Taxes and Corporate Finance: A Review

72 Pages Posted: 3 Mar 2003

See all articles by John R. Graham

John R. Graham

Duke University; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Date Written: May 29, 2003

Abstract

This paper reviews tax research related to domestic and multinational capital structure, payout policy, compensation policy, risk management, and organizational form. For each topic, the theoretical arguments explaining how taxes can affect corporate decision-making and firm value are reviewed, followed by a summary of the related empirical evidence and a discussion of unresolved issues. Tax research generally supports the hypothesis that high-tax rate firms pursue policies that provide tax benefits. Many issues remain unresolved, however, including understanding whether tax effects are of first-order importance, why firms do not pursue tax benefits more aggressively, and whether corporate actions are affected by investor-level taxes.

Keywords: Capital Structure, Corporate Finance, Compensation, Dividends, Payout Policy, Taxes

JEL Classification: G30, G32, G34, G35, H25

Suggested Citation

Graham, John Robert, Taxes and Corporate Finance: A Review (May 29, 2003). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=358580 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.358580

John Robert Graham (Contact Author)

Duke University ( email )

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United States
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National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

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