CEO Narcissism and Corporate Tax Sheltering
Posted: 6 Jun 2014 Last revised: 8 Jul 2020
Date Written: March 31, 2016
Abstract
We examine the effect of CEO narcissism on an especially aggressive form of corporate tax avoidance: tax sheltering. Narcissism is a multifaceted personality trait associated with a sense of superiority and a propensity to engage in questionable behavior. Narcissists feel that they are above the law and are aggressive in pursuing what they believe is theirs. Narcissists also possess heightened motivations to pursue rewards or desirable outcomes while only being weakly motivated to avoid negative outcomes. Consistent with these behavioral tendencies of narcissistic individuals, we document statistically and economically significant effects of CEO narcissism on the likelihood that the CEO's firm engages in corporate tax shelters. Our study contributes to the literature by documenting a mechanism through which the individual personality characteristics of the CEO can affect firm-level tax policies.
Keywords: Corporate Tax Sheltering; Corporate Tax Avoidance; Uncertain Tax Positions; Executive Personality Traits; Narcissism
JEL Classification: M41, H25, H26
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation