This dissertation contains two separate essays on the implications of the complex financial reporting rules of stock option compensation outlined under ASC 718. The first essay examines the effect of the tax benefit from employees' exercise of stock options on the cash effective tax rate. While not explicitly stated, many tax avoidance studies implicitly want to investigate tax avoidance that is the result of firms' intentional choices. Although stock option exercise reduces firms' tax burden, the firm does not control the timing of option exercise and the accompanying tax benefit. When the realized tax benefit deviates from the firm's expected cost, stock option exercise results in unanticipated changes in the cash taxes paid. The cash effective tax rate (CASHETR), a common measure of tax avoidance, reflects both the anticipated and unanticipated cash tax savings from employees' exercise of stock options. CASHETR's inclusion of unanticipated cash tax savings mismeasures intentional tax avoidance. Using both parametric and non-parametric analysis I show that the unanticipated tax benefit from employees' stock option exercise can cause firms to be identified as more aggressive tax avoiders. I also show that, among other differences, firms with greater unanticipated tax benefits from employees' exercise of stock options are more profitable, are less levered, have more extensive R&D, and have larger market-to-book ratios. Because these firm characteristics are often used as controls in studies of tax avoidance, the relationship between them and CASHETR's mismeasurement of intentional tax avoidance creates an endogeneity problem for researchers and could lead to incorrect inferences. I use a research simulation to inform researchers of an implication of this endogeneity concern when CASHETR is used to measure firms' intentional tax avoidance. I construct a hypothetical firm characteristic that is correlated to varying degrees with stock growth. This hypothetical firm characteristic represents a number of firm operating characteristics that could be variables of interest in studies of tax avoidance. Using a common model of tax avoidance, I test the null hypothesis that this hypothetical firm characteristic is not a determinant of tax avoidance. I show CASHETR's inclusion of the unanticipated tax benefits from employees' exercise of stock options leads to inflated rejection rates of the null hypothesis and can change inferences about determinants of intentional tax avoidance. Tax avoidance researchers can avoid the problems caused by the unanticipated tax benefit from stock options in two ways. First, they can use the effective tax rate for financial reporting purposes (GAAPETR). Because the financial reporting rules prohibit firms from including the unanticipated tax benefit from stock options in the calculation of the firm's tax expense, the unanticipated tax benefit from stock options does not affect GAAPETR. Second, researchers can use the excess tax benefit from the exercise of stock options disclosed by firms to adjust CASHETR to remove these unanticipated cash tax savings (CASHETRWITHOUT). The second essay in this dissertation examines the difference between firms' recognized and realized costs from stock option compensation. Under ASC 718 a firm recognizes the estimated value of stock options at their grant date as an expense for financial reporting purposes. This estimate often differs from the realized cost of the stock options, which consists of the cash proceeds forgone because the stock is issued to an option holder at a below-market exercise price. When ASC 718 was implemented, critics contended that these reporting rules allowed firms to avoid recognizing the full amount of wealth transferred from shareholders to employees. Consistent with this concern, I find that the realized cost of stock options exceeds the recognized cost of options for the median firm in my sample by $0.99 million, or 1.46 percent of pretax book income, in each year of my sample period. This translates into a wealth transfer from shareholders to employees in each year of my sample period of three cents per share in excess of recognized costs for the median firm. I also find that the realized cost from stock option compensation exceeds the recognized cost by $7.8 million, or 4.96 percent of pretax book income, in each year of my sample period for twenty-five percent of firms. The shareholders of these firms are transferring to employees 11.58 cents per share in excess of the recognized cost of stock options in each year of the sample period. Overall, these results suggest that firms using stock option compensation generally avoid recognizing the full realized cost of stock options.

