The Office of Tax Policy Research at the University of Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business and Bocconi University sponsored a conference last week on Tax Havens and Tax Competition:

Session I:  Empirical Facts

• Moderator: Mihir Desai (Harvard University)
• What We Know about Tax Havens, by James Hines (University of Michigan)
  • Discussant: Harry Grubert (U.S. Department of the Treasury)
• What Do We Know about Corporate Tax Competition?, by Michael Devereux (Oxford University Centre for Business Taxation)
  • Discussant: Hugh Ault (Boston College Law School)

Session II:  Theoretical Models of Tax Havens

• Moderator: Giampaolo Arachi (Bocconi University)
• The Fight against Tax Havens under Formula Apportionment, by Johannes Becker & Clemens Fuest (University of Cologne)
  • Discussant: Andreas Haufler (University of Munich)
• Tax Competition with Parasitic Tax Havens, by Joel Slemrod (University of Michigan) & John D. Wilson (Michigan State University)
  • Discussant: Eckhard Janeba (University of Mannheim)
• Honor among Tax Havens, by Sam Bucovetsky (York University)
  • Discussant: James Hines (University of Michigan)

Session III:  Theoretical Modeling

• Moderator: Paolo Panteghini (Brescia University)
• Why Do Most Countries Set High Tax Rates on Capital?, by Nicolas Marceau (University of Quebec), Steeve Mongrain (Simon Fraser University), & John D. Wilson (Michigan State University)
  • Discussant: Giampaolo Arachi (Bocconi University)
• Tax Competition When Firms Choose Their Organizational Form: Should Tax Loopholes for Multinationals Be Closed?, by Sam Bucovetsky (York University) & Andreas Haufler (University of Munich)
  • Discussant: Clemens Fuest (University of Cologne)

Session IV:  Roundtable: What Aspects of Reality Do Existing Theoretical Models Miss?

• Moderator: Doug Shackelford (University of North Carolina)
• Participants: Julian Alworth (Said Business School, Oxford), Carlo Garbarino (Bocconi University), & Doug Shackelford (University of North Carolina)

Session V:  The Response of Corporations and Governments to the Changing Environment

• Moderator: Michael Devereux (Oxford University Centre for Business Taxation)
• Closer Economic Integration and Corporate Tax Competition, by Kim Clausing (Reed College)
  • Discussant: Joel Slemrod (University of Michigan)
• Economic Effects of Tax Havens, by Mihir Desai & Fritz Foley (Harvard University), & James Hines (University of Michigan)
  • Discussant: John D. Wilson (Michigan State University)
• Governments and Multinational Corporations in the Race to the Bottom, by Rosanne Altshuler (Rutgers University) & Harry Grubert (U.S. Department of the Treasury)
• Discussant: Silvia Giannini (University of Bologna)

Session VI: Roundtable: Policy Responses to the Changing Environment

• Moderator: Julian Alworth (Business School, Oxford)
• Participants: Stefan Imhof (HM Treasury), Matthias Mors (European Commission), & Jeffrey Owens (OECD)

Session VII:   Roundtable:  Setting the Research Agenda – What Empirical Tests Would Distinguish Among Theoretical Models?

• Moderator: Joel Slemrod (University of Michigan)
• Participants: Michael Devereux (Oxford University Centre for Business Taxation), James Hines (University of Michigan) & Federico Revelli (University of Turin)