This thesis is an attempt to bridge some research gaps in the area of behavioural finance and investment through adopting the three essays scheme of PhD dissertations. There is a widespread belief that the traditional finance theory failed to provide a sufficient and plausible explanation for (1) what motivates individual investors to trade, (2) the pattern of their trading and the formation of their portfolios, (3) the determinants of cross section of expected returns other than risk. Behavioural Finance, however, offers more realistic assumptions based on two building blocks; behavioural biases of irrational investors and the limits of arbitrage that prevent the arbitrageurs from correcting mispricing and pushing prices back to fundamental values. This dissertation is structured as follows: In the first essay, the disposition effect is defined as the propensity of investors to realize gains too early while being loath to realize losses. Capital gains overhang is a measure of unrealized capital gains and losses that is associated with the disposition effect and the trading activities of behaviourally biased investors. We discover that firm characteristics can play a role in explaining variations in the capital gains overhang that is consistent with the activities of behaviourally biased and disposition investors. Specifically, we find that capital gains overhang is increasing in firm attributes that attract behaviourally biased investors, namely, earnings per share, leverage, growth and size. Capital gains overhang is also declining in market liquidity, possibly because liquidity allows behaviourally biased investors to excessively trade shares and beta and corporate earnings, probably because when high risk and inefficient firms experience losses, disposition investors experience capital losses that they are reluctant to realize. In the second essay, quantile regressions are employed to analyse the relationship between the unrealized capital gains overhang and expected returns. The ability of the disposition effect to generate momentum is also considered for the extreme expected return regions (0.05th) and (0.95th) quantiles. To do so, 450,617 observations belonging to 5176 US firms are employed, covering a time span from January 1998 to June 2015. Following the methodology of Grinblatt and Han (2005), the findings show significant differences across various quantiles in terms of signs and magnitudes. These findings indicate a nonlinear relationship between capital gains overhang and expected returns since the impact of capital gains overhang as a proxy for disposition effect on expected returns vary across the expected return distribution. More precisely, the coefficients of capital gains overhang are significantly positive and decline as the expected returns quantiles increase from the lowest to the median expected return quantiles. However, they become significantly negative and rise with the increase in expected returns quantiles above median expected returns quantiles. The findings also suggest that the disposition effect is not a good noisy proxy for momentum at the lowest expected return quantile (0.05th). However, interestingly it seems to generate contrarian in returns at the highest expected returns quantile (0.95th). In the third essays, we try to discover systematic disagreements in momentum, asymmetric volatility and the idiosyncratic risk momentum return relationship between high-tech stocks and low-tech stocks. We develop several hypotheses that suggest greater momentum profits, fainter asymmetric volatility and weaker idiosyncratic risk-momentum return relation in the high-tech stocks relative to the low tech stocks. To this end, we divide 5795 stocks that are listed in the Russell 3000 index from January 1995 to December 2015 into two samples SIC code and analysed them using the Fama French with GJR-GARCH-M term. The results show that the high-tech stocks provide greater momentum profits especially for portfolios that have holding and ranking periods of less than 12 months. In most cases momentum returns in the high-tech stocks explain a symmetric response to good and bad news while the momentum returns in the low-tech stocks show an asymmetric response. Finally, the idiosyncratic risk-momentum return relation is insignificant for high-tech stocks while it is significant and negative for low-tech stocks. That is, as idiosyncratic risk increases, momentum decreases for low-tech stocks. These findings are robust to different momentum strategies and to different breakpoints.

Investments with exit flexibility require decisions regarding both the investment and holding period. Because selling an investment often leads to taxable capital gains, which crucially depend on the duration of an investment, we investigate the impact of capital gains taxation on exit timing under different tax systems. We observed that capital gains taxation delays exit decisions but loses its decision relevance for very long holdings. Often the optimal exit time, which indicates the maximal present value of future cashflows, cannot be determined analytically. However, we identify the breakeven exit time that guarantees present values exceeding those of an immediate sale. While, after-taxes, an immediate sale is often optimal, long holding periods might also be attractive for investors depending on the degree of income and corporate tax integration. A classic corporate tax system often indicates holdings over more than 100 periods. By contrast, a shareholder relief system indicates the earliest breakeven exit time and thus the highest level of exit timing flexibility. Surprisingly, high retention rates are likely to accelerate sales under a classic corporate system. Additionally, the worst exit time, which should be avoided by investors, differs tremendously across tax systems. For an integrated tax system with full imputation, the worst time is reached earlier than under partial or non-integrated systems. These results could help to predict investors' behavior regarding changes in capital gains taxation and thus are of interest for both investors and tax policymakers. Furthermore, the results emphasize the need to control for the underlying tax system in cross-country empirical studies. (authors' abstract) / Series: WU International Taxation Research Paper Series

