Search results

International Accounting Standard (IAS) 12 requires the disclosure of a tax reconciliation (TR). The purpose of the TR is to explain the differences between the corporate effective tax expense and the corporate theoretical tax expense. In this paper, the authors investigate which institutional pressures influence the level of disclosure of the TR.

The study draws on an empirical archival approach in which the level of disclosure is first measured and then associated with institutional pressures. The sample comprises 120 companies listed on the Paris stock exchange, i.e. a highly institutionalized setting.

The findings show a wide variation in the level of disclosure of the TR across the sample and that all three types of isomorphism (coercive, normative and mimetic) are associated with disclosure.

The paper deals exclusively with TR given its importance to a wide range of users. Additional tax information available in annual reports, most of the time at an expert level, may be the subject of further research.

The results have important implications for standard setters, regulators, and practitioners as the research outlines the institutional pressures at work in corporate reporting policies and pushes forward the debate on fiscal transparency.

This paper documents the influence of institutional pressures on the level of the TR disclosure at a country level. It contributes to the literature on corporate tax disclosure which mainly focuses on differences across countries. An innovative ad hoc index is used to measure information completeness.

This paper aims to examine the impact of corporate tax planning (TP) on tax disclosure (TD). Using tax expenses data set, with the detailed effective tax rate (ETR) by reconciling individual items of income and expenses.

A firm-level panel data set is used to analyse 286 non-financial listed companies on Bursa Malaysia that spans the period 2010-2012. Multivariate statistical analyses were run on the sample data. The empirical understanding of TD depends on public sources of data in the financial statement, characterized in the aggregated note of tax expenses. Fitting with Malaysian environment, the authors measured TD using modified ETR reconciling items.

Results show that TP, exhibit a robust positive influence on TD. This suggests that TP is related to lower corporate TD. In addition, companies with high TP attempt to mitigate the disclosure problem by increasing various TD. The authors further find significant positive impact between each of firm size and industry dummy, on TD. This means that company-specific characteristics are significant factors affecting corporate TD.

This study contributes to the literature on the effect of TP on TD. It depends on both the signalling theory and the Scholes–Wolfson framework, which are the main theories concerned with TP and TD. Therefore, from a theoretical side, the authors add to the current theories by verifying that users are the party influenced whether positively or negatively, by the extent of TD or the extent of TP activities through Malaysian organizations.

The evidence found in this paper has important policy and practical implications for the authorities, researchers, decision makers and company managers. The findings can provide them some relevant insights on the importance of TP actions from companies’ perspective and contribute to the discussion of who verifies and deduces from TD directed by companies.

This paper originality is regarded as the first attempt to examine the impact of TP on TD in a developing country such as Malaysia. Malaysian setting is an interesting one to examine because Malaysia could be similar to other countries in Southeast Asia. Results contribute significant insights to the discussion about TD regarding, which parties are responsible for the verification of TD by firms, and which parties benefit from this disclosure. Findings suggest that companies face a trade-off between tax benefits and TD when selecting the type of their TP.

This paper aims to analyse the determinants of the proportion of quantitative data in financial statement footnote disclosures. Quantitative data represents “hard” information and has been considered to be more persuasive than qualitative data. The primary focus is on income tax footnotes because revenue agents use them as a reference in tax audits, and citizen groups use them to analyse tax inequalities. This study posits that firms with lower effective tax rates (“tax aggressive” firms) disclose less quantitative data in their income tax footnotes.

The multivariate analysis uses data from the contents of income tax footnotes extracted from 10-K filings in eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL). It uses the alphanumeric characters identified in the income tax footnotes to calculate the proportion of quantitative data relative to the entire footnote disclosure as the dependent variable in a multivariate regression analysis.

The findings show that firms which avoid more taxes disclose less quantitative data in income tax footnotes after controlling for the readability of the income tax footnotes and the entire annual report. Therefore, firms seem to reduce the publication of measurable data accessible to revenue agencies and citizen groups.

This analysis provides evidence that firms weigh the financial reporting requirements and tax audit risks when they disclose quantitative income tax data. Also, it supports the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (FASB’s) proposal to require more disaggregated income tax disclosure. To the researcher’s knowledge, this is the first analysis that focuses on the determinants of disclosing quantitative data in income tax footnotes.

This paper aims to examine the impact of corporate governance internal mechanisms on tax disclosure in non-financial firms in Malaysia. Managerial ownership and incentive compensation are used as proxies to reflect corporate governance conduct.

This study uses panel data set to analyse 286 non-financial listed companies on Bursa Malaysia for the years 2010-2012. Tax disclosure was gathered from the financial statements, particularly in the consolidated of tax expenses. Tax disclosure was measured using modified effective tax rate reconciling items. Multivariate statistical analyses were run on the sample data.

