IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/hhs/nhhfms/2024_006.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Business model digitalization, competition, and tax savings

Author

Listed:

Abstract

We examine the effect of business model digitalization on competition and how corporate tax savings through digitalization may augment this relationship. Global policymakers express concern that digitalization-related tax savings unfairly benefit the competitive standing of rival firms over their competitors. Using textual analysis techniques to identify firms’ business models, we show that rivals’ adoption of a digital business model leads to negative economic effects on the performance of their non-digitalizing competitors. We estimate that a one standard deviation increase in the share of digitalized rivals in a market reduces a competitor’s market share by 4.6%. Suggesting significant tax savings from digitalizing, we also find that digitalizing rivals substantially reduce their effective tax rates, mostly by increased use of tax havens. However, when we test whether the detected competitive externalities vary depending on the share of digitalizing rivals with versus without substantial digitalization-related tax savings, we find the economic magnitudes of their effects are quantitatively similar. Therefore, contrary to policymakers’ concerns of digitalization-related tax savings unfairly shaping competition, our findings suggest that tax savings from digitalization is not a key driver of altering competition between digitalized and non-digitalized firms.

Suggested Citation

  • Casi, Elisa & Lisowsky, Petro & Stage, Barbara M. B. & Todtenhaupt, Maximilian, 2024. "Business model digitalization, competition, and tax savings," Discussion Papers 2024/6, Norwegian School of Economics, Department of Business and Management Science.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:nhhfms:2024_006
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://hdl.handle.net/11250/3122116
    File Function: Full text
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Chen, Shuping & Chen, Xia & Cheng, Qiang & Shevlin, Terry, 2010. "Are family firms more tax aggressive than non-family firms?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(1), pages 41-61, January.
    2. Margherita Pagani, 2013. "Digital Business Strategy and Value Creation : Framing the Dynamic Cycle of Control Points," Post-Print hal-02313107, HAL.
    3. Bolton, Patrick & Scharfstein, David S, 1990. "A Theory of Predation Based on Agency Problems in Financial Contracting," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 80(1), pages 93-106, March.
    4. Karl Russo, 2019. "Superiority of the VAT to Turnover Tax as an Indirect Tax on Digital Services," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 72(4), pages 857-880, December.
    5. Michael P. Donohoe & Hansol Jang & Petro Lisowsky, 2022. "Competitive Externalities of Tax Cuts," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 60(1), pages 201-259, March.
    6. Scott D. Dyreng & Jeffrey L. Hoopes & Patrick Langetieg & Jaron H. Wilde, 2020. "Strategic Subsidiary Disclosure," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(3), pages 643-692, June.
    7. Dyreng, Scott D. & Hanlon, Michelle & Maydew, Edward L. & Thornock, Jacob R., 2017. "Changes in corporate effective tax rates over the past 25 years," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 124(3), pages 441-463.
    8. Grubert, Harry, 2003. "Intangible Income, Intercompany Transactions, Income Shifting, and the Choice of Location," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 56(1), pages 221-242, March.
    9. Dyer, Travis & Lang, Mark & Stice-Lawrence, Lorien, 2017. "The evolution of 10-K textual disclosure: Evidence from Latent Dirichlet Allocation," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(2), pages 221-245.
    10. Gerard Hoberg & Gordon Phillips, 2016. "Text-Based Network Industries and Endogenous Product Differentiation," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 124(5), pages 1423-1465.
    11. Lisa De Simone & Jordan Nickerson & Jeri Seidman & Bridget Stomberg, 2020. "How Reliably Do Empirical Tests Identify Tax Avoidance?†," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 37(3), pages 1536-1561, September.
    12. Ole†Kristian Hope, 2003. "Accounting Policy Disclosures and Analysts' Forecasts," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 20(2), pages 295-321, June.
    13. Janssen, Marijn & van der Voort, Haiko & Wahyudi, Agung, 2017. "Factors influencing big data decision-making quality," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 338-345.
    14. Nicholas Bloom & Raffaella Sadun & John Van Reenen, 2012. "Americans Do IT Better: US Multinationals and the Productivity Miracle," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 102(1), pages 167-201, February.
    15. Tim Loughran & Bill Mcdonald, 2016. "Textual Analysis in Accounting and Finance: A Survey," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(4), pages 1187-1230, September.
    16. Prasanna Tambe & Lorin Hitt & Daniel Rock & Erik Brynjolfsson, 2020. "Digital Capital and Superstar Firms," NBER Working Papers 28285, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    17. Sonja Olhoft Rego, 2003. "Tax†Avoidance Activities of U.S. Multinational Corporations," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 20(4), pages 805-833, December.
    18. Griffith, Rachel & Miller, Helen & O'Connell, Martin, 2014. "Ownership of intellectual property and corporate taxation," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 12-23.
