An Investigation of the Effective Factors on Foreign Direct Investment with Emphasis on the Optimal Tax Rate in Selected Countries (Spatial Durbin Model for Panel Data)

Abstract

Foreign investment is the function of globalization in the economies. There are so important factors for absorbing it . Cheap and skilled labor, the degree of openness of the economy and policies, activities and actions that attract this type of capitals are most important factors. To achieve this goal, governments enter a competitive game and try to attract these investments with their policies. In this study, first using a dynamic optimization control model and developing a Ramsey model to determine the optimal taxation on foreign direct investment in a small open economy for Iran and selected countries and then investigate the effective factors on Foreign direct investment with emphasis on the role of taxes through spatial econometric method (spatial Durbin model) for panel data during the years 2000 to 2017. The results show that the optimal tax rate for attracting foreign investment for the countries under study is close to zero. The results of spatial estimation by Dhaver sine and Euclidean methods also confirm the spatial dependence of the variables affecting foreign direct investment.

Keywords

• optimal tax rate
• foreign direct investment
• small open economy
• spatial durbin model