Costs of debt, tax benefits and a new measure of non-debt tax shieldsexamining debt conservatism in Spanish listed firms

  1. José A. Clemente-Almendros 1
  2. Francisco Sogorb-Mira 2
  1. 1 Universidad Politécnica de Valencia
    info

    Universidad Politécnica de Valencia

    Valencia, España

    ROR https://ror.org/01460j859

  2. 2 Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera
    info

    Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera

    Valencia, España

    ROR https://ror.org/01tnh0829

Journal:
Revista de contabilidad = Spanish accounting review: [RC-SAR]

ISSN: 1138-4891

Year of publication: 2018

Volume: 21

Issue: 2

Pages: 162-175

Type: Article

DOI: 10.1016/J.RCSAR.2018.05.001 DIALNET GOOGLE SCHOLAR lock_openDialnet editor

More publications in: Revista de contabilidad = Spanish accounting review: [RC-SAR]

Abstract

A pesar de que existe evidencia empírica de que las ventajas fiscales de la deuda se suman al valour de la empresa, es necesaria más investigación para explicar la política de deuda aparentemente conservadora de muchas empresas. Este estudio analiza si las cuestiones fiscales de la deuda y aquellas no relacionadas con la deuda podrían arrojar algo de luz sobre el aparente «rompecabezas de fuerza conservadora» de las empresas cotizadas españolas durante el período 2007-2013. Específicamente se comparan los costes de dificultades financieras con las ventajas fiscales de la deuda. Además, probamos si el conservadurismo de la deuda, medido por el colapso, se explica por los diferentes costes de los escudos fiscales relacionados con la deuda o alternativos a esta. Nuestros resultados sugieren que las empresas cotizadas españolas más conservadoras quizá no estén actuando de manera subóptima respecto a la ventaja fiscal de la financiación de la deuda. Además, los resultados obtenidos son coherentes con la creencia de que los costes de la deuda podrían contrarrestar las ventajas fiscales derivadas de la financiación de la deuda, y los escudos fiscales relacionados con la deuda y alternativos a la deuda podrían actuar como sustitutos.

Funding information

Francisco Sogorb-Mira acknowledges financial support from Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness research grant ECO2015-67035-P.

