The impact of the Global Minimum Tax on Vietnam's foreign direct investment attraction

Abstract

This study assesses the impact of the Global Minimum Tax (GMT) on the attraction of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Vietnam. The authors rely on the analytical framework of UNCTAD (2022) and descriptive statistical methods to analyze and evaluate the impact of GMT on FDI attraction. The research findings indicate that the implementation of GMT will affect tax competitiveness, profit shifting, investment location, and investment scale in various degrees and directions. In particular, GMT may create conflicts between current tax laws and GMT rules, leading to inconsistencies and difficulties in enforcing tax regulations. Vietnam will have to compete with other countries in asserting tax jurisdiction over investment activities on its territory. GMT may negatively affect FDI inflows into Vietnam in sectors with a high tax elasticity to investments. Vietnam may be forced to move away from competition for attracting FDI solely based on corporate income tax and shift to new forms of competition. Based on these findings, the paper proposes several recommendations for the Vietnamese government to refine policies related to GMT.