Do Publicly Disclosed Tax Reserves Tell Us About Privately Disclosed Tax Shelter Activity?

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petro Lisowsky ◽  
Leslie A. Robinson ◽  
Andrew P. Schmidt
Keyword(s):  
2013 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 583-629 ◽  
Author(s):  
PETRO LISOWSKY ◽  
LESLIE ROBINSON ◽  
ANDREW SCHMIDT
Keyword(s):  

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 217
Author(s):  
Chunlai Ye

This study investigates whether firms continue to use tax reserves to achieve financial reporting objectives in the post-FIN 48 period and the effect of auditor-provided tax services on earnings management through tax reserves. Three types of earnings management incentives are considered in this study: meeting or beating the consensus forecasts, income smoothing, and taking an “earnings bath.” The analyses yield evidence that only non-large firms manipulate tax reserves to meet/beat earnings forecast in the post-FIN 48 period; however, tax reserves are still utilized by both large and non-large firms to smooth earnings. Moreover, evidence is provided that the auditor who provides more tax services facilitates large firms’ earnings smoothing in the post-FIN 48 period, implying independence impairment. But this behavior does not exist within non-large firms, arguably because the auditor does not compromise independence for less important clients.


2011 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 1484-1509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristi A. Gleason ◽  
Lillian F. Mills
Keyword(s):  

2010 ◽  
Vol 85 (3) ◽  
pp. 791-815 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer L. Blouin ◽  
Cristi A. Gleason ◽  
Lillian F. Mills ◽  
Stephanie A. Sikes

ABSTRACT: FIN No. 48, Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes (FASB 2006), requires firms to disclose tax reserves and to record changes in tax reserves at adoption of FIN No. 48 as cumulative effect adjustments in stockholders’ equity. We predict that between the enactment and adoption of FIN No. 48, relative to historical levels, firms settle disputes more often to potentially decrease visibility to the IRS and release reserves more often to reduce scrutiny and increase earnings (as opposed to retained earnings). We analyze 2005 and 2006 10-Qs and 10-Ks for the 100 largest nonfinancial, nonutility firms followed by analysts. Between enactment and adoption of FIN No. 48, relative to historical levels, firms report more settlements with tax authorities and release reserves more frequently. In addition, firms with higher IRS deficiencies are more likely to settle disputes. Between enactment and adoption of FIN No. 48, firms increased earnings by releasing $4.4 billion of tax reserves, nearly equaling the $4.5 billion released at adoption.


2019 ◽  
Vol 67 ◽  
pp. 01001
Author(s):  
Natalia Chebanova ◽  
Victoria Orlova ◽  
Liliy Revutska ◽  
M. Karpushenko

In the modern environment, the company constantly faces various types of risks in its business activities. Therefore, the problem of identifying and measuring risks is extremely relevant. The article proposes a scheme for managing financial risks, which includes identifying risk factors, determining the permissible risk level, analyzing individual transactions, developing risk mitigation measures. The article proposes to create the following funds, reserves and collateral: a bad debts reserve, provision for warranty service of clients, provision for social orientation, provision for restructuring, provision for burdensome contracts, fiscal (tax) reserves, commercial, industrial, informational risk reserves, future costs and payments reserve, legal provisions, provisions for impairment of assets, reserve fund. Risks should be taken only if the level of return on risky operations exceeds the level of risk. The issue of the choice of certain reserves, funds and provisions is regulated by the accounting policy of the enterprise, where their types and the order of their creation should be clearly defined. Such measures allow planning contingency expenses and informing users of financial statements of future risk events.


2010 ◽  
Vol 85 (5) ◽  
pp. 1693-1720 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petro Lisowsky

ABSTRACT: Using confidential tax shelter and tax return data obtained from the Internal Revenue Service, this study develops and validates an expanded model for inferring the likelihood that a firm engages in a tax shelter. Results show that tax shelter likelihood is positively related to subsidiaries located in tax havens, foreign-source income, inconsistent book-tax treatment, litigation losses, use of promoters, profitability, and size, and negatively related to leverage. Supplemental tests show that total book-tax differences (BTDs) and the contingent tax liability reserve are significantly related to tax shelter usage, while discretionary permanent BTDs and long-run cash effective tax rates are not. Finally, the model is weaker, yet still significant, in the FIN 48 disclosure environment. This research provides investors and policymakers with an extended, validated measure to calculate the presence of extreme cases of corporate tax aggressiveness. Such information could also aid analysts and other tax and non-tax researchers in assessing the benefits and risks of firm behavior.


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