FDI equity flow has gone up by 47%.
Data on the foreign direct investment (FDI) positions of American companies are also analyzed. Examining FDI data allows for an indirect investigation into the degree of profit shifting. The FDI data show that the same seven tax haven countries accounted for nearly half (47%) of the worldwide FDI position of the United States. The data also show that an increasing share of FDI is being held via holding companies. The report discusses that some of the increased use of holding companies may be tax motivated. Lastly, data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the United Nations (UN) on the location of the FDI positions of all countries indicate that profit shifting is likely an international issue. [...] Shown in Figure 3 are the 10 countries with the largest positions of U.S. FDI. American MNCs are reporting a significant share of their FDI as occurring in tax-preferred countries. The seven tax-preferred countries -- Netherlands, Luxembourg, Bermuda, Ireland, United Kingdom Caribbean Islands, Singapore, and Switzerland -- accounted for 47% of the FDI positions of American companies, compared to 24% for the three larger industrialized nations of the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. Perhaps most interesting is that the Netherlands, while only a fraction of the economic size, holds more American FDI than Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom.20 FDI flow data (or change in FDI over a given point of time) show similar type patterns.21