IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/mfa/journl/v28y2020i1p1-23.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Corporate Governance in Australia: Share Repurchases under an Imputation Tax System

Author

Listed:
  • Hussein Abedi Shamsabadi

    (Department of Business Strategy and Innovation, Griffith University, Australia.)

  • Byung S. Min

    (Department of Business Strategy and Innovation, Griffith University, Australia.)

  • Imen Tebourbi

    (Faculty of Management, Canadian University Dubai, United Arab Emirates.)

  • Mohammad Nourani

    () (School of Management, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia.)

Abstract

Research Question: Whether the mitigating effect of corporate governance on investor perceptions of corporate agency problems affects corporate financial dividend decisions is a question, especially under an imputation tax system. Motivation: Since 2003 Australian firms must comply with the Principle of Good Corporate Governance and Best Practice Recommendations by the Australian Securities Exchange. Moreover, since the imputation tax system in Australia substantially differs from other countries, a study investigating the effect of corporate governance on share repurchases in Australia is warranted. Idea: Hence, this paper examines the association between corporate governance and share repurchases in Australia given its unique taxation system for corporate dividend payments. More specifically, we examine the association between corporate governance and the choice of dividend strategies under Australia’s imputation tax regime. We developed and tested three hypotheses: 1) better corporate governance is associated with greater ratio of share repurchase; 2) the ratio of share repurchase is positively associated with the payout ratio of cash dividends for firms that adopt a franked dividend regime; and 3) any positive association between the ratio of share repurchase with the payout ratio of cash dividends for firms that adopt a franked-dividend regime is evident only for firms with strong corporate governance. Data: We have a final sample of 1858 firm-year observations of which 250 (i.e., 13.5%) involve share repurchases for the 2004-2013 period. The sample companies are obtained from the constituents of the ASX 300, which contains the top 300 firms listed on the stock exchange in Australia (ASX). Method/Tools: We use Tobit regression method to estimate the models. Findings: Consistent with the literature, we find a positive association of share repurchases with better corporate governance, but contrary to the literature for the U.S. and Sweden, we find a positive association between share repurchases and cash distributions, which weakens with poorer corporate governance. Contributions: Our robust findings highlight the importance of country-specific institutional arrangements such as tax regimes when understanding corporate dividend strategies. Overall, we show that the mitigating effect of corporate governance on investor perceptions of corporate agency problems affects corporate financial dividend decisions.

