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Payout policy in Brazil: Dividends versus interest on equity

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  • Boulton, Thomas J.
  • Braga-Alves, Marcus V.
  • Shastri, Kuldeep

Abstract

We examine the impact of tax burden on cash distribution using a sample of Brazilian firms, which are allowed by law to distribute cash to shareholders in two forms: dividends and tax-advantaged interest on equity. The Brazilian institutional setting is superior to those used in prior studies that examine the choice between dividends and capital gains because, in some cases, dividends provide advantages that outweigh their negative tax consequences, leading firms to rationally choose payout policies that are not optimal when viewed only from the perspective of taxes. We find that taxes are a primary determinant of Brazilian firms’ payout policy decisions, as profitability and payout ratios (nonequity tax shields) are positively (negatively) related to the likelihood that a firm pays interest on equity. However, many firms continue to pay dividends despite the tax advantages of interest on equity payments. Abnormal returns around payout policy announcements suggest that these firms are, at least in part, catering to investor demand.

Suggested Citation

  • Boulton, Thomas J. & Braga-Alves, Marcus V. & Shastri, Kuldeep, 2012. "Payout policy in Brazil: Dividends versus interest on equity," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 18(4), pages 968-979.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:corfin:v:18:y:2012:i:4:p:968-979
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2011.09.004
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    Cited by:

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    2. Forti, Cristiano & Schiozer, Rafael F., 2015. "Bank dividends and signaling to information-sensitive depositors," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 1-11.
    3. Al-Malkawi, Husam-Aldin Nizar & Ishaq Bhatti, M., 2020. "Are tests of dividend policy robust to estimation techniques: The case of an emerging economy?," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 541(C).
    4. Fernando Chague & Rodrigo De Losso, Bruno Giovannetti, 2018. "Individual Investors Look at Price Tags," Working Papers, Department of Economics 2018_17, University of São Paulo (FEA-USP).
    5. Ed-Dafali, Slimane & Patel, Ritesh & Iqbal, Najaf, 2023. "A bibliometric review of dividend policy literature," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    6. Anwer, Zaheer & Mohamad, Shamsher & Paltrinieri, Andrea & Hassan, M. Kabir, 2021. "Dividend payout policy of Shariah compliant firms: Evidence from United States," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    7. Colombo, Jéfferson A. & Caldeira, João F., 2018. "The role of taxes and the interdependence among corporate financial policies: Evidence from a natural experiment," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 402-423.
    8. Mar𨁂el鮠Lozano & Simone Caltabiano, 2015. "Cross institutional cash and dividend policies: focusing on Brazilian firms," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 47(3), pages 239-254, January.
    9. Portal, Márcio Telles & Laureano, Luis, 2017. "Does Brazilian allowance for corporate equity reduce the debt bias? Evidences of rebound effect and ownership-induced ACE clientele," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 480-495.
    10. Urszula Mrzyglod & Sabina Nowak & Magdalena Mosionek-Schweda & Jakub M. Kwiatkowski, 2021. "What drives the dividend decisions in BRICS countries?," Oeconomia Copernicana, Institute of Economic Research, vol. 12(3), pages 593-629, September.
    11. von Eije, Henk & Goyal, Abhinav & Muckley, Cal B., 2017. "Flexible firm-level dividends in Latin America," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 23(C), pages 133-136.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Payout policy; interest on equity; dividends; taxes;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G35 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Payout Policy

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