage point from a year earlier. The average time taken to comply, meanwhile, fell by eight hours to 251 hours.

“More efficient tax systems are good for business, which in turn helps promote economic growth and investment.

The time reduction was higher than in recent years, reflecting improvements in electronic tax systems and, in particular, efficiency reforms implemented in Brazil. The small decrease in the total global tax rate, meanwhile, came after 44 economies raised taxes, while 38 cut them.

“While we recognize the pressure on governments to raise tax revenues to fund public spending, in many economies, governments and tax authorities can make it easier for companies to pay their taxes,” PwC’s Andrew Packman said. “More efficient tax systems are good for business, which in turn helps promote economic growth and investment.”

The UK, which jumped five places to 10th, was the highest-ranking G20 country on the list, followed by Canada at 17th. Britain’s rise came after it cut corporate taxes last year.

Trump has pledged to cut the U.S. corporate tax rate to 15%, a move that would bring the country more into line with nations such as Ireland, Singapore and the Chinese province of Hong Kong.

Middle Eastern countries continued to be the easiest in which to pay tax, with Qatar and the UAE sharing top spot on this year’s list. They were followed, in descending order, by Hong Kong, Bahrain, Ireland, Kuwait, Denmark, Singapore and Macedonia.

The full table can be viewed here.


MORE LIKE THIS

  • Get the CEO Briefing

    Sign up today to get weekly access to the latest issues affecting CEOs in every industry
  • upcoming events

    Roundtable

    Strategic Planning Workshop

    1:00 - 5:00 pm

    Over 70% of Executives Surveyed Agree: Many Strategic Planning Efforts Lack Systematic Approach Tips for Enhancing Your Strategic Planning Process

    Executives expressed frustration with their current strategic planning process. Issues include:

    1. Lack of systematic approach (70%)
    2. Laundry lists without prioritization (68%)
    3. Decisions based on personalities rather than facts and information (65%)

     

    Steve Rutan and Denise Harrison have put together an afternoon workshop that will provide the tools you need to address these concerns.  They have worked with hundreds of executives to develop a systematic approach that will enable your team to make better decisions during strategic planning.  Steve and Denise will walk you through exercises for prioritizing your lists and steps that will reset and reinvigorate your process.  This will be a hands-on workshop that will enable you to think about your business as you use the tools that are being presented.  If you are ready for a Strategic Planning tune-up, select this workshop in your registration form.  The additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.

    To sign up, select this option in your registration form. Additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.

    New York, NY: ​​​Chief Executive's Corporate Citizenship Awards 2017

    Women in Leadership Seminar and Peer Discussion

    2:00 - 5:00 pm

    Female leaders face the same issues all leaders do, but they often face additional challenges too. In this peer session, we will facilitate a discussion of best practices and how to overcome common barriers to help women leaders be more effective within and outside their organizations. 

    Limited space available.

    To sign up, select this option in your registration form. Additional fee of $495 will be added to your total.

    Golf Outing

    10:30 - 5:00 pm
    General’s Retreat at Hermitage Golf Course
    Sponsored by UBS

    General’s Retreat, built in 1986 with architect Gary Roger Baird, has been voted the “Best Golf Course in Nashville” and is a “must play” when visiting the Nashville, Tennessee area. With the beautiful setting along the Cumberland River, golfers of all capabilities will thoroughly enjoy the golf, scenery and hospitality.

    The golf outing fee includes transportation to and from the hotel, greens/cart fees, use of practice facilities, and boxed lunch. The bus will leave the hotel at 10:30 am for a noon shotgun start and return to the hotel after the cocktail reception following the completion of the round.

    To sign up, select this option in your registration form. Additional fee of $295 will be added to your total.