Odd‐lot Costs and Taxation Influences on Stock Dividend Ex‐dates

Abstract:   Past research has revealed significant abnormal ex‐date returns for stock dividends even though the ex‐date is known in advance and the distribution contains no new information. Various researchers have suggested that the higher transaction cost of selling odd‐lot share parcels compared to round‐lot share parcels is a key driver in the abnormal returns. However, no study to date has directly compared the ex‐date price reaction of stock dividends distributed when odd‐lot transaction costs were charged to those issued when odd‐lot costs were not evident. As odd‐lot trade costs were eliminated from the New Zealand Stock Exchange on 1 October, 1991, the New Zealand market provides a unique opportunity to directly test the role, if any, that odd‐lot transactions costs have in explaining stock dividend ex‐date returns. We find that prior to October 1991 stock dividend ex‐dates exhibit significantly positive returns, however, we do not find any significant ex‐date return once the higher odd‐lot transaction costs were removed. The New Zealand market also enables us to examine an imputation tax based argument of the ex‐date price reaction and we find evidence that imputation tax credits have a value greater than zero.     

Dividend Imputation and Shareholder Wealth: The Case of New Zealand

On April 1, 1988, New Zealand stopped the double taxation of dividends by implementing a full dividend imputation program. Because many believed that the tax advantage of debt had led to more highly leveraged firms subject to greater financial risk than was socially optimal, it was hoped the removal of incentives to finance with debt would result in a more efficient allocation of capital. The empirical results suggest that the shareholder wealth gain from dividend imputation was more than offset in firms with large debt levels. Moreover, an examination of debt ratios indicates debt levels declined in the post–imputation period.     

Share Valuation under Geometric Brownian Motion with a Poisson Imputation Tax Change

A share valuation model is developed on the basis of dividends following a geometric Brownian motion. An imputation tax system is chosen, although this can be collapsed into a classical system. The possibility of changes in tax rates and shareholder tax credits is introduced by means of a Poisson jump. Capital gains are assumed to be tax-free through either annual or other exemptions. Using Itô's Lemma, a new share valuation formula is derived. This is recast in terms of the cost of capital and the mean time to the fiscal shock.     

Valuation Effects of Greek Stock Dividend Distributions

This study analyses the price reaction to stock dividend distributions by firms listed on the Athens Stock Exchange on both the announcement and the ex‐dividend day. It also analyses earnings per share, dividends per share and trading volume in the pre‐ and post‐announcement periods. The findings show statistically insignificant abnormal returns on both the announcement and the ex‐dividend day. The analysis does not reveal any significant change in earnings per share and dividends per share, but it does reveal a significant decline in the market‐adjusted trading volume in the post dividend period. The findings, based on a different institutional environment, expand the empirical evidence on the value effects of stock dividends.     

我国证券市场税收制度的问题及对策

目前,中国的证券市场正向着市场化、国际化、规模化、专业化的方向发展,但证券税收制度却存在着种种不足,影响了我国证券市场的规范、健康、稳定发展。构建完善的证券市场税收制度应该从以下几方面着手:适时开征证券交易税;完善证券投资所得税;完善证券交易所得税,调节证券交易级差收益;统一证券市场。     

Company Tax Structure and Company Tax Incidence

This paper reviews conflicting theories of company tax incidence impliedby the alternative new and traditional views of dividends andexamines their contrasting policy implications. Whereas, under thetraditional view, closer integration of the corporate and personalincome tax systems is suggested, an alternative policy orientationemphasizing the non-distorting features of the classical system is impliedby the new view. Even if the traditional view is accepted, theimplications for design and reform of the company tax vary widely underalternative specifications of domestic and international tax policy objectives. Schedular alternatives to global income taxation are alsoconsidered.     

