Corporate Taxes and Financing Methods for Taxable Acquisitions*

We examine the influence of corporate taxes on U.S. firms' financing methods for taxable acquisitions of 100 percent of a target corporation's stock. We conduct tests of acquirer firms' use of debt or internal funds as the funding source for these acquisitions over the period 1987‐97. Our results provide the first empirical evidence that U.S. firms' use of debt to fund acquisitions significantly declines as foreign tax credit limitations reduce the marginal tax benefits received from borrowing. This finding is consistent with earlier speculation that U.S. foreign tax credit provisions could materially affect the capital costs of U.S. companies in debt‐financed acquisitions. We also find that these firms are generally high‐tax‐rate corporations whose financing choices are not significantly influenced by whether they acquire target‐firm tax loss carryovers. Our findings contribute to the accounting literature on the influence of taxes on the structure and financing of corporate acquisitions.     

Audit Regulation and Cost of Equity Capital: Evidence from the PCAOB's International Inspection Regime*

This study investigates the relation between audit regulation and cost of equity capital. There is scant empirical evidence on this relation because changes in audit regulation are frequently accompanied by other major regulatory changes. We exploit variation in the timing of regulatory changes induced by foreign governments' staggered allowance of PCAOB inspections. Using a difference-in-differences design, we find that foreign SEC registrants with auditors from countries that allow PCAOB inspections enjoy a lower cost of capital, relative to foreign SEC registrants with auditors from countries that prohibit inspections. Furthermore, we find that this cost of capital effect is attenuated for companies with higher-quality governance mechanisms. Finally, we document that inspection access is associated with higher-quality analyst forecasts, which suggests that this change in audit regulation reduces information risk for market participants.     

China＇s Rapid Accumulation of Foreign Exchange Reserves and Its Policy Implications

In late February 2006, China surpassed Japan to become the world's largest holder of foreign exchange reserves. Beijing is now faced with the growing challenge of how to handle these vast reserves effectively. Although China's soaring foreign exchange reserves indicate that its overall strength has grown, they have created internal and external pressures on the balance of the economy, and introduced risks to the financial system. It is estimated in the present study that foreign exchange reserves of approximately US$ 400bn in 2005 would have been appropriate under circumstances of a managed floating exchange rate regime and capital control. China's actual reserves have far exceeded its normal demand. The objective of China is to maintain an optimal level that maximizes net benefits as a whole. Four main policy options are available for China to achieve its target: spending and investing foreign exchange reserves, gradual liberalization of the capital account, diversification of foreign exchange reserves and a switch in holders of foreign exchange reserves. Spending and investing in foreign exchange reserves can be undertaken in combination with liberalization in the capital account, given careful consideration of the risks involved. Liberalization should be extensive but gradual so that companies and individuals can adjust to changes in financial markets and manage portfolios while avoiding unnecessary risks. (Edited by Xiaoming Feng)     

The Effect of Changes in Income Shifting on Affiliate Managers' Internal Reporting Decisions*†

This study examines the interplay between tax and internal reporting incentives among affiliates of multinational corporations (MNCs). MNCs face limited information flows that may prevent affiliates' performance metrics to be responsive immediately to changes in the firm's tax planning. Using granular data of affiliates belonging to MNCs from 21 European countries, our study provides new empirical evidence of affiliate internal reporting responses induced by changing tax plans. When high-tax-rate countries tighten income shifting rules, we first document that income shifting is reduced and low-tax-rate affiliates have less income. Second, we predict and document that managers of these low-tax-rate affiliates offset this decrease in profits by managing upwards a key performance metric: affiliate earnings. Our results are consistent with firms not quickly adjusting the affiliate managers' incentives in the face of changing tax planning strategies, and affiliates managing reported earnings to offset the effect of changes in the tax planning of the firm. Cross-sectional analyses provide further evidence consistent with the theory underlying the main tests. The results support the policy of tightening income shifting rules when the objective is to reduce income shifting, and firms' central management would benefit from considering the implications of changing tax plans on the assessment of local managers.     

