Abstract:
Taxation - Policy and Practice 2021/22 (28th Edition).

 

Abstract:
Taxation - Policy and Practice 2020/21 (27th Edition).

 

Abstract:
Imagining cooperative tax regulation: Common origins, divergent paths.

In many countries, relational field dynamics between tax administrators and corporate taxpayers have undergone significant changes in recent years. We conceive of cooperative compliance models implemented in the Netherlands and the UK between large corporate taxpayers and the respective tax administrations as dynamic strategic action fields, nested within the wider tax field and influenced by shifts in the external environment. Drawing on a series of interviews with skilled actors we identify similarities between the two countries in terms of the initial motivation for introducing cooperative compliance. We also identify differences in the subsequent trajectories. We find that within the respective strategic action fields, an imaginary of cooperation built around mutual trust contributes to the sustainability of the field. Vulnerability to developments in proximate fields on the other hand undermines field sustainability. Together these concepts help to explain the different trajectories and demonstrate the value in exploring shared understandings in strategic actions fields as imaginaries and paying more attention to the influence of proximate fields. The findings have implications for regulatory policy design in other settings. 

Abstract:
Transfer pricing: changing views in changing times.

Transfer pricing for tax purposes has long been contentious, but recent political and public concerns about tax avoidance have energised critiques of current rules and debates about proposals for change. Transfer pricing tax rules are underpinned by the arm’s length principle and we consider how the common understanding of this principle has developed and changed, as criticism of it has grown and there have been increasing calls for change. In this qualitative study we draw on Bourdieusian concepts: we focus on the views of senior transfer pricing professionals relating to the UK and the US and consider how their views and transfer pricing practices have changed over a period of field disruption. This is important because calls for transformation of the field need to be cognizant of the extent to which existing practices are firmly embedded and thereby resilient to change. We find that over the period of our longitudinal study the senior transfer pricing professionals show a degree of adaptability to the use of the arm’s length principle, which continues to dominate. 

Abstract:
Does gender diversity on banks' boards matter? Evidence from public bailouts.

We are the first to examine the impact of gender diversity on banks' boards on the probability and size of public bailouts. Our findings, based on a sample of listed European banks over the period 2005–2017, suggest that banks with more gender-diverse boards are less likely to receive a public bailout and receive a lower amount of bailout funds as a percentage of total assets than banks with less gender-diverse boards. Specifically, an increase by one standard deviation in gender diversity decreases the probability of a bailout by at least 2.44%, a significant reduction considering that the unconditional probability is 18.7%. Gender diversity is also positively related to bank performance, as proxied by ROA and Tobin's Q and with dividend payout ratios, consistent with the hypothesis that female directors are better monitors than male directors. These results are robust to a variety of econometric approaches and provide support for recent reforms in several EU countries regarding gender quotas. 

Abstract:
Accounting profits, tax profits and unitary taxation (Revisited).

Unitary taxation requires the adoption of a set of rules that enables a combined group tax profit base to be determined. Setting aside questions as to which entities should be included and how the resultant profit should be allocated to relevant jurisdictions, this article focusses on the question of what is an appropriate base, and whether accounting principles, in particular external financial reporting principles, are fit for this purpose. The authors contribute to the ongoing debate on this issue, now even more salient in relation to the digital economy and the “unified approach” proposed by the OECD, by considering more recent changes in both financial reporting and taxation. The article concludes that there is considerable preparatory work to be done before an appropriate base for unitary taxation can be developed, if that is even possible. 

Abstract:
Acting in the public interest: Accounting for the vulnerable.

This article seeks to initiate research around the potential roles of the accounting profession for tackling the challenges of the vulnerable. Its backdrop is the current consideration of the profession’s public interest role. The importance of dialogue around the public interest role is evidenced by the increasing levels of vulnerability, even within developed countries. Accounting underpinned by broader values has potential to provide knowledge of issues relating to the vulnerable. However, the accounting profession has only engaged with such potential to a limited degree. The article overviews existing knowledge and areas within which more research is required. In order to illustrate the potential for such research, initial findings from two case studies of homelessness (an example of the vulnerable) provide evidence as to the importance, and challenges, of accounting for the vulnerable. This article highlights the need to: take a principles-based approach in defining the vulnerable, undertake an accounting that reflects the lives they value, acknowledge that there are different ways for addressing these issues, recognise that an absence of perfect numbers should not become a barrier to action, and that accounting for the vulnerable is one way that the accounting profession may discharge their public interest roles. 

Abstract:
Does religiosity influence venture capital investment decisions?.

Theories on contextual behavior (e.g. social norm, self-identity, and legitimacy theories) suggest that the religiosity of the geographical area in which an organization operates influences its behavior. Using a sample of 91,020 VC investments in the U.S. we study whether religiosity influences VC investment decisions. Based on prior literature that finds a positive relation between religiosity and risk aversion, we posit that VCs located in more religious counties make less risky investments. We find that VCs located in more religious areas are more likely to be involved in staging and syndication and have a greater propensity to invest in later and expansion stages of portfolio companies. Taken together, our results suggest that VCs located in religious counties tend to be more risk averse. 

Abstract:
Pension deficits and corporate financial policy: Does accounting transparency matter?.

We study changes in financial policies following a regulatory shock to the accounting
transparency of defined benefit pension plans. We estimate the hidden pension deficits of
French companies subject to mandatory IAS 19 adoption in 2005 using disclosures of early
adopters of IAS 19. We find that financially risky companies reporting unexpectedly high
pension deficits on first-time IAS 19 adoption subsequently reduce leverage and incur higher
cost of debt. Our results suggest that in the absence of transparency the credit market anticipates
off-balance sheet pension deficits. However, the introduction of the more transparent IAS 19
regime allows the credit market to correct estimation errors. Our study is one of the first to
show that the greater transparency offered by IFRS has negative economic consequences for
some companies. 

Abstract:
Resiliency of Environmental and Social Stocks: an Analysis of the Exogenous COVID-19 Market Crash.

Abstract
. The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown brought about an exogenous and unparalleled stock market crash. The crisis thus provides a unique opportunity to test theories of environmental and social (ES) policies. This paper shows that stocks with higher ES ratings have significantly higher returns, lower return volatility, and higher operating profit margins during the first quarter of 2020. ES firms with higher advertising expenditures experience higher stock returns, and stocks held by more ES-oriented investors experience less return volatility during the crash. This paper highlights the importance of customer and investor loyalty to the resiliency of ES stocks. (JEL G12, G32, M14)
. Received: June 3, 2020; editorial decision June 24, 2020 by Editor Andrew Ellul.
. Authors have furnished an Internet Appendix, which is available on the Oxford University Press Web site next to the link to the final published paper online. 

Abstract:
Searching for Gambles: Gambling Sentiment and Stock Market Outcomes.

Using Internet search volume for lottery to capture gambling sentiment shifts, we show that when the overall gambling sentiment is strong, investor demand for lottery stocks increases, these stocks earn positive short-run abnormal returns, managers are more likely to split stocks to cater to the increased demand for low-priced lottery stocks, and IPOs earn higher first day returns. Further, the sentiment-return relation is stronger among low institutional ownership firms, headquartered in regions where gambling is more acceptable and local bias is stronger. These results suggest that gambling sentiment has a spillover effect on the stock market. 

Abstract:
Taxation.