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Foreign Cash: Taxes, Internal Capital Markets, and Agency Problems

Author

Listed:
  • Jarrad Harford
  • Cong Wang
  • Kuo Zhang

Abstract

When the fraction of a firm’s cash held overseas is greater, its shareholders value that cash lower. This goes beyond a pure tax effect: the repatriation tax friction disrupts the firm’s internal capital market, distorting its investment policy. Firms underinvest domestically and overinvest abroad. Our findings are more pronounced when firms are subject to higher repatriation tax rates, higher costs of borrowing, and more agency problems. Overall, our evidence suggests that a combination of taxes, financing frictions, and agency problems leads to a valuation discount for foreign cash and documents real effects of how foreign earnings are taxed.

Suggested Citation

  • Jarrad Harford & Cong Wang & Kuo Zhang, 2017. "Foreign Cash: Taxes, Internal Capital Markets, and Agency Problems," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 30(5), pages 1490-1538.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:rfinst:v:30:y:2017:i:5:p:1490-1538.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/rfs/hhw109
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Adam Hal Spencer, 2022. "Policy Effects of International Taxation on Firm Dynamics and Capital Structure [Foreign investment of us multinationals: The effect of tax policy and agency conflicts]," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 89(4), pages 2149-2200.
    2. Andrea Caggese & Ander Pérez-Orive, 2017. "Capital Misallocation and Secular Stagnation," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2017-009, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    3. Jeremiah Harris & William O'Brien, 2022. "Do U.S. firms disguise acquisitions to avoid taxes?," The Financial Review, Eastern Finance Association, vol. 57(1), pages 95-127, February.
    4. Karpuz, Ahmet & Kim, Kirak & Ozkan, Neslihan, 2020. "Does financial reporting regulation influence the value of cash holdings?," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 52-67.
    5. Michael W. Faulkender & Kristine W. Hankins & Mitchell A. Petersen, 2017. "Understanding the Rise in Corporate Cash: Precautionary Savings or Foreign Taxes," NBER Working Papers 23799, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    6. Robinson Reyes-Peña & Arun Upadhyay & Arun Kumaraswamy, 2023. "Foreign competitive pressure and inversions by U.S. multinational enterprises," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 54(5), pages 829-851, July.
    7. Harris, Jeremiah & O'Brien, William, 2018. "U.S. worldwide taxation and domestic mergers and acquisitions," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 66(2), pages 419-438.
    8. Duong, Huu Nhan & Nguyen, Justin Hung & Nguyen, My & Rhee, S. Ghon, 2020. "Navigating through economic policy uncertainty: The role of corporate cash holdings," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    9. Sifat, Imtiaz Mohammad & Thaker, Hassanudin Mohd Thas, 2020. "Predictive power of web search behavior in five ASEAN stock markets," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    10. Albertus, James F. & Glover, Brent & Levine, Oliver, 2022. "Foreign investment of US multinationals: The effect of tax policy and agency conflicts," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 144(1), pages 298-327.
    11. Richardson, Grant & Taylor, Grantley & Obaydin, Ivan, 2020. "Does the use of tax haven subsidiaries by U.S. multinational corporations affect the cost of bank loans?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    12. John R. Graham & Mark T. Leary, 2017. "The Evolution of Corporate Cash," NBER Working Papers 23767, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    13. Sven Klingler & Olav Syrstad, 2021. "Disclosing the Undisclosed: Commercial Paper As Hidden Liquidity Suffers," Working Paper 2021/16, Norges Bank.
    14. Manoel, Aviner Augusto Silva & Moraes, Marcelo Botelho da Costa, 2022. "The impact of internationalization degree on cash levels: Evidence from Latin America," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(3).
    15. Kalcheva, Ivalina & Plečnik, James M. & Tran, Hai & Turkiela, Jason, 2020. "(Un)intended consequences? The impact of the 2017 tax cuts and jobs act on shareholder wealth," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    16. Lou, Xu & Qian, Aimin & Zhang, Chenyu, 2021. "Do CEO's political promotion incentives influence the value of cash holdings: Evidence from state-owned enterprises in China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    17. Muhammad Tahir & Haslindar Ibrahim & Abdul Hadi Zulkafli & Muhammad Mushtaq, 2020. "Influence of Exchange Rate Fluctuations and Credit Supply on Dividend Repatriation Policy of U.S. Multinational Corporations," Journal of Central Banking Theory and Practice, Central bank of Montenegro, vol. 9(special i), pages 267-290.
    18. Vivien Lefebvre, 2023. "Business group affiliation in resource-scarce locations," Journal of Organization Design, Springer;Organizational Design Community, vol. 12(3), pages 121-140, September.
    19. Devos, Erik & Li, He, 2021. "Vertical integration to mitigate internal capital market inefficiencies," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    20. Han, Haozhe & Wang, Xingjian, 2023. "Monetary policy uncertainty and corporate cash holdings: Evidence from China," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    21. John R Graham & Mark T Leary, 2018. "The Evolution of Corporate Cash," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 31(11), pages 4288-4344.
    22. Bird, Andrew & Edwards, Alexander & Shevlin, Terry, 2017. "Does U.S. foreign earnings lockout advantage foreign acquirers?," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(1), pages 150-166.
    23. So, Jacky Yuk-chow & Zhang, John Fan, 2022. "The effect of cultural heterogeneity on cash holdings of multinational businesses," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    24. Austin, Josh & Harris, Jeremiah & O'Brien, William, 2020. "Do the most prominent firms really make the worst deals? How selection issues affect inferences from M&A studies," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • G34 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Mergers; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Corporate Governance

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