    19. André Hanelt & René Bohnsack & David Marz & Cláudia Antunes Marante, 2021. "A Systematic Review of the Literature on Digital Transformation: Insights and Implications for Strategy and Organizational Change," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(5), pages 1159-1197, July.
    20. John Vella, 2019. "Digital Services Taxes: Principle as a Double-Edged Sword," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 72(4), pages 821-838, December.
    21. Laurent Fresard, 2010. "Financial Strength and Product Market Behavior: The Real Effects of Corporate Cash Holdings," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 65(3), pages 1097-1122, June.
    22. Drake, Katharine D. & Hamilton, Russ & Lusch, Stephen J., 2020. "Are declining effective tax rates indicative of tax avoidance? Insight from effective tax rate reconciliations," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(1).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Dane M. Christensen & David G. Kenchington & Rick C. Laux, 2022. "How do most low ETR firms avoid paying taxes?," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 27(2), pages 570-606, June.
    2. Armstrong, Christopher S. & Glaeser, Stephen & Kepler, John D., 2019. "Strategic reactions in corporate tax planning," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(1).
    3. Cooper, Maggie & Nguyen, Quyen T.K., 2020. "Multinational enterprises and corporate tax planning: A review of literature and suggestions for a future research agenda," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(3).
    4. Erin Henry & Richard Sansing, 2018. "Corporate tax avoidance: data truncation and loss firms," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 23(3), pages 1042-1070, September.
    5. Athira, A. & Ramesh, Vishnu K., 2023. "COVID-19 and corporate tax avoidance: International evidence," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(4).
    6. Müller, Raphael & Spengel, Christoph & Weck, Stefan, 2021. "How do investors value the publication of tax information? Evidence from the European public country-by-country reporting," ZEW Discussion Papers 21-077, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    7. Nguyen, Justin Hung & Qiu, Buhui, 2022. "Right-to-Work laws and corporate innovation," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    8. Rahman, Dewan & Kabir, Muhammad & Oliver, Barry, 2021. "Does exposure to product market competition influence insider trading profitability?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    9. Egger, Peter H. & Strecker, Nora M. & Zoller-Rydzek, Benedikt, 2020. "Estimating bargaining-related tax advantages of multinational firms," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).
    10. Li, Qin & Ma, Mark (Shuai) & Shevlin, Terry, 2021. "The effect of tax avoidance crackdown on corporate innovation," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 71(2).
    11. Paul Demeré & Michael P. Donohoe & Petro Lisowsky, 2020. "The Economic Effects of Special Purpose Entities on Corporate Tax Avoidance," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 37(3), pages 1562-1597, September.
    12. Winston Wei Dou & Yan Ji, 2021. "External Financing and Customer Capital: A Financial Theory of Markups," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 67(9), pages 5569-5585, September.
    13. Belz, Thomas & von Hagen, Dominik & Steffens, Christian, 2019. "Taxes and firm size: Political cost or political power?," Journal of Accounting Literature, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 1-28.
    14. Dou, Winston Wei & Ji, Yan & Wu, Wei, 2021. "Competition, profitability, and discount rates," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 140(2), pages 582-620.
    15. Durnev, Art & Mangen, Claudine, 2020. "The spillover effects of MD&A disclosures for real investment: The role of industry competition," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(1).
    16. Luca Menicacci & Lorenzo Simoni, 2024. "Negative media coverage of ESG issues and corporate tax avoidance," Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 15(7), pages 1-33, February.
    17. Overesch Michael, 2016. "Steuervermeidung multinationaler Unternehmen," Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik, De Gruyter, vol. 17(2), pages 129-143, July.
    18. Saibene, Giacomo, 2019. "The corporate saving glut," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    19. Akmalia M. Ariff & Khairul Anuar Kamarudin, 2019. "Institutional Quality, Tax Avoidance, and Analysts' Forecast: International Evidence," Capital Markets Review, Malaysian Finance Association, vol. 27(2), pages 15-35.
    20. Katarzyna Anna Bilicka & Elisa Casi & Carol Seregni & Barbara Stage, 2021. "Tax Strategy Disclosure: A Greenwashing Mandate?," CESifo Working Paper Series 9030, CESifo.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Digital; Tax; Product Market; Competition; Business Model;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D40 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - General
    • H25 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Business Taxes and Subsidies
    • H26 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Tax Evasion and Avoidance
    • L22 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Organization and Market Structure
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:hhs:nhhfms:2024_006. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Stein Fossen (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/dfnhhno.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.