The mining industry is a major contributor towards the South African economy. There are several types of corporate transactions that could typically be found in the mining industry and these include merger transactions. Mergers could lead to a number of tax consequences which could include capital gains tax, the recoupment of capital allowances and dividends tax. Merger transactions do not necessarily lead to an immediate increase in profits. Therefore, the tax authorities provide for relief in respect of merger transactions. The relief takes place in the form of tax roll-overs that effectively postpone tax consequences until such time as a true economic profit is realised in the future. Taxpayers typically wish to minimise the amount of tax which they pay. Therefore, they may abuse the relief provided to avoid paying tax. In an attempt to protect the state’s revenue and to prevent tax avoidance, the tax authorities introduce anti-avoidance provisions into the tax legislation. The roll-over relief provided in respect of merger transactions, as well as the provisions dealing with mining capital allowances contain a number of provisions to combat opportunities for tax avoidance. The study explains the principles of tax avoidance and anti-avoidance in the mining industry in South Africa, and indicates the need for tax relief in the context of merger transactions in the mining industry in South Africa. The study further illustrates how tax relief presents opportunities for tax avoidance and how anti-avoidance legislation restricts these opportunities. The study also shows that there is a cycle in which an onerous tax leads to a need for relief which in turn leads to opportunities for tax avoidance which in turn leads to anti-avoidance provisions. The research conducted as part of this study shows that this cycle is an international trend that often affects the manner in which merger transactions are structured. AFRIKAANS : Die mynbedryf in Suid-Afrika lewer 'n aansienlike bydrae tot die Suid-Afrikaanse ekonomie. Samesmeltings is een van verskeie tipe korporatiewe transaksies wat in die mynbedryf in Suid-Afrika aangetref word. Samesmeltings gee ook aanleiding tot verskeie belastingimplikasies, soos Kapitaalwinsbelasting, die verhaling van belastingtoelaes en die belasting op dividende. Samesmeltings lei nie noodwendig tot 'n onmiddellike verhoging in ekonomiese voordele nie. Die belastingowerhede maak voorsiening vir belastingverligting ten opsigte van hierdie gebeure. Die verligting word gewoonlik verskaf in die vorm van die uitstel van belastingverpligtinge tot ‘n datum wanneer ‘n ekonomiese wins in die toekoms gerealiseer word. Belastingbetalers streef gewoonlik na 'n vermindering in hul belastinglas, en mag dus die verligting wat voorsien word probeer misbruik. Die belastingowerhede daarenteen maak voorsiening vir wetgewing om hierdie pogings van die belastingbetalers om belasting te vermy, teen te werk en so die inkomste van die staat te beskerm. Die uitstel wat aan samesmeltingsooreenkomste verleen word asook die voorsiening van mynboukapitaaltoelaes bevat verskeie voorsorg maatreëls om pogings tot belastingvermyding teen te werk. Die studie ontleed die beginsels van belastingvermyding en teen-vermyding wetgewing in die mynbedryf in Suid-Afrika, en wys op die behoefte vir verligting ten opsigte van samesmeltings in die mynbedryf in Suid-Afrika. Die studie toon verder ook hoe die verligting lei tot geleenthede vir belastingvermyding en hoe teen-vermyding wetgewing dit kan teenwerk. Die studie toon ook dat daar ‘n siklus bestaan, waarin die behoefte vir verligting as gevolg van n oormatige belastinglas tot geleenthede vir belastingvermyding lei, en wat op sy beurt lei tot wetgewing om die belastingvermyding te ontmoedig. Die navorsing wat as deel van hierdie studie uitgevoer is dui daarop dat hierdie siklus ‘n internasionale neiging is wat dikwels die struktuur van samesmeltingsooreenkomste affekteer. / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Taxation / unrestricted

Tax law related aspects of the underground economy The aim of this thesis is the analysis of the underground economy and the sources of its genesis and particular tax law related aspects of the underground economy including legal instruments which are used to eliminate and counter it. The goal is also the description of specific kinds of the underground economy policies. This thesis is divided into three chapters. The first chapter brings definition of the underground economy and division of it among black economy, grey economy and home production. The next part of this chapter is dedicated to the causes of the underground economy. Firstly it describes the tax burden with focus on the value-added tax, there is the analysis of the problematics associated with tax evasion and tax avoidance, carousel frauds and tax havens. The second part of this chapter describes illegal work and execution of jobs in the form of unreported employment and a form called "švarcsystém". In the second chapter is the analysis and description of selected institutes of tax law which are used to eliminate the underground economy including illegal work. The institutes are tax inspection, electronic registration of sales, control reporting and work inspection focused on illegal work. The next part of the chapter is dealing with...