公司税收规避、税率持续性与股票收益波动率

从税率平稳性角度看,避税活动是否会增加税率波动性进而给企业带来高风险是一个值得探讨的重要问题。从动态视角研究发现,避税是一种策略性行为,低实际税率的企业相比高实际税率的企业,其税率在长时期内能够保持平稳。此外,避税活动并不一定会带来未来税率和股票收益的波动性。这说明公司通常采用持续、稳定的税收策略,不会带来公司风险的激增。进一步研究发现：节税率的波动性与公司未来股票收益波动存在着显著正相关,即当避税引起税率波动较大时,会带来公司股票收益风险的增加。     

我国证券市场税收政策浅析

我国现行以证券交易印花税为主体的证券税制,在组织财政收入、调节证券市场、抑制过度投机等方面发挥了一定作用,但还存在一些不足之处。建议:进一步调整证券交易印花税的征收办法;建立一套系统、健全的证券税制;消除对公司和股东个人股、红利的重复征税;统一上市公司的企业所得税政策。     

我国股票期权税收政策存在的问题及对策

股票期权制度是目前盛行于西方的一种比较有效的公司分配激励机制。但目前在我国还处于起步阶段。为促进股票期权这一新生事物在我国的发展,推动国有企业改革的深入,我们应借鉴发达国家的成功经验,尽快规范和完善我国的股票期权政策。     

证券流转税:现状分析、国际趋势与改革思路

我国目前的证券税制以证券交易印花税为主体税种。从长远来看,我国应逐步完善证券流转税制,实行证券交易税和印花税兼征制度。改革我国的证券流转税,在证券交易环节用证券交易税代替印花税,不能仅限于更名,而应有实质性的改变。     

The Differences Between Stock Splits and Stock Dividends: Evidence on the Retained Earnings Hypothesis

Abstract:  This paper investigates stock dividends and stock splits on the Copenhagen Stock Exchange (CSE), which is of interest because several of the more recent explanations for a stock market reaction can be ruled out. The main findings are that the announcement effect of stock dividends as well as stock splits is closely related to changes in a firm's payout policy, but that the relationship differs for the two types of events. A stock dividend implies an increase in nominal share capital and hence a decrease in retained earnings. Firms announcing stock dividends finance growth entirely by debt (explaining the need for an increase in nominal share capital) and retained earnings. Basically all firms announcing a stock dividend with a split factor of less than two can also afford to increase their total cash dividends permanently, at least proportionally to the increase in share capital, leading to a significant announcement effect of 4.23%. Firms announcing a stock dividend with a split factor of two or more also increase total cash dividends permanently, but less than proportionally to the increase in share capital. This leads to an insignificant announcement effect of 0.08%. These findings support a retained earnings/signaling hypothesis. For stock splits, no separate announcement effect was found when a firm's payout policy was controlled for. This lends support to the idea that a stock split per se is a cosmetic event on the CSE and is also consistent with the fact that making a stock split on the CSE is virtually cost free.     

股指期货所得课税规则的构建

股指期货交易是以股票价格指数为基础资产的标准化期货合约。交易中双方当事人取得的收益和支付的费用将改变交易双方当事人的消费能力和投资水平,从而产生相应的税收后果,应当认定为应税所得。股指期货交易应当是以风险管理权为标的的买卖合约,其收益应当认定为财产转让所得。但由于当前财产转让所得的概念尚不能涵盖风险管理权这一新型财产性权利的转让收益,应有必要构建新的课税规则以确定不同交易目的的股指期货交易的纳税义务及其课税时点等问题。     

红利税与印花税的连通机制研究

红利税率的多元化是引致投资者对股票估价差异性的原因之一,并且催生了现金股利除息前后的套利机会和增量交易。当现金股利水平超过某一临界值时,具有税负优势的投资者将在除息前买入股票,然后在股票除息后卖掉,以进行套利。这种交易将使得红利税发生额减少,印花税发生额增加,形成红利税与印花税之间的联通机制。     

The Chinese Stock Dividend Puzzle

In this paper, we examine the announcement effects of dividends with an emphasis on stock dividends in China's capital market. We find that dividend-paying stocks exhibit significantly positive abnormal returns while non-dividend-paying stocks show a negative announcement effect. Further, we document that the cumulative abnormal returns for pure stock dividends and combined dividends are the main drivers of this announcement effect. In contrast, pure cash dividend stocks experience no significant price run-up before announcement. The significant announcement effect of stock dividends is robust to controlling the earnings surprise effect. We offer some discussion of the possible explanations.     