Magister Legum - LLM / The utilisation of trusts has become a popular trend among taxpayers, especially high net worth individuals1 (hereafter HNWI) who wish to reduce potential estate duties. The SARS Strategic Plan stated that there is a ‘compliance risk posed by HNWI and the use of trusts to conceal their income’.2 The SARS Strategic Plan announced that trust reform would be prioritised. Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan (hereafter Gordhan) referred in his 2012/2013 budget speech3 to various measures proposed to protect the tax base and limit the scope for tax leakage and avoidance. Gordhan reiterated the state’s position regarding the abuse of trusts by indicating that reforms will be made regarding the taxation of both local and offshore trusts which have long been a problem for global tax enforcement due to their flexibility and flow-through nature. National Treasury and SARS are concerned about trusts, largely because of the income-splitting opportunities that trusts afford taxpayers. There are envisaged tax amendments which will impact South Africa’s (hereafter SA) trust landscape and could derail many carefully drafted trust structures. It will thus be important for estate owners to consider these envisaged tax amendments when they come into operation, in order to ascertain the full extent of the implications and then it can also further be determined what the impact of these 1 Income in excess of R7 million, alternatively R75 million in assets. South Afican Revenue Service (hereafter SARS) Strategic Plan (2012/13- 2016/17) 19 available at http://www.sars.gov.za (accessed 6 November 2013) (hereafter SARS Strategic Plan). 2 SARS Strategic Plan 19. 3 2012-2013 budget speech 22 available at http://www.sars.gov.za (accessed 6 November 2013) (hereafter budget speech). 11 changes will be on the effectiveness of the discretionary family trust as an estate planning vehicle in SA in the future. The purpose of this thesis is to determine the impact of the current statutory anti-tax avoidance provisions on the effectiveness of the discretionary family trust as an estate planning vehicle in SA, especially due to the fact that the trust form has been abused in the past for tax avoidance purposes.

Section 12N, introduction into the Income Tax Act by way of Taxation Laws Amendment Act and which became effective on 2 November 2010, provides for allowances on the leasehold improvements on government-owned land and land leased from certain tax exempt entities as stipulated in section 10 (1) (cA) and (t). As section 12N deems the lessee to be the owner of the leasehold improvement, the lessee now qualifies for capital allowances which were previously disallowed.

Thesis deals with the accounting and tax environment for business in the Netherlands and seeks to highlight the differences in legislation in comparison with the European trend. The work describe regulation of business and the related accounting and tax legislation. It focuses on group and tries to provide the answer to the question why the Netherlands is regarded as tax haven. There is obvious growing pressure of the European Union, the Netherlands implements IFRS principles to national accounting standards known as DAS. Although some issues still keep the original national treatment. Fiscal adjustments have a distinctive character, the country is an attractive destination in terms of taxation of dividends, interest, royalties and other capital gains.

From all over the globe the inequality between the rich and the poor is a topic that is debated politically and socially. Wealth tax is often mentioned as an easy solution to reduce this inequality effectively. Even in South Africa cries for a wealth tax have been heard following Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu’s comments that such a tax can help reduce the effect of past injustices. The imposition of a wealth tax has various advantages and disadvantages that are strongly debated by the proponents and opponents of the tax. The impact of these advantages and disadvantages has however not been measured and quantified up to date. Although the disadvantages seem to outweigh the advantages, it seems that there is some scope for a wealth tax to be politically motivated. The dawning of the modern era has however changed the landscape for tax policies. Global mobility has resulted in individuals being able to choose where they work, live and invest. Taxes have been proved to be a factor that influences these decisions of individuals on where to live and invest. It is therefore becoming increasingly important to have tax policies that are competitive in comparison to peer countries. This study focused on determining how competitive South Africa’s tax policies are, relating to wealthy individuals, compared to the equivalent taxes in other African countries with similar sized economies. The study consists of qualitative, non-empirical research performed in the form of a literature review. The study’s finding is that South Africa has more types of taxes imposed on wealthy individuals than any other of the sampled countries. In addition, the taxes imposed are more often than not substantially higher than the equivalent charged by its peers. This could have a detrimental effect when investors start to realise that they could optimise the resources available to them by choosing not to work and live in South Africa, but would rather select one of its neighbouring countries. Not only will potential new investors be discouraged from investing, but the question also arises at which point South African residents will start to seek their fortune elsewhere. Based on these findings, it seems that there is no scope for imposing yet another wealth tax in South Africa at present. / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / lmchunu2014 / Taxation / unrestricted

