Are Female CFOs Less Tax Aggressive? Evidence from Tax Aggressiveness

47 Pages Posted: 25 Apr 2014 Last revised: 5 Jun 2014

See all articles by Bill Francis

Bill Francis

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) - Lally School of Management & Technology

Iftekhar Hasan

Fordham University ; Bank of Finland; University of Sydney

Qiang Wu

Hong Kong Polytechnic University - School of Accounting and Finance

Meng Yan

Fordham University - Gabelli School of Business

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: April 23, 2014

Abstract

This paper investigates the effect of CFO gender on corporate tax aggressiveness. Focusing on firms that experience a male-to-female CFO transition, the paper compares those firms’ degree of tax aggressiveness during the pre- and post-transition periods. Using the probability of tax sheltering, the predicted unrecognized tax benefits, and the permanent book-tax differences to measure tax aggressiveness, we find that female CFOs are associated with less tax aggressiveness as compared to their male counterparts. The main findings are supported by additional tests based on propensity score matching, difference-in-difference tests, and tests with a female-to-male CFO transition sample. Overall, our study establishes CFO gender as an important determinant of tax aggressiveness.

Keywords: Tax aggressiveness, Tax avoidance, Gender, CFO, Risk-aversion

JEL Classification: H26, M41, J16

Suggested Citation

Francis, Bill and Hasan, Iftekhar and Wu, Qiang and Yan, Meng, Are Female CFOs Less Tax Aggressive? Evidence from Tax Aggressiveness (April 23, 2014). Journal of American Taxation Association, Forthcoming, Fordham University Schools of Business Research Paper No. 2428541, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2428541 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2428541

Bill Francis

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) - Lally School of Management & Technology ( email )

110 8th St
Troy, NY 12180
United States

Iftekhar Hasan

Fordham University ( email )

45 COLUMBUS AVENUE
GBA-5TH FLOOR
NEW YORK, NY 10023
United States

Bank of Finland ( email )

P.O. Box 160
Helsinki 00101
Finland

University of Sydney ( email )

P.O. Box H58
Sydney, NSW 2006
Australia

Qiang Wu (Contact Author)

Hong Kong Polytechnic University - School of Accounting and Finance ( email )

Hung Hom
Kowloon
Hong Kong
5182095596 (Phone)

Meng Yan

Fordham University - Gabelli School of Business ( email )

113 West 60th Street
Bronx, NY 10458
United States

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