April 27, 2009 1:58PM

Globalization and Tax Reform

By Chris Edwards

Despite the recession, globalization continues to exert pressure for beneficial tax reforms. From Tax Notes International today:

Jordanian Finance Minister Bassem al‐​Salem on April 20 confirmed that the government is working on draft legislation that would cut corporate tax rates drastically, reducing them in some cases by more than half.


Al‐​Salem said the government will seek to introduce a single 12 percent tax rate for most corporate entities, although companies in the banking, insurance, and mining sectors would pay tax at a rate of 25 percent. The current corporate tax rates range from 15 percent to 35 percent for different profit levels and also differ by business sector.


The draft legislation would also rationalize individual income tax, custom duties, and other taxes to increase efficiency, al‐​Salem said. Jordan has about 100 different taxes.


Al‐​Salem said the tax cuts are needed because many countries in the region either don’t have taxes at all or have much lower tax rates than Jordan’s, making them more attractive jurisdictions for investment.

The full story on taxation and globalization is here.