KPMG defined the most attractive countries for business

17.04.2014

KPMG (one of the Big Four audit firms) prepares an annual report about the financial situation in 10 countries: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, UK and the USA. The study compares total costs of doing business, as well as tax rates in various business sectors. Comparison is made with respect to the United States showings.

Countries with low costs of doing business in this year are:

1. Mexico, the costs are less for 18.7% than in the U.S.

2. Canada (7.2%)

3. The Netherlands (5.5%).

Corporate income taxes were compared in different categories. The first was given to the countries with the lowest tax rates in a set situation:

• E-business sphere:

1. Canada

2. Great Britain

3. France

• Science ​research and development sphere:

1. France

2. The Netherlands

3. Canada

• In the field of manufacturing operations:

1. Great Britain

2. Canada

3. The Netherlands

Countries with the lowest property taxes:

1. Mexico

2. The Netherlands

3. Australia

These figures are told about countries' competitiveness in the international stage, what in turn affects the level of foreign investments.

Based on: http://www.competitivealternatives.com/reports/2014_compalt_report_vol1_en.pdf

Expert’s opinion

Primarily such analysis is interesting not only by the choice of countries, but also by the set-up parameters. In recent years, the emphasis lays not only on minimum corporate tax rates. Such areas as scientific research and e-business become popular and in demand in the modern world.
In many Asian countries, for example, in Korea and Singapore, various issues of scientific research programs have government supports. Companies have the tax exemption at the initial stage and various tax preferences later.
And although all figures ​​were compared with the "great" America, it should be said that U.S. itself wasn’t included in abovementioned categories.

Irina Lomakina ( Director of Moscow Office of Honest & Bright)