IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/zbw/arqudp/274.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

How do tax technology and controversy expertise affect tax disputes?

Author

Listed:
  • Dyck, Daniel
  • Lorenz, Johannes
  • Sureth, Caren

Abstract

Given the rising number, magnitude, and harshness of tax disputes between firms and tax authorities, firms increasingly call on tax technology and controversy expertise to try to resolve these disputes. This study investigates how tax technology embedded in the firm's Tax Risk Management System (TRMS) and the expertise of tax controversy managers affect dispute outcomes and compliance incentives. Using a game-theoretic model, we derive equilibrium strategies for a tax manager's compliance effort, a controversy manager's dispute resolution effort, and a tax authority's litigation decision. Absent a controversy manager, we find that improving a firm's TRMS quality unambiguously decreases the litigation probability. However, in the presence of a controversy manager, we surprisingly find that improving TRMS quality crowds out compliance efforts and can increase litigation probability. Overall we find that a high-quality TRMS is essential to take advantage of the dispute resolution function of a controversy manager.

Suggested Citation

  • Dyck, Daniel & Lorenz, Johannes & Sureth, Caren, 2022. "How do tax technology and controversy expertise affect tax disputes?," arqus Discussion Papers in Quantitative Tax Research 274, arqus - Arbeitskreis Quantitative Steuerlehre.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:arqudp:274
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/266728/1/1826431837.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Gallemore, John & Labro, Eva, 2015. "The importance of the internal information environment for tax avoidance," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 60(1), pages 149-167.
    2. Armstrong, Christopher S. & Blouin, Jennifer L. & Larcker, David F., 2012. "The incentives for tax planning," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 53(1), pages 391-411.
    3. repec:bla:econom:v:71:y:2004:i:283:p:369-389 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Grottke, Markus & Lorenz, Johannes, 2017. "Tax consultants' incentives: A game-theoretic investigation into the behavior of tax consultants, taxpayers, and the tax authority in a setting of tax complexity," Passauer Diskussionspapiere, Betriebswirtschaftliche Reihe B-30-17, University of Passau, Faculty of Business and Economics.
    5. Schantl, Stefan F. & Wagenhofer, Alfred, 2020. "Deterrence of financial misreporting when public and private enforcement strategically interact," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(1).
    6. Reinganum, Jennifer F & Wilde, Louis L, 1991. "Equilibrium Enforcement and Compliance in the Presence of Tax Practitioners," The Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, Oxford University Press, vol. 7(1), pages 163-181, Spring.
    7. Graetz, Michael J & Reinganum, Jennifer F & Wilde, Louis L, 1986. "The Tax Compliance Game: Toward an Interactive Theory of Law Enforcement," The Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, Oxford University Press, vol. 2(1), pages 1-32, Spring.
    8. Kay Blaufus & Jonathan Bob & Daniela Lorenz & Matthias Trinks, 2016. "How Will the Court Decide? – Tax Experts’ versus Laymen's Predictions," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(4), pages 771-792, October.
    9. Pernill van der Rijt & John Hasseldine & Kevin Holland, 2019. "Sharing corporate tax knowledge with external advisers," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 49(4), pages 454-473, June.
    10. Stevanie S. Neuman & Thomas C. Omer & Andrew P. Schmidt, 2020. "Assessing Tax Risk: Practitioner Perspectives," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 37(3), pages 1788-1827, September.
    11. Lucian Arye Bebchuk, 1984. "Litigation and Settlement under Imperfect Information," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 15(3), pages 404-415, Autumn.
    12. Thomas R. Kubick & Yijun Li & John R. Robinson, 2020. "Tax-savvy executives," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 25(4), pages 1301-1343, December.
    13. Kenneth J. Klassen & Petro Lisowsky & Devan Mescall, 2017. "Transfer Pricing: Strategies, Practices, and Tax Minimization," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 34(1), pages 455-493, March.
    14. Markus Diller & Pia Kortebusch & Georg Schneider & Caren Sureth-Sloane, 2017. "Boon or Bane? Advance Tax Rulings as a Measure to Mitigate Tax Uncertainty and Foster Investment," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(3), pages 441-468, July.
    15. Xia Chen & Qiang Cheng & Travis Chow & Yanju Liu, 2021. "Corporate In‐house Tax Departments," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 38(1), pages 443-482, March.
    16. Michael P. Donohoe & Gary A. McGill & Edmund Outslay, 2014. "Risky Business: The Prosopography of Corporate Tax Planning," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 67(4), pages 851-874, December.
    17. De Waegenaere, Anja & Sansing, Richard & Wielhouwer, Jacco L., 2007. "Using Bilateral Advance Pricing Agreements to Resolve Tax Transfer Pricing Disputes," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 60(2), pages 173-191, June.
    18. Paul J. Beck & Jon S. Davis & Woon†Oh Jung, 1996. "Tax Advice and Reporting under Uncertainty: Theory and Experimental Evidence," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 13(1), pages 49-80, March.
