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Effects of the Fiscal Treatment of Tax Losses on the Efficiency of Markets and the Incidence of Mergers

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Michel Poitevin ()
Abstract

This paper surveys the major issues regarding the transferability of tax losses upon a change of control. Whether tax losses should be transferable or not depends on whether the market for corporate control is efficient or not. If there are too few efficiency-enhancing takeovers, then takeovers should be - subsidized - . If, on the contrary, there are too many takeovers (from an efficiency point of view), then takeovers should somehow be taxed. In either case, the transferability of tax losses may be an instrument for doing so. Three aspects are considered: (1) whether tax losses should be transferred upon a change of control or not, (2) whether the transfer should be restricted to the same line of business or not, and (3) whether losses should be used at the same speed at which they were (to be) used pre-merger or not. These issues are then discussed in the context of managerial control, product market competition, financing decisions, and investment decisions and risk-taking.

Nous passons en revue dans cette étude les principales questions touchant la transférabilité des pertes fiscales en cas de changement de contrôle d'une entreprise. L'opportunité d'autoriser ou non le transfert des pertes fiscales dépend de l'efficacité du marché des prises de contrôle. Si les prises de contrôle accroissant l'efficacité sont trop peu nombreuses, il convient de les - subventionner - . Si, au contraire, les prises de contrôles sont trop nombreuses (sous l'angle de l'efficacité), il convient de les taxer sous une forme quelconque. Dans un cas comme dans l'autre, le régime de transférabilité des pertes fiscales peut servir à atteindre l'objectif visé. Trois aspects sont abordés ici : (1) l'opportunité d'autoriser le transfert des pertes fiscales en cas de changement de contrôle d'une entreprise; (2) l'opportunité d'autoriser ce transfert uniquement lorsque le type d'activité reste le même; (3) l'opportunité d'autoriser l'utilisation des pertes au même rythme qu'avant la fusion. Ces questions seront analysées dans le contexte du contrôle exercé par les directions d'entreprise, de la concurrence sur le marché des produits, des décisions de financement, ainsi que des décisions d'investissement et de la prise de risque.

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Paper provided by CIRANO in its series CIRANO Working Papers with number 98s-33.

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Date of creation: 01 Nov 1998
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Handle: RePEc:cir:cirwor:98s-33

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Keywords: Tax losses; mergers; Pertes fiscales; fusions;

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  1. Jensen, Michael C, 1986. "Agency Costs of Free Cash Flow, Corporate Finance, and Takeovers," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 76(2), pages 323-29, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Stein, Jeremy C, 1988. "Takeover Threats and Managerial Myopia," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 96(1), pages 61-80, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. E. Appelbaum & E. Katz, 1987. "Asymmetric Taxation and the Theory of the Competitive Firm under Uncertainty," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 20(2), pages 357-69, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Sanford J. Grossman & Oliver D. Hart, 1980. "Takeover Bids, the Free-Rider Problem, and the Theory of the Corporation," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 11(1), pages 42-64, Spring. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Gauthier, Celine & Poitevin, Michel & Gonzalez, Patrick, 1997. "Ex Ante Payments in Self-Enforcing Risk-Sharing Contracts," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 76(1), pages 106-144, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Gale, Douglas & Hellwig, Martin, 1985. "Incentive-Compatible Debt Contracts: The One-Period Problem," Review of Economic Studies, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 52(4), pages 647-63, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Thomas, Jonathan & Worrall, Tim, 1988. "Self-enforcing Wage Contracts," Review of Economic Studies, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 55(4), pages 541-54, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. Harris, Milton & Raviv, Artur, 1991. " The Theory of Capital Structure," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 46(1), pages 297-355, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  9. Mayer, Colin, 1986. "Corporation Tax, Finance and the Cost of Capital," Review of Economic Studies, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 53(1), pages 93-112, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  10. Farrell, Joseph & Shapiro, Carl, 1990. "Horizontal Mergers: An Equilibrium Analysis," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 80(1), pages 107-26, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  11. Scharfstein, David, 1988. "The Disciplinary Role of Takeovers," Review of Economic Studies, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 55(2), pages 185-99, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  12. Townsend, Robert M., 1979. "Optimal contracts and competitive markets with costly state verification," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 21(2), pages 265-293, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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