Taxes, Leverage, and the Cost of Equity Capital

50 Pages Posted: 11 Nov 2005

See all articles by Dan S. Dhaliwal

Dan S. Dhaliwal

University of Arizona - Department of Accounting (deceased)

Shane Heitzman

University of Southern California - Marshall School of Business

Oliver Zhen Li

National University of Singapore (NUS)

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: November 2005

Abstract

We examine the associations between leverage, corporate and investor level taxes, and the firm's implied cost of equity capital. Expanding on Modigliani and Miller [1958,1963], the cost of equity capital can be expressed as a function of leverage and corporate and investor level taxes. This expression predicts that the cost of equity is increasing in leverage, but that corporate taxes mitigate this leverage related risk premium, while the personal tax disadvantage of debt increases this premium. We empirically test these predictions using implied cost of equity estimates and proxies for the firm's corporate tax rate and the personal tax disadvantage of debt. Our results suggest that the equity risk premium associated with leverage is decreasing in the corporate tax benefit from debt. We find some evidence that the equity risk premium associated with leverage is increasing in the personal tax penalty associated with debt.

Keywords: Capital structure, Cost of capital, Tax

JEL Classification: G12, G32, H24, H25

Suggested Citation

Dhaliwal, Dan S. and Heitzman, Shane and Li, Oliver Zhen, Taxes, Leverage, and the Cost of Equity Capital (November 2005). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=842024 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.842024

Dan S. Dhaliwal

University of Arizona - Department of Accounting (deceased)

Shane Heitzman

University of Southern California - Marshall School of Business ( email )

701 Exposition Blvd
Los Angeles, CA California 90089
United States

Oliver Zhen Li (Contact Author)

National University of Singapore (NUS) ( email )

1E Kent Ridge Road
NUHS Tower Block Level 7
Singapore, 119228
Singapore

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