This Paper analyses the interaction between corporate taxes and corporate governance. We show that the characteristics of a taxation system affect the extraction of private benefits by company insiders. A higher tax rate increases the amount of income insiders divert and thus worsens governance outcomes. In contrast, stronger tax enforcement reduces diversion and, in so doing, can raise the stock market value of a company in spite of the increase in the tax burden. We also show that the corporate governance system affects the level of tax revenues and the sensitivity of tax revenues to tax changes. When the corporate governance system is ineffective (i.e., when it is easy to divert income), an increase in the tax rate can reduce tax revenues. We test this prediction in a panel of countries. Consistent with the model, we find that corporate tax rate increases have smaller (in fact, negative) effects on revenues when corporate governance is weaker. Finally, this approach provides a novel justification for the existence of a separate corporate tax based on profits.
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Paper provided by C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers in its series CEPR Discussion Papers with number
4816.
Mihir A. Desai & Alexander Dyck & Luigi Zingales, 2003.
"Theft and Taxes,"
International Tax Program Papers
0501, International Tax Program, Institute for International Business, Joseph L. Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, revised Dec 2004.
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Mihir A. Desai & Alexander Dyck & Luigi Zingales, 2004.
"Theft and Taxes,"
NBER Working Papers
10978, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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Find related papers by JEL classification: G30 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - General H25 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Business Taxes and Subsidies H26 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Tax Evasion
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