Syfte: Företagens sociala ansvarstagande i samhället diskuteras flitigt och frågan om CSR har blivit en viktig fråga för företag och dess intressenter. Detta har fått en vidare effekt genom att företagens ansvar gentemot samhället och miljön riktat fokus på företagens betalda skatt som del i dess ansvar. Vidare har forskningen riktat blickarna mot bolagsstyrningen, mer specifikt styrelsesammansättningen och hur denna påverkar hållbarhetsredovisningen. Det kan därför finnas skillnader i styrelsesammansättningen som gör att vissa företag hållbarhetsredovisar i högre grad än andra. Vi önskar därför med denna studie undersöka om det finns ett samband mellan styrelsens sammansättning och hållbarhetsredovisningen, samt om det finns ett samband mellan hållbarhetsredovisningen och skatteplanering. Metod: Studien utgår ifrån en positivistisk forskningsfilosofi med en hypotetisk-deduktiv ansats. Studien har en kvantitativ forskningsstrategi och baseras på data från 465 publika europeiska företag. Studien baseras på sekundärdata samlad via Thomson Reuters Eikon. Data har analyserats i statistikprogrammet SPSS. Resultat & slutsats: Studiens resultat indikerar på att styrelsens sammansättning har ett positivt samband med företagens hållbarhetsredovisning. Det visar sig att både kulturell mångfald och könsmångfald i styrelsen har en positiv effekt på hållbarhetsredovisningen. Studiens andra resultat är att hållbarhetsredovisningen har ett positivt samband med skatteplanering. Däremot visade det sig att den institutionella kontext som företagen hör till inte skiljer sig från varandra, utan företag från olika institutionella kontext visar på samma positiva samband. Studiens ena slutsats är därför att högre grad av kulturell- och könsmångfald i styrelsen ökar företagens hållbarhetsredovisning. Studiens andra slutsats är att hållbarhetsredovisning och företagens institutionella kontext inte skiljer sig med företagens skatteplanering, utan företagen i Europa visar på positiva samband oavsett institutionell kontext. Examensarbetets bidrag: Studien bidrar till att fylla forskningsgapet för de europeiska bolagen, gällande sambandet mellan hållbarhetsredovisning och skatteplanering. Den bidrar även till att öka den empiriska forskningen på ämnesområdet samt att den bidrar till ämnesområdet om företagens institutionella kontext påverkar ovan nämnda samband. Studien bidrar även till att fylla forskningsgapet gällande sambandet mellan styrelsens sammansättning och hållbarhetsredovisning. Den bidrar till att öka den empiriska forskningen inom ämnesområdet gällande kulturell- och könsmångfald i styrelsens påverkan på hållbarhetsredovisning. Resultatet bidrar med värdefull teoretisk information till den tidigare forskningen på området som haft motstridiga resultat gällande sambandet mellan hållbarhetsredovisning och skatteplanering. Resultatet bidrar även med värdefull teoretisk information till forskningen gällande kulturell- och könsmångfald i styrelsen och dess påverkan på hållbarhetsredovisning. Förslag till fortsatt forskning: Ett förslag till vidare forskning anser vi skulle vara att undersöka närmare orsakerna till varför företag i LME-länderna får högre värde på ETR än företag i CME-länderna. Detta genom att undersöka vidare de institutionella effekterna och ytterligare orsaker som kan göra att företag i LME-länderna i högre grad använder sig utav skatteplanering. / Aim: Corporate social responsibility is widely discussed today and the issue of CSR has become an important issue for companies and their stakeholders. This has had a wider effect by giving companies’ responsibility to be responsible to society and the environment, focusing on companies' paid taxes as part of their responsibilities. Furthermore, the research has focused on corporate governance, more specifically the composition of the board and how this affects the sustainability report. There may therefore be differences in the composition of the board, which means that some companies report sustainability to a greater degree than others. With this study we therefore wish to investigate whether there is a connection between the composition of the board and the sustainability report, and whether there is a connection between the sustainability report and tax planning. Method: The study is based on a positive research philosophy with a hypothetical-deductive approach. The study has a quantitative research strategy and is based on data from 465 public European companies. The study is based on secondary data collected via Thomson Reuters Eikon. Data have been analyzed in the statistical program SPSS. Result & Conclusions: The results of the study provide indication that the composition of the board has a positive relationship with the companies' sustainability reporting. It turns out that both cultural diversity and gender diversity on the board have a positive effect on the sustainability report. The second result of the study is that the sustainability report has a positive connection with tax planning. On the other hand, it turned out that the institutional context to which the companies’ belong does not differ from each other, but companies’ from different institutional contexts show the same positive connection. One of the study's conclusions is therefore that a higher degree