Suggested Citation

  • Hussein Abedi Shamsabadi & Byung S. Min & Imen Tebourbi & Mohammad Nourani, 2020. "Corporate Governance in Australia: Share Repurchases under an Imputation Tax System," Capital Markets Review, Malaysian Finance Association, vol. 28(1), pages 1-23.
    • Handle: RePEc:mfa:journl:v:28:y:2020:i:1:p:1-23
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mfa.com.my/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/v28_i1_a1_pg1-23.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Dybvig, Philip H & Ross, Stephen A, 1986. "Tax Clienteles and Asset Pricing," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 41(3), pages 751-762, July.
    2. Jun, Sang-gyung & Jung, Mookwon & Walkling, Ralph A., 2009. "Share repurchase, executive options and wealth changes to stockholders and bondholders," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 15(2), pages 212-229, April.
    3. Bradley, Michael & Jarrell, Gregg A & Kim, E Han, 1984. "On the Existence of an Optimal Capital Structure: Theory and Evidence," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 39(3), pages 857-878, July.
    4. Skinner, Douglas J., 2008. "The evolving relation between earnings, dividends, and stock repurchases," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(3), pages 582-609, March.
    5. Mitchell, Jason D. & Dharmawan, Grace V., 2007. "Incentives for on-market buy-backs: Evidence from a transparent buy-back regime," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 13(1), pages 146-169, March.
    6. repec:hrv:faseco:30728046 is not listed on IDEAS
    7. Fodil Adjaoud & Walid Ben‐Amar, 2010. "Corporate Governance and Dividend Policy: Shareholders’ Protection or Expropriation?," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(5‐6), pages 648-667, June.
    8. Christine Brown & Katrina Efthim, 2005. "Effect of Taxation on Equal Access Share Buybacks in Australia," International Review of Finance, International Review of Finance Ltd., vol. 5(3‐4), pages 199-218, September.
    9. Jagannathan, Murali & Stephens, Clifford P. & Weisbach, Michael S., 2000. "Financial flexibility and the choice between dividends and stock repurchases," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 57(3), pages 355-384, September.
    10. Clifford P. Stephens & Michael S. Weisbach, 1998. "Actual Share Reacquisitions in Open-Market Repurchase Programs," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 53(1), pages 313-333, February.
    11. Jensen, Michael C. & Meckling, William H., 1976. "Theory of the firm: Managerial behavior, agency costs and ownership structure," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 3(4), pages 305-360, October.
    12. Gustavo Grullon & Roni Michaely, 2002. "Dividends, Share Repurchases, and the Substitution Hypothesis," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 57(4), pages 1649-1684, August.
    13. Alan J. Auerbach & Mervyn A. King, 1983. "Taxation, Portfolio Choice, and Debt-Equity Ratios: A General Equilibrium Model," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 98(4), pages 587-609.
    14. Saeyoung Chang & Michael J. Sullivan, 2007. "The Disparate Nature of Targeted Repurchases: Evidence from Long-Run Performance," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(1-2), pages 65-77.
    15. Brav, Alon & Graham, John R. & Harvey, Campbell R. & Michaely, Roni, 2005. "Payout policy in the 21st century," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 77(3), pages 483-527, September.
    16. Christine Brown & Daniel Norman, 2010. "Management choice of buyback method: Australian evidence," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 50(4), pages 767-782, December.
    17. Graham, John R., 2013. "Do Taxes Affect Corporate Decisions? A Review," Handbook of the Economics of Finance, in: G.M. Constantinides & M. Harris & R. M. Stulz (ed.), Handbook of the Economics of Finance, volume 2, chapter 0, pages 123-210, Elsevier.
    18. Jacob Oded, 2005. "Why Do Firms Announce Open-Market Repurchase Programs?," Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 18(1), pages 271-300.
    19. Fodil Adjaoud & Walid Ben-Amar, 2010. "Corporate Governance and Dividend Policy: Shareholders' Protection or Expropriation?," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(5-6), pages 648-667.
    20. Shleifer, Andrei & Vishny, Robert W, 1997. "A Survey of Corporate Governance," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 52(2), pages 737-783, June.
    21. Nicholas Barberis & Ming Huang, 2001. "Mental Accounting, Loss Aversion, and Individual Stock Returns," NBER Working Papers 8190, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    22. Ofer, Aharon R & Thakor, Anjan V, 1987. "A Theory of Stock Price Responses to Alternative Corporate Cash Disbursement Methods: Stock Repurchases and Dividends," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 42(2), pages 365-394, June.
    23. Matthew T. Billett & Hui Xue, 2007. "The Takeover Deterrent Effect of Open Market Share Repurchases," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 62(4), pages 1827-1850, August.
