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The effect of corporate governance mechanisms on tax planning during financial crisis: an empirical study of companies listed on the Athens stock exchange

Author

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  • Evangelos Chytis

    (University of Ioannina)

  • Stergios Tasios

    (University of Ioannina)

  • Ioannis Filos

    (Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences)

Abstract

While tax burden is always one of the primary concerns for corporate management and finance, it is questionable whether tax has always been among the core factors of corporate governance. This study aims to explore the effect of corporate governance on tax planning during the adverse circumstances created by the economic crisis. The effective tax rates of a sample of 55 non-financial companies listed on the Athens stock exchange (ASE) during the 2011–2015 period were used as a proxy of tax planning and were regressed on corporate governance characteristics, controlling for firm specific attributes. Results showed a significant positive association of board independence with tax planning and a significant negative association with chief executive officer (CEO) duality and firm size. The remaining corporate governance and firm variables which included board size, audit firm size, ownership concentration, leverage and liquidity were not found to exert a significant influence on corporate tax planning of listed companies in Greece. Our results shed light on the relationship of governance with corporate tax planning in periods of financial distress, and may be of particular interest for market participants, investors, tax authorities and policy makers in their efforts to improve the efficiency of the tax system and public revenue.

Suggested Citation

  • Evangelos Chytis & Stergios Tasios & Ioannis Filos, 2020. "The effect of corporate governance mechanisms on tax planning during financial crisis: an empirical study of companies listed on the Athens stock exchange," International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 17(1), pages 30-38, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:ijodag:v:17:y:2020:i:1:d:10.1057_s41310-020-00072-3
    DOI: 10.1057/s41310-020-00072-3
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    Cited by:

    1. Ahmed A. Sarhan, 2024. "Corporate social responsibility and tax avoidance: the effect of shareholding structure—evidence from the UK," International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 21(1), pages 1-15, March.
    2. George Drogalas & Michail Nerantzidis & Dimitrios Mitskinis & Ioannis Tampakoudis, 2021. "The relationship between audit fees and audit committee characteristics: evidence from the Athens Stock Exchange," International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 18(1), pages 24-41, March.
    3. George Drogalas & Michail Nerantzidis & Margaritis Samaras & Michail Pazarskis, 2020. "Audit committee and factors that affect its characteristics: the case of Greece," International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 17(4), pages 181-194, December.
    4. Kolias, Georgios & Koumanakos, Evangelos, 2022. "CEO duality and tax avoidance: Empirical evidence from Greece," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 47(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    ETR; Ownership concentration; Board size; Board independence; CEO duality; Audit firm size; ASE;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • M41 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Accounting - - - Accounting
    • M42 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Accounting - - - Auditing
    • M48 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Accounting - - - Government Policy and Regulation

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