Tax competition leads to under-provision of public goods in trading blocks.
The article explores how countries in a trading block compete for capital by offering tax incentives and providing public goods. In a scenario where public goods are not adequately provided, countries with high GDP or large populations tend to have higher income tax rates. When countries cooperate, they can achieve higher optimal income tax rates compared to when they act independently. However, if countries have different characteristics, cooperative income tax rates may be lower than independent ones.