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Are female CFOs less tax aggressive? Evidence from tax aggressiveness

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  • Francis, Bill
  • Hasan, Iftekhar
  • Wu, Qiang
  • Yan, Meng

Abstract

This paper investigates the effect of CFO gender on corporate tax aggressiveness. Focusing on firms that experience a male-to-female CFO transition, the paper compares those firms' degree of tax aggressiveness during the pre- and post-transition periods. Using the probability of tax sheltering, the predicted unrecognized tax benefits, and the discretionary permanent book-tax differences to measure tax aggressiveness, we find that female CFOs are associated with less tax aggressiveness as compared to their male counterparts. The main findings are supported by additional tests based on propensity score matching, difference-in-difference tests, and tests with a female-to-male CFO transition sample. Overall, our study establishes CFO gender as an important determinant of tax aggressiveness.

Suggested Citation

  • Francis, Bill & Hasan, Iftekhar & Wu, Qiang & Yan, Meng, 2014. "Are female CFOs less tax aggressive? Evidence from tax aggressiveness," Bank of Finland Research Discussion Papers 16/2014, Bank of Finland.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:bofrdp:rdp2014_016
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    4. Chang Seop Rhee & Sohee Woo & Hyunjung Rhee, 2023. "Effect of gender diversity on corporate soundness and social contribution," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(1), pages 419-430, January.
    5. Yasser Eliwa & Ahmed Aboud & Ahmed Saleh, 2023. "Board gender diversity and ESG decoupling: Does religiosity matter?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(7), pages 4046-4067, November.
    6. Wang, Fangjun & Zhang, Zhichao & Ho, L.C. Jennifer & Usman, Muhammad, 2023. "CFO gender and financial statement comparability," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    7. Ming-Hua Liu & Shaohua Tian & Yang Zhang, 2023. "CEO marital status and corporate tax planning behavior," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 61(4), pages 1207-1242, November.
    8. Dina El Mahdy & Fatima Alali, 2023. "Female CFOs and managerial opportunism," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 60(3), pages 1161-1207, April.

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