of cultural and gender diversity on the board increases companies' sustainability reporting. The second conclusion of the study is that sustainability reporting and the companies’ institutional context do not differ from the companies' tax planning, but the companies’ in Europe show positive connections regardless of the institutional context. Contribution of the thesis: The study helps to fill the research gap for European companies’, regarding the connection between sustainability reporting and tax planning. It also contributes to increasing the empirical research in the subject area and that it contributes to the subject area if the companies' institutional context influences the above-mentioned connection. The study also contributes to filling the research gap regarding the connection between the composition of the board and sustainability reporting. It contributes to increasing the empirical research in the subject area regarding cultural and gender diversity in the board's impact on sustainability reporting. The results contribute valuable theoretical information to the previous research in the field that had conflicting results regarding the connection between sustainability reporting and tax planning. The results also contribute valuable theoretical information to the research regarding cultural and gender diversity on the board and its impact on sustainability reporting. Suggestions for future research: We believe a proposal for further research would be to investigate in more detail the reasons why LME has a higher value for ETR than CME. This is done by further investigating the institutional effects and additional reasons that may lead the LME to make greater use of tax planning.

South Africa has adopted a general anti-avoidance rule (GAAR) as one of the methods to combat the innovative tax avoidance schemes into which taxpayers may enter. Nevertheless, since its introduction it has undergone numerous amendments due to weaknesses highlighted by its failures in court. Yet, since its most recent amendment in 2006, the efficacy of the South African GAAR has not been established as it has not been tested in the courts. This study addresses this concern by employing a ‗structured pre-emptive analysis‘ to identify the weaknesses of the South African GAAR when compared to its New Zealand counterpart. This approach is essentially qualitative and combines the typical doctrinal or black letter law approach used in law with that of reform-oriented approaches. Firstly, the South African and New Zealand GAARs were analysed and compared using a doctrinal approach to gain an understanding of the interpretation and application of the two GAARs. This allowed for the identification of weaknesses in the South African GAAR, whilst also making suggestions for its improvement. Thereafter, the South African GAAR was applied to the facts of a case from New Zealand by making use of a reform-oriented methodological approach. In applying the South African GAAR to the facts of the case, a framework of the South African GAAR was used to enhance the reliability of the findings by reducing subjectivity and improving replicability. The findings from the doctrinal and reform-oriented approaches revealed the weaknesses in the current South African GAAR when compared to its New Zealand counterpart. These weaknesses may be addressed in three ways. Firstly, guidance should be provided in order to address uncertainties in the interpretation and application of the South African GAAR so as to prevent inconsistencies that may limit its efficacy. Secondly, the purpose requirement and tainted elements could be consolidated into one requirement, where the presence of one of the tainted elements informs the objective purpose of the arrangement. Thirdly, the purpose requirement should be amended so that it need not be the sole or main purpose, but rather should be one of the purposes, provided it was not merely incidental. It is acknowledged that while the South African and New Zealand GAARs are directed to achieve the same end, the proposals for amendment would arguably go some way towards improving the efficacy of the South African GAAR. / Mini Dissertation (MCom (Taxation))--University of Pretoria, 2020. / Taxation / MCom (Taxation) / Unrestricted

The master’s thesis deals with the initiative of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, namely the Action plan on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS). The aim of this thesis is to quantify impacts of selected BEPS measures on the tax bases of Czech companies. The paper is divided into a literary summary and a practical part. In the literary summary, important concepts of international taxation are defined and the BEPS action plan and the Anti Tax Avoidance Directive (ATAD) are presented here. In the practical part, selected BEPS measures are applied to model examples, and the impact on the tax base of Czech companies in the situation before and after the implementation of specific measures is quantified. The model examples result in an increase in the tax base and the tax liability of Czech companies in the situation after the implementation of the selected BEPS measures. BEPS measures applied to Czech companies in this thesis pose a negative impact on their tax planning.

