What Does Tax Aggressiveness Signal? Evidence from Stock Price Reactions to News about Tax Shelter Involvement

Journal of Public Economics, Forthcoming

Posted: 8 Oct 2008

See all articles by Michelle Hanlon

Michelle Hanlon

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Sloan School of Management

Joel B. Slemrod

University of Michigan, Stephen M. Ross School of Business; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Date Written: October 7, 2008

Abstract

We study the stock price reaction to news about corporate tax aggressiveness. We find that, on average, a company's stock price declines when there is news about its involvement in tax shelters. We find some limited evidence for cross-sectional variation in the reaction. For example, the reaction is more negative for firms in the retail sector, suggesting that part of the reaction may be a consumer/taxpayer backlash. In addition, the reaction is less negative for firms that are viewed to be generally less tax aggressive, as proxied by the firm's cash effective tax rate. We interpret this as being consistent with the market reacting positively to evidence that a firm is trying to reduce taxes when their financial reports would lead one to believe the firm is not tax aggressive.

Keywords: tax aggressiveness, tax shelter, market reaction

JEL Classification: H25

Suggested Citation

Hanlon, Michelle and Slemrod, Joel B., What Does Tax Aggressiveness Signal? Evidence from Stock Price Reactions to News about Tax Shelter Involvement (October 7, 2008). Journal of Public Economics, Forthcoming, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1280510

Michelle Hanlon (Contact Author)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Sloan School of Management ( email )

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Joel B. Slemrod

University of Michigan, Stephen M. Ross School of Business ( email )

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National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) ( email )

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