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Earnings Management Using the Valuation Allowance for Deferred Tax Assets under SFAS No. 109

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  • Catherine M. Schrand
  • M. H. Franco Wong

Abstract

Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 109 (SFAS No. 109) allows firms to use their discretion to set arbitrarily high valuation allowances against deferred tax assets. Firms can then later use these "hidden reserves" to manage earnings. Our evidence indicates that most banks do not record a valuation allowance to manage earnings, but rather to follow the guidelines of SFAS No. 109. However, if the bank is sufficiently well capitalized to absorb the current†period impact on capital, then the amount of the valuation allowance increases with a bank's capital. In later years, bank managers adjust the valuation allowance to smooth earnings. The magnitude of the discretionary adjustment increases with the deviation of unadjusted earnings from the forecast or historical earnings.

Suggested Citation

  • Catherine M. Schrand & M. H. Franco Wong, 2003. "Earnings Management Using the Valuation Allowance for Deferred Tax Assets under SFAS No. 109," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 20(3), pages 579-611, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:coacre:v:20:y:2003:i:3:p:579-611
    DOI: 10.1506/480D-098U-607R-5D9W
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    Cited by:

    1. Theodore E. Christensen & Gyung H. Paik & Earl K. Stice, 2008. "Creating a Bigger Bath Using the Deferred Tax Valuation Allowance," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(5‐6), pages 601-625, June.
    2. Allison Koester & Terry Shevlin & Daniel Wangerin, 2017. "The Role of Managerial Ability in Corporate Tax Avoidance," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 63(10), pages 3285-3310, October.
    3. Beardsley, Erik L. & Robinson, John R. & Wong, Paul A., 2021. "What's my target? Individual analyst forecasts and last-chance earnings management," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 72(1).
    4. Jacob Thomas & Frank Zhang, 2007. "Tax Expense Surprises and Future Returns," Yale School of Management Working Papers amz2531, Yale School of Management, revised 01 Feb 2008.
    5. Dan S. Dhaliwal & Steven E. Kaplan & Rick C. Laux & Eric Weisbrod, 2013. "The Information Content of Tax Expense for Firms Reporting Losses," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(1), pages 135-164, March.
    6. Sean T. McGuire & Stevanie S. Neuman & Sarah C. Rice, 2020. "Interim Effective Tax Rate Estimates and Internal Control Quality," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 37(1), pages 603-633, March.
    7. Gnanakumar Visvanathan, 2021. "Is information in deferred tax valuation allowance useful in predicting the firm’s ability to continue as a going concern incremental to MD&A disclosures and auditor’s going concern opinions?," International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 18(3), pages 223-239, September.
    8. Katharine D. Drake & Ellen Engel & Melissa A. Martin, 2023. "Investigating discretion in executive contracting: extracting private information from valuation allowance decisions," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 28(2), pages 533-569, June.
    9. Novia (Xi) Chen & Peng-Chia Chiu & Terry Shevlin & Jiani Wang, 2023. "Taxes in Non-GAAP Reporting: Evidence of Strategic Behavior in Selecting Tax Rates Applied to Exclusions," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 69(5), pages 3100-3120, May.
    10. David Folsom & Paul Hribar & Richard D. Mergenthaler & Kyle Peterson, 2017. "Principles-Based Standards and Earnings Attributes," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 63(8), pages 2592-2615, August.
    11. Anne Beatty & Joseph Weber, 2006. "Accounting Discretion in Fair Value Estimates: An Examination of SFAS 142 Goodwill Impairments," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(2), pages 257-288, May.
    12. Olivier Vidal, 2009. "Are asymmetry measures relevant to analyze accounting thresholds? [Les Indicateurs D'Asymétrie Sont- Ils Pertinents Pour Étudier Les Seuils Comptables ?]," Post-Print hal-02104099, HAL.
    13. Fernández-Rodríguez, Elena & García-Fernández, Roberto & Martínez-Arias, Antonio, 2021. "Business and institutional determinants of Effective Tax Rate in emerging economies," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 692-702.
    14. James A. Ohlson & Jagadison K. Aier, 2009. "On the Analysis of Firms' Cash Flows," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(4), pages 1091-1114, December.
    15. Laura Parte Esteban & María Jesús Such Devesa, 2011. "Determinants of Earnings Benchmarks in the Spanish Hotel Industry," Tourism Economics, , vol. 17(1), pages 53-72, February.
    16. Kathleen Herbohn & Irene Tutticci & Pui See Khor, 2010. "Changes in Unrecognised Deferred Tax Accruals from Carry‐Forward Losses: Earnings Management or Signalling?," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(7‐8), pages 763-791, July.
    17. Audrey Hsu & Cheng-Few Lee & Sophia Liu, 2022. "Book-tax differences, CEO overconfidence, and bank loan contracting," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 58(2), pages 437-472, February.
    18. Glen Hansen, 2015. "Managerial Discretion Over Loan Loss Reserves during the Global Financial Crisis," The International Journal of Business and Finance Research, The Institute for Business and Finance Research, vol. 9(1), pages 51-61.

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