Tax havens have long been a subject of concern and were nutritiously used mostly by the rich elite and gangsters. In the wake of the financial crisis in 2008 more light was shed on tax havens and it has become an unanticipated central part of the global economy. This study investigates if globalization has a significant effect on the use of tax havens. The question is analyzed through the lens of fiscal policies and the political economy as well as some further interesting dichotomies and dilemmas. The debate of globalizations and its various effects in the world is still ongoing. While the world economy becomes more mobilized the lack of transparency in countries with higher secrecy becomes more apparent. We measure tax haven activity with foreign direct investment and look at both trade-and financial globalization as well as include a set of key control variables. Using a panel data analysis, we find that globalization has a significant positive effect on tax haven activity. However, in our results we also observe a continuing downward trend in FDI since 2015 which could be indicative of a potential upcoming paradigm shift. Findings in this paper facilitate the understanding of both benefits and concerns with tax havens, it shows how tax havens have been affected by globalization but also an estimation for the uncertain future of tax havens.

No description available.

Thesis (M.Com. (Taxation))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, School of Accountancy, 2015. / Could not copy abstract

As pesquisas que abordam a temática de planejamento tributário, nas últimas décadas, têm identificado que o tamanho das organizações é um fator determinante à adoção de práticas de planejamento tributário. No entanto, existe certa controvérsia, nessa questão, uma vez que as pesquisas têm encontrado relações tanto positivas quanto negativas entre o tamanho das organizações e o nível de planejamento tributário praticado. Os autores justificam essa relação partindo do pressuposto do custo reputacional, em que empresas maiores possuem maior monitoramento por parte da autoridade tributária e dos demais stakeholders. Outros argumentam que as empresas maiores possuem mais recursos e mais influência política para reduzirem suas cargas tributárias. Porém, ambas análises consideram uma relação linear entre o tamanho das empresas e o nível e planejamento tributário, ignorando particularidades econômicas, financeiras e operacionais das empresas. Tal assunção, considerando todas as empresas numa única amostra, pode-se levar a conclusões controversas, ao considerar que todas as empresas possuem as mesmas estruturas e estratégias ao longo do tempo. Desse modo, essa pesquisa tem por objetivo identificar se o estágio de ciclo de vida organizacional impacta o nível de planejamento tributário. Assim, entende-se que a Teoria do Ciclo de Vida Organizacional distingue as empresas pelas suas estruturas e estratégias adotadas, a exemplo do modelo proposto por Dickinson (2011) o qual classifica os estágios de ciclo de vida a partir da necessidade e disponibilidade de recursos, por meio dos sinais dos fluxos de caixa (operacional, de investimento e de financiamento). Assim, espera-se compreender melhor a relação entre o nível de planejamento tributário e as decisões de endividamento, de intensidade de capital, de investimento em capital de giro e a interação dos mecanismos de governança corporativa nos diferentes estágios de ciclo de vida. Para a realização das análises empíricas foram empregados testes de Kruskal Wallis, regressões de dados em painel e regressões quantílicas com dados anuais das empresas brasileiras de capital aberto que compuseram o índice IBrX 100 da BM&FBOVESPA, no período de 2008 a 2015. Os resultados apontam que as empresas em estágios inicias e avançados de ciclo de vida organizacional possuem maiores níveis de planejamento tributário do que as empresas em estágio de maturidade. Considerando as métricas de planejamento tributário ETR Corrente, BTD e DVA, por ciclo de vida, nos testes de Kruskal Wallis, obteve-se que as empresas em estágios iniciais possuem níveis maiores de planejamento tributários do que as empresas da maturidade. Já nos estágios Avançados, constatou-se que as métricas ETR Corrente, Cash ETR e DVA também