This study evaluates whether there is a capital gain yield in the athletic investment decision allocating university resources to any component of athletics (teams, facilities, equipment, etc.) at any institution. The data for testing is analyzed by using the NET PRESENT VALUE MODEL which is composed of initial outlays, operating cash flows at time t, and cost of capital. This analysis will estimate if the investment decisions are correct or not.

No description available.

In this dissertation, we examine whether the disposition effect, the tendency to sell winners and hold losers, exists among U.S. equity mutual funds and how the disposition effect influences fund performance and particularly flows. We find that a significant fraction (32%) of all funds exhibit some degree of disposition behavior. These funds underperform funds that are not disposition prone by 4-6% per year. Moreover, we find that the disposition effect has a significant impact on future fund flows. Without controlling for performance, disposition-prone funds experience 2-3% less flows each quarter than other funds. The difference in flows is probably due to poor performance of such funds. However, even after controlling for performance and other factors that potentially influence flows, funds with a high disposition effect experience 0.7-2% less flows than funds without such behavior. Past research has found that funds with low tax overhang garner larger inflows. Though disposition-prone funds are likely to have a lower tax overhang because they sell their winners quickly, we find that fund flows to disposition-prone funds are smaller than flows to non-disposition oriented funds after controlling for tax overhang. These results suggest that performance and tax efficiency as well as tax overhang are all important to mutual fund investors. / Ph. D.

L’indivision prend fin par le partage. Le partage substitue des droits privatifs à une propriétécollective sur un bien ou une masse de biens qui est fractionnée.L’indivision est présentée traditionnellement comme un état éphémère, mauvais, auquel il fautmettre fin. Des règles juridiques spécifiques au partage ont alors été mises en place ; lafiscalité de l’enregistrement a assuré l’accompagnement de ces règles.Aujourd’hui le partage se conçoit en valeur. Les règles du partage ont donc évolué.Cette évolution n’est pas appréhendée par le droit fiscal. Le traitement des soultes, desindemnités de réduction ou de rapport est parfois contestable.En outre, l’administration fiscale maintient encore la distinction entre partage pur et simple etavec soulte, distinction qui n’emporte aucune conséquence en droit civil et qui ne se justifieplus aujourd’hui.Le partage a un effet déclaratif et rétroactif. Chacun des attributaires est réputé avoir été seulpropriétaire du bien mis dans son lot.Le régime des plus-values des particuliers s’est calqué sur cette analyse qui par voie deconséquences, fait fi du partage et des soultes ou indemnités qui sont versées par l’attributairedu bien. L’analyse juridique du partage ignore l’aspect économique du partage.Quant à la fiscalité professionnelle, les règles sont complexes et disparates, pasnécessairement fondées sur l’analyse juridique ; le traitement fiscal du partage est alorsd’autant plus compliqué. / Joint possession ends through sharing. Sharing substitutes private rights to a collectiveownership over an asset or set of assets which is split.Joint possession is shown traditionally as a transient state, a bad state which must be ended.Legal regulations specific to sharing have subsequently been implemented; recorded taxationhas ensured that these regulations are supported.Today, sharing is conceivable as a value. Sharing regulations have therefore developed.This development is not apprehended by tax legislation. The processing of balances, reducedcompensation or reported compensation is sometimes disputable.In addition, the tax office still maintains the distinction between pure and simple sharing andsharing with a balance, a distinction which bears no consequence in civil law, and which is nolonger justified today.Sharing has a declarative and retroactive effect. Each one of the allottees is considered to havebeen the sole owner of the asset put into their lot.The individuals’ capital gains system is modelled on this analysis, which consequently,throws caution to the wind, and balances or compensation which are paid by the allottee of theasset. The legal analysis of the sharing ignores the economic aspect of the sharing.As regards taxation on work, the regulations are complex and disparate, not necessarily basedon the legal analysis; the tax processing of the sharing is then all the more complicated.