Title: Tax incentives and economic growth in Nigeria: a paradox?

Authors: Barine Michael Nwidobie

Addresses: Department of Accounting and Finance, Caleb University Lagos, Nigeria

Abstract: This study aims to ascertain whether tax incentives in Nigeria have in reality contributed to her economic growth or the purported growth from the granting of tax incentives is a paradox. Analysis of secondary data on identified tax incentives and real GDP values for the period 2000 to 2017 using the OLS shows that tax incentives granted by Nigeria has no influence on Nigeria's real GDP as the incentives were static throughout the study period. A Satterthwaite Welch t-test, the Welch F-test and the ANOVA F analysis of real GDP showed that there exists a statistical difference between real GDP 19 years before the introduction of varied tax incentives in 2000 and 19 years after, but the difference is not attributed to the introduction of varied the static tax incentives regime. Therefore, the purported growth in real GDP in Nigeria from tax incentives is a paradox.

Keywords: economic growth; fiscal incentives; foreign direct investment; investment inflows; gross domestic product; GDP; tax incentives.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEA.2020.109926

International Journal of Economics and Accounting, 2020 Vol.9 No.3, pp.273 - 288

Received: 18 Oct 2019
Accepted: 26 May 2020

Published online: 29 Sep 2020 *

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