apresentam níveis maiores de planejamento tributário do que as empresas maduras. As análises por meio de regressões quantílicas reafirmam esses resultados, para as métricas de BTD e de ETR Corrente. Esses achados remetem à conclusão de que empresas em estágios iniciais possuem menores custos reputacionais devido a maior propensão ao risco, em virtude da sua participação de mercado ainda não estar consolidada. Já as empresas em estágios avançados, dadas as baixas oportunidades de investimento, adotam estratégias menos defensivas, uma vez que nesses estágios não dispõem de condições financeiras e econômicas favoráveis para captar recursos, pois os ativos já estão depreciados e não servem como garantia real. Portanto, as adoções de planejamento tributário nas empresas analisadas indicam que há uma relação entre as particularidades econômicas e financeiras das empresas, classificadas pelos estágios de ciclo de vida, com as estratégias tributárias adotadas para a obtenção de economia fiscal. / Research addressing the issue of tax planning in recent decades, have identified that the size of the organizations is a determining factor for the adoption of tax planning practices. However, there is some controversy in this matter, since research has found both positive and negative relationship between the size of organizations and tax planning practiced. The authors explain this relationship assuming the reputational cost, where larger firms have greater monitoring by the tax authority and other stakeholders. Others argue that larger companies have more resources and more political influence to reduce their tax burdens. However, both research suggests a linear relationship between the size of companies and the level and tax planning, ignoring economic, financial and operational peculiarities of the company. Such an assumption, considering all companies in a single sample, can lead to controversial conclusions, considering that all companies have the same structures and strategies over time. Thus, this research aims to identify the organizational life cycle stage impacts the level of tax planning. Thus, it is understood that the Organizational Life Cycle Theory recognizes companies for their structures and strategies adopted, such as the model proposed by Dickinson (2011) which classifies the stages of life cycle from the need and availability of resources through the signs of the cash flows (operating, investing and financing). Therefore, we hope to better understand the relationship between the level of tax planning and borrowing decisions, capital intensity, investment in working capital and the interaction of corporate governance mechanisms in different stages of life cycle. To carry out the empirical analysis were used Kruskal Wallis test, regressions in data panel and quantile regressions using annual data of Brazilian public companies that composed the IBrX 100 from BM&FBOVESPA, in the period 2008 to 2015. The results show that companies in initial and advanced stages of organizational life cycle have higher tax planning levels than companies in the maturity stage. Considering the tax planning metrics ETR, BTD and DVA by life cycle, in the Kruskal Wallis test was found that the companies in early stages have higher levels of tax planning than the mature companies. Already in the Advanced stages, it was found that the metrics ETR Current, Cash ETR and DVA also have higher levels of tax planning than mature companies. Analyses by quantile regressions reaffirm these results to the metrics of BTD and ETR current. These findings refer to the conclusion that companies in early stages have lower costs reputational due to higher propensity for risk, by virtue of its market share has not yet been consolidated. The companies in advanced stages, given the low investment opportunities, adopt less defensive strategies, since these stages do not have the financial and economic conditions favorable to raise funds because the assets are already depreciated and do not serve as collateral. Therefore, the adoption of tax planning in the analyzed companies indicate that there is a relationship between economic and financial characteristics of companies, classified by the stages of life cycle, with tax strategies adopted to achieve tax savings.