集团内部资本市场、银行债务与债权人保护——来自中国上市公司的经验证据

本文研究了集团内部资本市场对上市公司银行债务融资的影响以及相应的经济后果。研究发现集团内部资本市场一方面可以起到对银行贷款的替代作用,这种替代效应的存在能在一定程度上缓解成员公司的融资约束,但另一方面它也可能成为大股东掠夺上市公司信贷资金的渠道,大股东代理成本越高的公司存在更严重的掠夺问题。掠夺效应的存在是上市公司发生债务危机的重要原因之一。     

金融危机应对与上市公司内部控制：基于航空业的研究

由美国次贷危机演化而成的国际金融危机严重冲击着全球资本市场,对中国企业产生影响。作为典型的强周期性行业,航空业受到了严重的影响。本文结合我国内部控制规范的发展历程,重点分析了金融危机对我国航空企业的影响,揭示了其在金融危机的冲击下凸显的一些问题,并对其内部控制提出了相应的建议和对策。本文认为航空业企业应该从战略上建立完善的风险管理和内部控制系统,实行全面预算,节省开支,并加强对筹资和金融衍生工具的专项内部控制,增强企业抵御风险的能力。     

新时期公司境外税务筹划策略研究

越来越多的中国公司跨出国门从事国际商业活动。由于境内外的税务环境、税法及征管与中国存在差异,中国公司必须承担税负带来的风险从而影响境外经营的收益。文章从商业经营运作模式、国外经营地点的选择、境外税务代理及服务、费用的确认和安排、内部交易转移定价、税收优惠政策、国际税收协定等方面提出了税务筹划的内容,提倡中资公司在合理合法的前提下,综合地运用差异空间做好税务筹划,降低税务成本。     

Endogeneity and the Dynamics of Voluntary Disclosure Quality: Is there Really an Effect on the Cost of Equity Capital?*

Research on the effects of voluntary disclosure quality on the cost of equity capital is often plagued by endogeneity concerns. In this paper, I use a dynamic panel system GMM estimator, which provides internal instruments from the firm's history that directly address endogeneity arising from unobserved heterogeneity and simultaneity. By using hand-collected voluntary disclosure scores for firms listed in the Swiss stock exchange, I examine the dynamic relation between voluntary disclosure quality and the cost of equity capital in a panel over a period of 10 years. The results suggest that the relation between voluntary disclosure quality and the cost of equity capital becomes insignificant after controlling adequately for potential dynamic endogeneity, simultaneity, and unobserved heterogeneity.     

Taxation and Foreign Direct Investment Inflows: Time Series Evidence from the US

Abstract

This study investigates long run and short run relationships between the corporate income tax rate and foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows to the US. The tax rate is found to exert a significant negative effect on total FDI and transfer fund inflows in the long run. A 1% decrease in the tax rate would increase total FDI by 2.4% and transfer funds by 4.2%. Collectively, results suggest that the US can use tax policies to attract FDI from abroad. Concern over the possibility of tax competition among countries to attract foreign capital is warranted.     

Comparisons of Foreign Multinationals and Local Firms in Asian Manufacturing over Time

This paper first shows that shares of foreign multinational corporations (MNCs) in the manufacturing sectors of five Asian host economies (Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan) were generally large in terms of exports, small in terms of employment and moderate in terms of production. Correspondingly, the average product of labour and export propensities were often significantly higher in foreign MNCs than in local firms. In addition, foreign MNCs tended to be relatively large and to have relatively high average capital productivity, capital intensity, skilled-labour intensity, R&D intensity, profit rates and import propensities, but relatively low shares of labour compensation in value added, and these differences were also statistically significant in many cases. Differences between wholly- or heavily-foreign plants and foreign plants with lower foreign ownership shares were also significant in many cases and generally in the same direction as the differences between MNCs and local plants noted above. Differences among MNCs by foreign source were generally small and insignificant in Hong Kong. In Singapore, European and US firms tended to be larger and characterized by relatively high average labour productivity, capital intensity, profitability and export propensities, but relatively low shares of labour compensation in value added compared to Japanese and other Asian firms.     

我国上市公司逆向融资行为探析

与发达资本市场国家上市公司的"内源融资优先,债务融资其次,股权融资最后"的融资次序正好相反,我国上市公司优先选择股权融资,其次是债务融资,最后才是内源融资。本文在对我国上市公司逆向融资行为的成因进行分析的基础上,提出我国上市公司逆向融资行为理性化回归的若干政策建议。     

中小型企业融资税收政策:问题及对策

税收优惠是各国支持和保护中小企业发展、增强中小企业融资能力的通行做法,但我国税收政策对中小型企业融资支持有限,表现为:在内源融资上,对初创企业缺乏扶持政策、对小型企业优惠不足、中小型企业普遍存在重复征税问题,削弱企业自我积累能力;在外源融资上,融资税收政策向大企业倾斜,中小型企业遭受非公平对待,同时鼓励中小型企业外源融资税收政策优惠面偏窄,难以引导社会资金向中小型企业流动。为了解决中小型企业融资难问题,建议对现行税收政策进行完善,以增强企业自我积累能力和鼓励社会资金投资于中小型企业。     