    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. Giese, Henning & Koch, Reinald & Sureth, Caren, 2024. "Where to locate tax employees? The role of tax complexity and tax risk implications," arqus Discussion Papers in Quantitative Tax Research 285, arqus - Arbeitskreis Quantitative Steuerlehre.
    2. Chen, An & Hieber, Peter & Sureth, Caren, 2022. "Pay for tax certainty? Advance tax rulings for risky investment under multi-dimensional tax uncertainty," arqus Discussion Papers in Quantitative Tax Research 273, arqus - Arbeitskreis Quantitative Steuerlehre.
    3. Li, John, 2022. "The effect of employee satisfaction on effective corporate tax planning: Evidence from Glassdoor," Advances in accounting, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    4. Paul Demeré & Michael P. Donohoe & Petro Lisowsky, 2020. "The Economic Effects of Special Purpose Entities on Corporate Tax Avoidance," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 37(3), pages 1562-1597, September.
    5. Sven-Eric Bärsch & Jost Heckemeyer & Marcel Olbert, 2023. "Do firms with a centralized transfer pricing authority have more tax disputes and internal coordination conflicts?," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 93(8), pages 1415-1450, October.
    6. Hasan, Mostafa Monzur & Lobo, Gerald J. & Qiu, Buhui, 2021. "Organizational capital, corporate tax avoidance, and firm value," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    7. Mostafa Monzur Hasan & Ahsan Habib & Nurul Alam, 2021. "Asset Redeployability and Corporate Tax Avoidance," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 57(2), pages 183-219, June.
    8. Rainer Niemann & Mariana Sailer, 2023. "Is analytical tax research alive and kicking? Insights from 2000 until 2022," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 93(6), pages 1149-1212, August.
    9. Xia Chen & Qiang Cheng & Travis Chow & Yanju Liu, 2021. "Corporate In‐house Tax Departments," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 38(1), pages 443-482, March.
    10. Klein, Daniel & Ludwig, Christopher A. & Nicolay, Katharina, 2020. "Internal digitalization and tax-efficient decision making," ZEW Discussion Papers 20-051, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    11. Bilicka, Katarzyna & Scur, Daniela, 2024. "Organizational capacity and profit shifting," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 238(C).
    12. Fangjun Wang & Shuolei Xu & Junqin Sun & Charles P. Cullinan, 2020. "Corporate Tax Avoidance: A Literature Review And Research Agenda," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(4), pages 793-811, September.
    13. Marisa Ratto & Richard Thomas & David Ulph, 2013. "The Indirect Effects of Auditing Taxpayers," Public Finance Review, , vol. 41(3), pages 317-333, May.
    14. Martin Jacob & Anna Rohlfing-Bastian & Kai Sandner, 2021. "Why do not all firms engage in tax avoidance?," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 15(2), pages 459-495, February.
    15. Steens, Bert & Roques, Thibaut & Gonnet, Sébastien & Beuselinck, Christof & Petutschnig, Matthias, 2022. "Transfer pricing comparables: Preferring a close neighbor over a far-away peer?," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 47(C).
    16. John Gallemore & Brandon Gipper & Edward Maydew, 2019. "Banks as Tax Planning Intermediaries," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 57(1), pages 169-209, March.
    17. Alharbi, Samar & Atawnah, Nader & Al Mamun, Md & Ali, Muhammad Jahangir, 2022. "Local culture and tax avoidance: Evidence from gambling preference behavior," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    18. Marco Battaglini & Luigi Guiso & Chiara Lacava & Eleonora Patacchini, 2019. "Tax Professionals: Tax-Evasion Facilitators or Information Hubs?," NBER Working Papers 25745, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    19. Eulaiwi, Baban & Khalaf, Nihad Shareef & Al-Hadi, Ahmed & Duong, Lien & Taylor, Grantley, 2024. "Money laundering governance and income shifting: Evidence from Australian financial institutions," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 132(C).
    20. Belz, Thomas & von Hagen, Dominik & Steffens, Christian, 2019. "Taxes and firm size: Political cost or political power?," Journal of Accounting Literature, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 1-28.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    tax dispute resolution; tax risk management; tax technology; controversy expertise; litigation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H25 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Business Taxes and Subsidies
    • H26 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Tax Evasion and Avoidance
    • C72 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory - - - Noncooperative Games
    • K34 - Law and Economics - - Other Substantive Areas of Law - - - Tax Law

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    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:zbw:arqudp:274. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    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 bibliographic 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.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.arqus.info/ .

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

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.