Do Third-Party Cross-Border Tax Transparency Requirements Impact Firm Behavior?

56 Pages Posted: 3 Jun 2021

See all articles by Alexander Edwards

Alexander Edwards

University of Toronto - Rotman School of Management

Michelle Hutchens

University of Illinois

Anh Persson

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - Gies College of Business - Department of Accountancy

Date Written: May 2021

Abstract

Governments and regulators have increased corporate taxpayer transparency requirements in an attempt to reduce abusive tax behavior. Historically, these transparency rules have fallen on taxpayers, requiring them to self-report tax information. We exploit the requirement for third-party advisors to report on a broad set of cross-border tax arrangements under EU Directive 2018/922 (commonly known as DAC6) to investigate the impact of external (to the firm) reporting requirements on tax behavior. Using a difference-in-differences research design, we provide evidence that robust transparency requirements, with third-party reporting and information exchange across jurisdictions, can help constrain tax avoidance through income shifting behavior. We further find that the decline in income shifting activities is concentrated among affiliates in countries with higher penalties for misreporting and in countries where legal professional privilege does not extend to non-lawyer tax advisors. We also examine whether affected firms respond by modifying their use of an intermediary for tax planning services and document that they are less likely to engage their auditor to provide tax-related services following DAC6.

Keywords: Cross-border tax avoidance; DAC6; Mandatory disclosure regime; Auditor provided tax services.

JEL Classification: H25, H26, L51, M41, M48

Suggested Citation

Edwards, Alexander S. and Hutchens, Michelle and Persson, Anh, Do Third-Party Cross-Border Tax Transparency Requirements Impact Firm Behavior? (May 2021). Rotman School of Management Working Paper No. 3792342, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3792342 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3792342

Alexander S. Edwards (Contact Author)

University of Toronto - Rotman School of Management ( email )

105 St. George Street
Toronto, Ontario M5S 3E6 M5S1S4
Canada

Michelle Hutchens

University of Illinois ( email )

1206 South Sixth Street
Champaign, IL 61820
United States

Anh Persson

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - Gies College of Business - Department of Accountancy ( email )

291 Wohlers Hall
1206 South Sixth Street
Champaign, IL 61820
United States
217.330.8543 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://https://giesbusiness.illinois.edu/profile/anh-vuong-persson

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