This study finds that managerial ownership and incentive compensation do not significantly influence tax disclosure. On the other hand, it is found that there are significant positive associations between each of firm size and industry dummy, and tax disclosure. This means that company-specific characteristics are important factors affecting corporate tax disclosure.

This study extends the work of previous studies by suggesting that the signalling theory and the agency theory are the main theories concerned with tax disclosure and corporate governance. The authors add an additional appreciation of the contribution of corporate governance from the interested parties’ tax disclosure evaluation in the Malaysian environment.

The evidence found by this study has important policy and practical knowledge implications for the authorities, researchers, decisionmakers and firm managers. The findings provide them with some relevant insights on the importance of corporate governance practices from the companies’ perspectives and contribute to the discussion of who verifies and deduces from tax disclosure directed by companies.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first attempt to examine the influence of the corporate governance internal mechanisms on tax disclosure in a developing nation like Malaysia. Although this paper focuses on a single country, it contributes significantly to the debate about tax disclosure in relation to “comply or explain”, as suggested in the Code of Corporate Governance. This study shows that companies are trying to avoid as far as possible disclosing tax-related information.

Two competing hypotheses have been developed in the public economics literature to explain the growth of government spending. The first, termed the fiscal illusion hypothesis, holds that governments have incentives to induce a misperception in the population about the cost of government. By constructing complex systems of taxation that obscure the true cost of government services, governments can lead the taxpayer to demand a larger quantity of services. The other hypothesis, the fiscal stress hypothesis, holds that tax complexity diversifies revenues, leading to less revenue variability and, hence, lower costs. Taxpayers, then, demand more government services. The two hypotheses make very different assumptions about the incentives of governments in regard to an informed electorate. The fiscal illusion hypothesis suggests incentives to obscure information, while the fiscal stress hypothesis suggests incentives to reveal true costs.

Accounting and financial reporting can play a role in revealing fiscal information to taxpayers, directly or indirectly, through information intermediaries. If the fiscal illusion hypothesis describes the behavior of governments, we would expect that such governments would attempt to protect the information advantage that is conveyed by a complex tax structure by minimizing accounting disclosures. On the other hand, the fiscal illusion hypothesis suggests that a government with a complex tax structure has no reason to minimize disclosure, and may have incentives publicize lower service costs.

This study examines the association of tax complexity and financial disclosure. We find that there is more disclosure in cities with more complex tax systems, a result that supports the fiscal stress hypothesis.

This study aims to compare the value relevance of the recognised deferred tax elements under International Accounting Standard 12 (IAS 12): Income Taxes (balance sheet method) relative to the taxes payable (flow through) method. It also investigates the value relevance of the IAS 12 deferred tax disclosures.

This study used standard valuation models to examine the association between share price and the recognised amounts and footnote disclosures of IAS 12. The Vuong (1989) test is then used to assess which information set is more value relevant. The sample includes 440 firm years over the period 2008-2012.

The results show that deferred tax amounts recognised under the balance sheet method provide no more information to investors than the taxes payable method (TPM). Deferred tax footnote disclosures, however, are more relevant than the amounts recognised under the balance sheet method. This study investigates potential reasons for the relevance of footnote disclosures.

This study has not addressed whether the deferral method of deferred tax is relevant. In addition, while footnote disclosures look promising, further research is necessary.

The results suggest, given the complexity and cost of compliance with IAS 12, that the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) should undertake a comprehensive re-think on the relevance of the balance sheet method in IAS 12 and revert to the TPM.

The IASB and the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group have expressed concerns over the balance sheet method under IAS 12. The IASB and the Financial Accounting Standards Board also have concerns over the cost and complexity of the deferred tax disclosures. The study’s results offer a perspective by examining whether the balance sheet method is value relevant. Prior research has addressed this issue using local data (i.e. pre-International Financial Reporting Standards). This study also provides suggestions for future research into deferred tax footnote disclosures.

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of tax planning (TP), which measured by the component of tax saving (TS), namely, permanent differences (PDs), temporary differences (TDF), foreign tax rates (FTRs) differentials and tax losses (TLOS) on tax disclosure (TD).

This study uses panel data set from sample consisted of 286 non-financial listed companies in the main market of Bursa Malaysia (formerly known as Kuala Lumpur stock exchange) for three years 2010-2012. The empirical understanding of TD depends on publicly source of data in the financial statement, characterized in the aggregated note of tax expenses. TD was measured using modified effective tax rate reconciling items, as it is appropriate in the Malaysian environment. The paper uses multivariate statistical analyses on this sample.

