Full Expensing in the United States and Canada Boost Worldwide Investment Climate
Rather than adopt temporary policies that phase out and expire, policymakers should focus their efforts on long-term reforms to support investment.
7 min readCosta Rica ranks 17th overall on the 2025 International Tax Competitiveness Index, three places better than in 2024.
How does Costa Rica raise tax revenue? Explore the latest data regarding corporate taxes, individual taxes, consumption taxes, property taxes, and international taxes in Costa Rica below.
The Tax Foundation' s International Tax Competitiveness Index (ITCI) measures the degree to which the 38 OECD countries' tax systems promote competitiveness through low tax burdens on business investment and neutrality through a well-structured tax code. The ITCI considers more than 40 variables across five categories: Corporate Taxes, Individual Taxes, Consumption Taxes, Property Taxes, and International Tax Rules.
The ITCI attempts to display not only which countries provide the best tax environment for investment but also the best tax environment for workers and businesses.
Rather than adopt temporary policies that phase out and expire, policymakers should focus their efforts on long-term reforms to support investment.
7 min read
The ongoing economic uncertainty from global geopolitical threats, supply chain disruptions, rising interest rates, and lagging economic growth in many developed countries have highlighted the importance of private business investment.
32 min read
A destination-based value-added tax (VAT) or goods and services tax (GST) is a better instrument for taxing digital consumption by avoiding cascading. Recent experience shows that governments can tax digital consumption with a better structure than DSTs.
15 min read
The US, as the world’s largest services exporter, has a stronger interest in combating discriminatory services taxation than in pursuing tariffs.
44 min read
The past decade’s record suggests that countries have reliable legislative methods to improve their tax systems through ordinary tax reforms.
22 min read
Structural reforms such as broadening tax bases, improving cost recovery, and shifting toward less distortive taxes can improve competitiveness without necessarily reducing revenue.
7 min read
The side-by-side agreement is an important step in trans-Atlantic economic relations, however, there is more work to be done—on both sides of the Atlantic. If there’s a downside to the side-by-side agreement, it’s the risk of locking in mediocre tax policy choices for the long run.
Formulary apportionment, global tax harmonization, and broad tax increases on services all face design, implementation, and economic barriers. When designing tax systems, policymakers should focus on doing the basic things well and avoid harmful policies that could stunt growth.
7 min read
For the past 12 years, the International Tax Competitiveness Index has examined which countries have truly embraced tax competitiveness and which ones have lagged behind. Our experts examine how country rankings have changed over time and identify the largest movers and shakers.
5 min read
The worldwide average statutory corporate tax rate has consistently decreased since 1980 but has leveled off in recent years. In the US, the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act brought the country’s statutory corporate income tax rate from the fourth highest in the world closer to the middle of the distribution.
20 min read