印花税调整对股票价格影响的实证研究

印花税下调在短期内对大盘股指产生显著影响,但这种影响随时间的推移而逐渐减弱;税率下调对沪市和深市单只股票具有冲击效应,个股产生正的超额收益;税率下调对两市的大盘波动性产生显著影响,刺激了"噪声交易者",在短期内产生了噪声效应。目前印花税仍然存在一些不足,建议:拓宽税基,改双向征税为单向征税,尽快开征股票交易税。     

“两税合一”对台湾上市公司股利税资本化的影响

本文以1994～2001年两税合一税制实施前后的台湾上市公司为样本，运用Harris-Kemsley股利税后收益模型，探讨所得税制改革对权益投资者收益的影响，以及两税合一税制的实施对股利税资本化的影响。实证结果表明：两税合一税制实施前，台湾上市公司的末分配盈余与其股利税资本化程度负相关，即股利税资本化效果存在；两税合一税制实施后，台湾上市公司的股利税资本化程度低于两税合一前的程度。     

Payout Policy Tax Clienteles,Ex‐dividend Day Stock Prices and Trading Behavior in Germany: The Case of the 2001 Tax Reform

This paper examines the impact of the German 2001 tax reform, where Germany switched from a full imputation system to a classical system. Theory suggests that both price drop ratios and trading volume decrease following the reform. We document a significant reduction in the valuation of net dividends–in particular for high dividend yield stocks–and weakening payout policy tax clienteles. Ex‐dividend day returns are likely to be driven by short‐term traders. Though the reform removed incentives for cross‐border dividend stripping and reduced tax heterogeneity among investors, we show that the high trading volume around ex‐dividend days persists.     

Incentive Compensation and the Stock Price Response to Dividend Increase Announcements

Linking executive compensation to stock price performance is predicted to decrease the usual positive price response to dividend increases for two reasons. One, increasing pay‐performance sensitivity (PPS) exacerbates managers' optimistic bias regarding future firm performance, reducing the credibility of dividend signals. Two, increasing pay‐performance sensitivity reduces the need for dividends as a means of reducing agency costs. Consistent with behavioral and agency theories of corporate finance, we find that price response does decrease as pay‐performance sensitivity increases and that this effect is concentrated in firms with low market‐to‐book ratios. Additional findings are most consistent with the agency cost explanation.     

The Reaction of Closed End Funds to Stock Distribution Announcements

This study examines the impact of stock split and stock dividend announcements made by closed end mutual funds. We argue that the asymmetric information / signaling hypothesis does not apply to mutual funds. Therefore, any announcement effects must be attributed to other factors such as the optimal trading range hypothesis. We find that closed end funds react no differently than other firms to stock distribution announcements; also, trading volume and turnover remain unchanged after closed end funds' ex-stock distribution days, while liquidity declines for other firms that distribute shares.     

The Nature of Corporate Income Tax Under a Full Imputation Tax Regime: A Test of Functional Fixation

This paper tests two competing hypotheses describing investors' behavior: the efficient market hypothesis and the functional fixation hypothesis. In particular, this study examines how Taiwan's stock market interprets the nature of corporate income tax after the 1998 Tax Reform, which switches from the classical tax system to the integrated tax system. This Tax Reform changes the nature of corporate income tax from a pure operating expense to an individual shareholder's tax credit, but current GAAP still treats it as an operating expense in the income statement. The empirical results show that Taiwan's stock market perceives the change in nature of corporate income tax and responds accordingly.