The empirical results of the multivariate regressions indicated that TD exhibits significant positive association with the TLOS component of TS but has significant negative relationship related to the PDs component of TS and TDFs component of TS.

This study extends the prior-related literature by examining the relation between TD and component of TS. This study depends on both the signaling theory and the Scholes–Wolfson framework. These are the main theories concerned with TD and TP (TSs), respectively. Therefore, from a theoretical side, the authors adds to the current theories by verifying that users are the party influenced whether positively or negatively, by the extent of TD or the extent of activities of TP through Malaysian organizations.

The evidence found by this study has important policy and practical knowledge implications for a minimum of three parties, namely, authorities, researchers in academic field and decision-makers and firm managers. The findings can provide them some relevant insights on the importance of TS actions from companies’ perspective and contribute to the discussion of who verifies and deduces from TD directed by companies.

This study is regarded as the first attempt to examine the impact of the component of TS, namely: PDs, TDFs, FTRs differentials and TLOS on TD in a developing nation such as Malaysia. In spite of this paper focuses on a single country, it contributes significant insights to the debate about TD.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the emerging discourse on corporate taxation from a corporate social responsibility perspective to develop a consensual definition of corporate tax responsibility (CTR) and to identify a set of indicators that firms should publicly communicate to their stakeholders as an accountability mechanism.

Data were obtained from semi-structured interviews with representatives of stakeholders closely related to taxation: tax authorities, companies, NGOs, tax advisors and academics. Based on a discourse analysis approach, data were coded and analyzed using computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software.

CTR is defined as the set of tax-related practices and policies that allow companies to pay a fair share of taxes as a function of the generated value in each jurisdiction in which they operate and to then publicly disclose them. Disclosure should cover disaggregated quantitative data and information on practices and policies.

Despite the wealth of research on sustainability reporting and increasing public awareness of tax aggressiveness and disclosure, academic research has not explored tax-responsible reporting. Moreover, no consensual definition of CTR has been formulated, and no indicators to properly account for responsible taxation have been identified. This paper contributes to filling these gaps by providing rich interview evidence regarding the nature of the emerging discourse on CTR reporting and a set of material indicators for CTR disclosure. This paper encourages researchers to foster the development of social accountability by engaging in future empirical studies of CTR.

Tax risk-management (TRM) is relatively understudied in the area of corporate governance and integrated reporting. The purpose of this study is to identify whether South African organisations identify, rank and manage tax risks in terms of importance and relevance to their own corporation. The study also aims to identify the link, if any, between TRM practices being implemented and the discussion and disclosure of these practices in the integrated report.

Detailed interviews with some of South Africa’s leading tax and corporate governance experts are used to highlight the TRM practices currently in place, as well as the evolution of these practices. These interviews also identify the connection between the practices and the integrated reporting disclosures.

The experts interviewed have identified a sound understanding of TRM practices in place and certainly some evolution of these practices over the past five years. What has been identified though is the need for further enhancement and incorporation of TRM practices into the corporate governance control structures within organisations. Integrated reporting disclosure of TRM still appears to be an area where there is need for improvement, specifically a better understanding by companies of how to use their integrated reports as a strategic asset of the company as opposed to merely a compliance exercise.

The research relies on a relatively small sample of subject experts and does not provide a complete account of TRM developments.

The study adds value by contributing to research conducted on TRM. Although there has been research on ERM from a corporate governance perspective, few studies have examined this from a tax perspective, and there is virtually no formal academic research on the relationship between TRM and corporate governance from a South African perspective.

This review analyzes the existing theoretical and empirical research on the relation between corporate taxation and corporate social responsibility (CSR). By synthesizing the current literature regarding the directional relation between tax avoidance and CSR, the authors are able to identify areas where further research on this relation should be targeted to maximize the public interest.

The authors conduct a literature review of articles published in leading journals in the fields of accounting, finance and management. Reputable working papers are included to support emerging trends in the research and suggest meaningful paths forward.

The literature reveals a complex relation between corporate tax avoidance and CSR. The published research offers theoretical and empirical support for both a substitutive and a complementary directional relation. An actionable takeaway from this review is that corporate taxation must be considered jointly with CSR when seeking to maximize the public interest.

The authors find a rapid influx of research over the past decade that explores the complex directional relation between corporate tax avoidance and CSR. This review will be useful to researchers that are interested in moving beyond a directional characterization of this relation. By synthesizing both established and emerging literature, the authors provide a foundation and direction for future research to examine issues that may directly inform tax or firm policies to increase overall stakeholder welfare.