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The Share Price Effects of Dividend Taxes and Tax Imputation Credits

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  • Harris, T.S.
  • Glenn Hubbard, R.
  • Kemsley, D.

Abstract

We examine the hypothesis that dividend taxes are capitalized into share prices by focusing on investors= implicit valuations of retained earnings versus paid-in equity. Retained earnings are distributable as taxable dividends, whereas paid-in equity is distributable as a tax-free return of capital. Consistent with dividend tax capitalization, firm-level results for the United States indicate that accumulated retained earnings are valued less per unit than contributed capital. In addition, differences in dividend tax rates across U.S. tax regimes are associated with predictable differences in the magnitude of the implied tax discount for retained earnings, as are differences in dividend tax rates across Australia, Japan, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

Suggested Citation

  • Harris, T.S. & Glenn Hubbard, R. & Kemsley, D., 2000. "The Share Price Effects of Dividend Taxes and Tax Imputation Credits," Papers 00-02, Columbia - Graduate School of Business.
    • Handle: RePEc:fth:colubu:00-02
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    Cited by:

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    2. Gravelle, Jane G., 2003. "Effects of Dividend Relief on Economic Growth, the Stock Market, and Corporate Tax Preferences," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 56(3), pages 653-672, September.
    3. Sinai, Todd & Gyourko, Joseph, 2004. "The asset price incidence of capital gains taxes: evidence from the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 and publicly-traded real estate firms," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(7-8), pages 1543-1565, July.
    4. Guenther, David A. & Sansing, Richard, 2006. "Fundamentals of shareholder tax capitalization," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(3), pages 371-383, December.
    5. Fang, Yiwei & Dbouk, Wassim & Hasan, Iftekhar & Li, Lingxiang, 2014. "Banking reform, risk-taking, and accounting quality : Evidence from post-Soviet transition states," BOFIT Discussion Papers 19/2014, Bank of Finland, Institute for Economies in Transition.
    6. Clemens Sialm, 2005. "Tax Changes and Asset Pricing: Time-Series Evidence," NBER Working Papers 11756, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    7. Randall Morck, 2003. "Why Some Double Taxation Might Make Sense: The Special Case of Inter-corporate Dividends," NBER Working Papers 9651, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. repec:zbw:bofitp:2014_019 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Dhaliwal, Dan & Zhen Li, Oliver & Trezevant, Robert, 2003. "Is a dividend tax penalty incorporated into the return on a firm's common stock?," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 155-178, June.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    DIVIDENDS ; TAXES ; PRICES;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • G14 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Information and Market Efficiency; Event Studies; Insider Trading

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