China and India will lead global growth this year, at 8.4 percent and 8.7 percent, respectively, while the US and the European Union lag behind at 2.8 percent and 1.4 percent, respectively, according to the World Bank 2011 Economic Prospects report.
Investing in emerging nations presents both opportunities and challenges for Canadian multinationals. The tax and regulatory systems in these countries are still in the development stage, in deep contrast with those of the developed nations. Canadian investors will need to navigate through the cultural, language and business practice differences in these nations. In this paper, we discuss some of the common structures Canadian multinationals establish when investing in China, India and Russia and the Canadian income tax implications. We also provide a high-level discussion of some of the key local tax and regulatory issues companies face when establishing businesses in these countries.