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The effect of foreign institutional ownership on corporate tax avoidance: international evidence

Author

Listed:
  • Hasan, Iftekhar
  • Kim, Incheol
  • Teng, Haimeng
  • Wu, Qiang

Abstract

This study examines whether foreign institutional investors (FIIs) help explain variation in corporate tax avoidance and whether mechanisms such as tax morality, investment horizon, and corporate governance underlie the relation between FIIs and tax avoidance. We find robust evidence that FIIs are negatively associated with corporate tax avoidance. Moreover, this negative association is dominated by FIIs from countries with high tax morality, FIIs with long-term investment horizons, and FIIs from countries with high corporate governance quality. We conclude that FIIs play an active role in shaping corporate tax avoidance policy.

Suggested Citation

  • Hasan, Iftekhar & Kim, Incheol & Teng, Haimeng & Wu, Qiang, 2016. "The effect of foreign institutional ownership on corporate tax avoidance: international evidence," Bank of Finland Research Discussion Papers 26/2016, Bank of Finland.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:bofrdp:rdp2016_026
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • G23 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Non-bank Financial Institutions; Financial Instruments; Institutional Investors
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • H26 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Tax Evasion and Avoidance
    • M41 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Accounting - - - Accounting

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