Effect of Corporate Income Tax Incentives on Investment in Rwanda

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to establish the effect of corporate income tax incentives on investment using privatesector manufacturing companies in Kigali special economic zone, Rwanda. The study adopted descriptive researchdesign and the study population comprised of thirty-nine manufacturing companies in free zone in Rwanda which areregistered by the private sector. The sample size comprised of 36 private companies determined from a totalpopulation of 39 companies. Only two employees that are acquainted with decision making from each manufacturingcompanies registered by the private sector were targeted hence the target population respondents was 72 respondents.The Stratified random sampling technique was used to select the respondents. Data was collected from both primaryand secondary data using questionnaires and documentation. The findings in the study revealed that tax incentiveshave significant positive effect on investment in private sector manufacturing companies in Rwanda. The p -valuesfor all the variables are lower than 5% this implies that are significant. From the study the p-values are 0.009, 0.000,0.003 and 0.000 for company income tax, capital allowance, value added tax and capital gains tax incentivesrespectively. The capital allowance incentive has the highest t value of 4.656, followed by company income taxincentives with 3.954, and next is capital gains tax incentives with 3.184, while the lowest is the value added taxincentives with 2.954. Based on the empirical evidences and results of the analysis, there is positive and statisticallysignificant relationship between the tax incentives and investments. The study recommends that Government andpolicy makers should concentrate on efforts at ensuring that more CIT incentives and strategies that are specificallyaddressing small and medium enterprises are introduced.