外商投资：向纵深推进

全球金融危机爆发之后,在应对＂后危机时代＂的过程中,中国政府再次强调要进一步做好利用外资工作,并制定出更为细化的措施。这一举措正引起全球外资的关注。     

CAPITAL STRUCTURES IN EMERGING STOCK MARKETS: THE CASE OF HUNGARY

This paper studies developments in the Hungarian capital markets during 1992–95 and investigates the determinants of the capital structures of companies listed on the Budapest Stock Exchange. Hungarian companies had very low leverage ratios. Empirical findings indicate that the negative relationship between leverage and proportion of tangible assets was primarily caused by the lack of long‐term debt financing. The relationship between leverage and the size of the company provides some indication of the importance of trade credits for the companies. The more profitable companies had less debt than less profitable ones. This is attributed to the firms’financial incentives aggravated by the segmentation of Hungarian credit markets and credit rationing within the financial environment. Manufacturing firms and firms with the state among their major shareholders enjoyed higher levels of debt financing relative to other companies.     

资本市场税收调控问题探析

本文主要结合现行税制中关于资本市场的税收政策,分析现行资本市场税收政策存在的不足,提出利用税收政策规范资本市场发展的对策建议。     

Exploring ‘onward-journey’ ODI strategies in China's private sector businesses

Are the internationalization strategies of China's private businesses different from those of state-owned businesses? To date, little systematic empirical research addresses this question, despite the now well-established arguments that market and institutional imperfections influence the outward foreign direct investment (ODI) of China's state sector MNEs. Why is so little known about private sector foreign direct investment? One important reason is that private companies have gone to considerable lengths to conceal their activities by using offshore holding companies in tax havens. This paper, using a sample of offshore listed companies that are privately controlled, investigates what we dub ‘onward-journeying’ – foreign direct investment undertaken via tax havens. In doing so it further explores the ODI strategies of some of China's most successful private companies.     

Investment incentives and the relative demand for skilled labor: Evidence from accelerated depreciation policies in China

This study evaluates the effects of China's 2014 and 2015 accelerated depreciation policies on the relative demand of firms for skilled labor. We develop a simple model to explore how the policies affect the relative demand of firms for skilled labor and illustrate the roles of financing constraints and tax compliance in mediating the policy effects. We then employ a firm-level dataset from China's A-share listed companies and use a quasi-experimental design to examine the model predictions. We find that the policies significantly increase the relative demand of firms for skilled labor. The channels underlying the policy effects are that the policies generate additional cash flow for firms, stimulate investment and, thus, raise the demand of firms for skilled labor with the presence of capital–skill complementarity. We also find that the positive effects of the policies on the relative demand for skilled labor are primarily significant for firms with strong financing constraints and high tax compliance. Moreover, we document the positive effects of the policies on R&D investment, firm value added, productivity, workers' benefits, and corporate social responsibility performance, which further corroborate our main results.     

中小外贸企业服务外包模式探索——以深圳一达通企业服务有限公司为例

中小外贸企业的进出口占据整个外贸总额的60%以上,过去,外贸公司进行外贸业务要与多个机构联系,如报关要找报关公司,物流要找货代公司,外汇要找外汇管理局,退税要找税务局,融资要找银行,但是通过服务外包的模式,外贸企业只需要找一个企业服务公司,就可以一站式完成报关、物流、外汇、退税、融资等环节,这样,不但节省了时间,提高了效率,而且最重要的是外贸企业可以专注于自身的业务和合同的商订环节,合同的履行环节交给外包企业来跟踪,更加专业化和规模化,提高了利润。     

Did the PCAOB's 2009 Office Expansion Improve Audit Quality?*

We investigate whether the PCAOB's decision to expand the number and location of its inspection offices in 2009 improved the reliability of US audits. We use a difference-in-differences empirical design to consider the impacts of the expansion on audit quality and find that audit quality significantly improved following the PCAOB's expansion in markets where new offices opened relative to markets without an office opening. We find that the improvement in audit quality appears to be driven by auditors' reaction to real changes in PCAOB oversight and that triennially inspected auditors appear to be impacted the most by this office expansion. Our findings provide new insights into the PCAOB's operational decision-making and suggest that the regulator's additional investment in audit oversight was effective in improving audit quality.     

中国企业海外退市思考:进退之间的徘徊

2010年以来,美国资本市场中国概念股遭遇退市危机。美国机构刻意做空、中国企业自身财务信息虚假和信息披露不充分、中国概念股的边缘化以及上市维系费用过高导致了此次退市危机。短期应对策略包括加强与投资者沟通、股票回购、与第三方机构合作反击以及起诉恶意诋毁的做空机构。长期而言,中国企业应该强化对美国资本市场特点的认识,制定清晰资本市场发展战略,持续提升信息披露和内部控制水平,谨慎选择中介机构,或者通过私有化选择更适合的资本市场。