    24. Hanlon, Michelle & Myers, James N. & Shevlin, Terry, 2003. "Dividend taxes and firm valuation:: a re-examination," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 119-153, June.
    25. Davidson, Wallace N, III & Pilger, Theodore & Szakmary, Andrew, 1998. "Golden Parachutes, Board and Committee Composition, and Shareholder Wealth," The Financial Review, Eastern Finance Association, vol. 33(4), pages 17-32, November.
    26. Franklin Allen & Antonio E. Bernardo & Ivo Welch, 2000. "A Theory of Dividends Based on Tax Clienteles," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 55(6), pages 2499-2536, December.
    27. Miller, Merton H & Rock, Kevin, 1985. "Dividend Policy under Asymmetric Information," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 40(4), pages 1031-1051, September.
    28. Elton, Edwin J & Gruber, Martin J, 1970. "Marginal Stockholder Tax Rates and the Clientele Effect," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 52(1), pages 68-74, February.
    29. Christine Brown & Kevin Davis, 2012. "Taxes, tenders and the design of Australian off-market share repurchases," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 52, pages 109-135, October.
    30. Fama, Eugene F & Jensen, Michael C, 1983. "Separation of Ownership and Control," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 26(2), pages 301-325, June.
    31. Dammon, Robert M & Green, Richard C, 1987. "Tax Arbitrage and the Existence of Equilibrium Prices for Financial Assets," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 42(5), pages 1143-1166, December.
    32. Saeyoung Chang & Michael J. Sullivan, 2007. "The Disparate Nature of Targeted Repurchases: Evidence from Long‐Run Performance," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(1‐2), pages 65-77, January.
    33. Kent D. Daniel & David Hirshleifer & Avanidhar Subrahmanyam, 2001. "Overconfidence, Arbitrage, and Equilibrium Asset Pricing," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 56(3), pages 921-965, June.
    34. Jason Mitchell & H. Y. Izan & Roslinda Lim, 2006. "Australian On-Market Buy-backs: An Examination of Valuation Issues," Multinational Finance Journal, Multinational Finance Journal, vol. 10(1-2), pages 43-79, March-Jun.
    35. Laurie Simon Bagwell, 1991. "Share Repurchase and Takeover Deterrence," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 22(1), pages 72-88, Spring.
    36. von Eije, Henk & Megginson, William L., 2008. "Dividends and share repurchases in the European Union," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 89(2), pages 347-374, August.
    37. Kaplan, Steven N. & Reishus, David, 1990. "Outside directorships and corporate performance," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 389-410, October.
    38. Nicholas Barberis & Ming Huang, 2001. "Mental Accounting, Loss Aversion, and Individual Stock Returns," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 56(4), pages 1247-1292, August.
    39. Easterbrook, Frank H, 1984. "Two Agency-Cost Explanations of Dividends," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 74(4), pages 650-659, September.
    40. Harris, Oneil & Glegg, Charmaine, 2009. "Governance quality and privately negotiated stock repurchases: Evidence of agency conflict," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 33(2), pages 317-325, February.
    41. Denis, David J. & Denis, Diane K. & Sarin, Atulya, 1994. "The Information Content of Dividend Changes: Cash Flow Signaling, Overinvestment, and Dividend Clienteles," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 29(4), pages 567-587, December.
    42. Christine Brown, 2007. "The Announcement Effects of Off-Market Share Repurchases in Australia," Australian Journal of Management, Australian School of Business, vol. 32(2), pages 369-385, December.
    43. Dittmar, Amy K, 2000. "Why Do Firms Repurchase Stock?," The Journal of Business, University of Chicago Press, vol. 73(3), pages 331-355, July.
    44. Dahlquist, Magnus & Robertsson, Göran & Rydqvist, Kristian, 2014. "Direct evidence of dividend tax clienteles," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 1-12.
    45. John, Kose & Williams, Joseph, 1985. "Dividends, Dilution, and Taxes: A Signalling Equilibrium," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 40(4), pages 1053-1070, September.
    46. Edwin Elton & Martin Gruber, 1968. "The Effect Of Share Repurchase On The Value Of The Firm," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 23(1), pages 135-149, March.
    47. Henry, Darren, 2011. "Ownership structure and tax-friendly dividends," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 35(10), pages 2747-2760, October.
    48. Monem, Reza M., 2013. "Determinants of board structure: Evidence from Australia," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 9(1), pages 33-49.
    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. hussein abedi shamsabadi & Byung-Seong Min & Richard Chung, 2016. "Corporate governance and dividend strategy: lessons from Australia," International Journal of Managerial Finance, Emerald Group Publishing, vol. 12(5), pages 583-610, October.
    2. James, Hui & Benson, Bradley W. & Wu, Chen (Ken), 2017. "Does CEO ownership affect payout policy? Evidence from using CEO scaled wealth-performance sensitivity," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 328-345.
    3. Hue Hwa Au Yong & Christine Brown & Chloe Choy Yeing Ho, 2014. "Off-Market Buybacks in Australia: Evidence of Abnormal Trading around Key Dates," International Review of Finance, International Review of Finance Ltd., vol. 14(4), pages 551-585, December.
    4. Andriosopoulos, Dimitris & Hoque, Hafiz, 2013. "The determinants of share repurchases in Europe," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 65-76.
    5. Christian Andres & André Betzer & Markus Doumet & Erik Theissen, 2018. "Open Market Share Repurchases in Germany: A Conditional Event Study Approach," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 54(4), pages 417-444, December.
    6. Hasan, Mostafa Monzur & Habib, Ahsan, 2020. "Social capital and payout policies," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 16(1).
    7. Christine Brown & Daniel Norman, 2010. "Management choice of buyback method: Australian evidence," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 50(4), pages 767-782, December.
    8. Johannes A. Skjeltorp & Bernt Arne Ødegaard, 2004. "The ownership structure of repurchasing firms," Working Paper 2004/7, Norges Bank.
    9. Luís Krug Pacheco & Clara Raposo, 2009. "ON the TIMING of INITIAL STOCK REPURCHASES," Working Papers de Gestão (Management Working Papers) 06, Católica Porto Business School, Universidade Católica Portuguesa.
    10. Brav, Alon & Graham, John R. & Harvey, Campbell R. & Michaely, Roni, 2005. "Payout policy in the 21st century," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 77(3), pages 483-527, September.
    11. Ni, Xiaoran & Song, Wei & Yao, Jiaquan, 2020. "Stakeholder orientation and corporate payout policy: Insights from state legal shocks," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    12. Christine Brown & John Handley & James O'Day, 2015. "The Dividend Substitution Hypothesis: Australian Evidence," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 51(1), pages 37-62, March.
    13. Nicolas Aubert, 2016. "Does the Catering Theory of Dividend Apply to the French Listed Firms?," Bankers, Markets & Investors, ESKA Publishing, issue 145, pages 27-38, November-.
    14. Jiang, Zhan & Kim, Kenneth A. & Lie, Erik & Yang, Sean, 2013. "Share repurchases, catering, and dividend substitution," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 21(C), pages 36-50.
    15. Kamal Anouar & Nicolas Aubert, 2016. "Does the catering theory of dividend apply to the French listed firms?," Working Papers halshs-01401867, HAL.
    16. Tong, Jiao & Bremer, Marc, 2016. "Stock repurchases in Japan: A solution to excessive corporate saving?," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 41-56.
    17. Haw, In-Mu & Ho, Simon S.M. & Hu, Bingbing & Zhang, Xu, 2013. "Legal Institutions, Ownership Concentration, and Stock Repurchases Around the World: Signal Mimicking?," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 48(4), pages 427-458.
    18. Haw, In-Mu & Ho, Simon S.M. & Hu, Bingbing & Zhang, Xu, 2011. "The contribution of stock repurchases to the value of the firm and cash holdings around the world," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 17(1), pages 152-166, February.
    19. Andres, Christian & Doumet, Markus & Fernau, Erik & Theissen, Erik, 2015. "The Lintner model revisited: Dividends versus total payouts," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 56-69.
    20. Jacob, Martin & Alstadsæter, Annette, 2013. "Payout policies of privately held firms: Flexibility and the role of income taxes," arqus Discussion Papers in Quantitative Tax Research 152, arqus - Arbeitskreis Quantitative Steuerlehre.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Corporate governance; share repurchases; imputation tax system; dividend policy; Australia;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G39 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Other
    • G34 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Mergers; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Corporate Governance
    • G35 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Payout Policy

    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:mfa:journl:v:28:y:2020:i:1:p:1-23. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: (Capital Market Review). General contact details of provider: .

    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 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.

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

    IDEAS is a RePEc service hosted by the Research Division of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis . RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.