Funders

Bibliographic References

  • Arellano, M., Bond, S., Some tests of specification for panel data: Monte Carlo evidence and an application to employment equations. Review of Economic Studies 58 (1991), 277–297.
  • Almeida, H., Philippon, T., The risk-adjusted cost of financial distress. The Journal of Finance 62 (2007), 2557–2586.
  • Altman, E., Financial ratios, discriminant analysis, and the prediction of corporate bankruptcy. The Journal of Finance 23 (1968), 589–609.
  • Altman, E., A further empirical investigation of the bankruptcy cost question. The Journal of Finance 39 (1984), 1067–1089.
  • Altman, E., Hotchkiss, E., Corporate financial distress and bankruptcy: Predict and avoid bankruptcy analyze and invest in distressed debt. 3rd ed., 2006, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
  • Andrade, G., Kaplan, S.N., How costly is financial (not economic) distress? Evidence from highly leveraged transactions that became distressed. The Journal of Finance 53 (1998), 1443–1493.
  • Baum, C., Schaffer, M., Stillman, S., Enhanced routines for instrumental variables/generalized method of moments estimation and testing. Stata Journal 7:4 (2007), 465–506.
  • Berger, A.N., Udell, G.F., The economics of small business finance: The roles of private equity and debt markets in the financial growth cycle. Journal of Banking & Finance 22:6–8 (1998), 613–673.
  • Bigelli, M., Martín-Ugedo, J.F., Sánchez-Vidal, F.J., Financial conservatism of private firms. Journal of Business Research 67:11 (2014), 2419–2427.
  • Blouin, J., Core, J.E., Guay, W., Have the tax benefits of debt been overestimated?. Journal of Financial Economics 98 (2010), 195–213.
  • Bradley, M., Jarrell, G.A., Kim, E.H., On the existence of an optimal capital structure: Theory and evidence. The Journal of Finance 39 (1984), 857–878.
  • Branch, B., The costs of bankruptcy: A review. International Review of Financial Analysis 11 (2002), 39–57.
  • Clemente-Almendros, J.A., Sogorb-Mira, F., The effect of taxes on the debt policy of Spanish listed companies. Journal of the Spanish Economic Association (SERIEs) 7 (2016), 359–391.
  • De Angelo, H., Masulis, R.W., Optimal capital structure under corporate and personal taxation. Journal of Financial Economics 8 (1980), 3–29.
  • De Miguel, A., Pindado, J., Determinants of the capital structure: New evidence from Spanish data. Journal of Corporate Finance 7 (2001), 77–99.
  • Faulkender, M., Petersen, M.A., Does the source of capital affect capital structure?. The Review of Financial Studies 19:1 (2006), 45–79.
  • Flannery, M.J., Rangan, K.P., Partial adjustment toward capital structures. Journal of Financial Economics 79 (2006), 469–506.
  • Frank, M.Z., Goyal, V.K., Testing the pecking order theory of capital structure. Journal of Financial Economics 67 (2003), 217–248.
  • Frank, M.Z., Goyal, V.K., Trade-off and pecking order theories of debt. Eckbo, E., (eds.) Handbook of corporate finance. Empirical corporate finance, 2008, North-Holland Elsevier, 135–202.
  • Frank, M.Z., Goyal, V.K., Capital structure decisions: Which factors are reliably important?. Financial Management 38 (2009), 1–37.
  • González, V., González, F., Influence of bank concentration and institutions on capital structure: New international evidence. Journal of Corporate Finance 14 (2008), 363–375.
  • Goyal, V.K., Nova, A., Zanetti, L., Capital market access and financing of private firms. International Review of Finance 11:2 (2011), 155–179.
  • Graham, J.R., How big are the tax benefits of debt?. The Journal of Finance 55 (2000), 1901–1941.
  • Graham, J.R., Estimating the tax benefits of debt. Journal of Applied Corporate Finance 14 (2001), 42–54.
  • Graham, J.R., Taxes and corporate finance: A review. The Review of Financial Studies 16:4 (2003), 1075–1129.
  • Graham, J.R., Do taxes affect corporate decisions? A review. Constantinides, G.M., Harris, M., Stulz, R.M., (eds.) Handbook of the economics of finance, 2013, North-Holland Elsevier, 2, part A, 123–210.
  • Graham, J.R., Hanlon, M., Shevlin, T., Shroff, N., Tax rates and corporate decision-making. Review of Financial Studies 30:9 (2017), 3128–3175.
  • Graham, J.R., Lang, M.H., Shackleford, D.A., Employee stock options, corporate taxes, and debt policy. The Journal of Finance 59 (2004), 1585–1618.
  • Graham, J.R., Lemmon, M.L., Schallheim, J.S., Debt, leases, taxes, and the endogeneity of corporate tax status. The Journal of Finance 53 (1998), 131–162.
  • Graham, J.R., Tucker, A.L., Tax shelters and corporate debt policy. Journal of Financial Economics 81 (2006), 563–594.
  • Green, W.H., Econometric analysis. 7th ed., 2012, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.
  • Hosmer, D.W. Jr., Lemeshow, S.A., Sturdivant, R.X., Applied logistic regression. 3rd ed., 2013, Wiley, Hoboken, NJ.
  • Jensen, M.C., Meckling, W.H., Theory of the firm: Managerial behavior, agency costs and ownership structure. Journal of Financial Economics 3 (1976), 305–360.
  • Ju, N., Parrino, R., Poteshman, A.M., Weisbach, M.S., Horses and rabbits? Trade-off theory and optimal capital structure. Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis 40 (2005), 259–281.
  • Kaplan, R.S., Urwitz, G., Statistical models of bond ratings: A methodological enquiry. Journal of Business 52 (1979), 231–261.
  • Kemsley, D., Nissim, D., Valuation of the debt tax shield. The Journal of Finance 57 (2002), 2045–2073.
  • Kisgen, D.J., Credit ratings and capital structure. The Journal of Finance 61 (2006), 1035–1072.
  • Kisgen, D.J., Do firms target credit ratings or leverage levels?. Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis 44 (2009), 1323–1344.
  • Ko, J.K., Yoon, S., Tax benefits of debt and debt financing in Korea. Asia-Pacific Journal of Financial Studies 40 (2011), 824–855.
  • Kolay, M., Schallheim, J.S., Wells, K., A new measure for non-debt tax shields and the impact on debt policy. 2013, Unpublished Working paper, University of Utah.
  • Korn, E.L., Graubard, B.I., Simultaneous testing of regression coefficients with complex survey data: Use of Bonferroni t statistics. American Statistician 44 (1990), 270–276.
  • Korteweg, A., The net benefits to leverage. The Journal of Finance 65 (2010), 2137–2170.
  • McDonald, R., Siegel, D., The value of waiting to invest. The Quarterly Journal of Economics 101:4 (1986), 707–727.
  • Manzon, G.B. Jr., Plesko, G.A., The relation between financial and tax reporting measures of income. Tax Law Review 55 (2002), 175–214.
  • Minton, B.A., Wruck, K.H., Financial conservatism: Evidence on capital structure from low leverage firms. 2001, Working paper No. 2001-6.
  • Miller, M.H., Debt and taxes. The Journal of Finance 32 (1977), 261–275.
  • Molina, C.A., Are firms underleveraged? An examination of the effect of leverage on default probabilities. The Journal of Finance 60 (2005), 1427–1459.
  • Myers, S.C., Determinants of corporate borrowing. Journal of Financial Economics 3 (1977), 799–819.
  • Myers, S.C., The capital structure puzzle. Journal of Finance 39 (1984), 575–592.
  • Myers, S.C., Majluf, N.S., Corporate financing and investment decisions when firms have information that investors do not have. Journal of Financial Economics 13 (1984), 187–221.
  • Opler, T., Titman, S., Financial distress and corporate performance. The Journal of Finance 49 (1994), 1015–1040.
  • Plesko, G.A., An evaluation of alternative measures of corporate tax rates. Journal of Accounting and Economics 35 (2003), 201–226.
  • Rajan, R., Zingales, L., What do we know about capital structure? Some evidence from international data. Journal of Finance 50 (1995), 1421–1460.
  • Ruiz-Huerta, J., Tendencias de la fiscalidad en Europa: La armonización fiscal y el futuro de la Unión. Revistas ICE 863 (2011), 73–78.
  • Sánchez-Vidal, J., Martín-Ugedo, J.F., Determinantes del conservadurismo financiero de las empresas españolas. Revista de Economía Financiera 9 (2006), 47–66.
  • Sánchez-Vidal, J., Martín-Ugedo, J.F., Are the implications of the financial growth cycle confirmed for Spanish SMEs?. Journal of Business Economics and Management 13:4 (2012), 637–665.
  • Shivdasani, A., Stefanescu, I., How do pensions affect capital structure decisions?. Review of Financial Studies 23 (2010), 1287–1323.
  • Shyam-Sunder, L., Myers, S.C., Testing static trade off against pecking order models of capital structure. Journal of Financial Economic 51 (1999), 219–244.
  • Smith, R.J., Blundell, R.W., An exogeneity test for a simultaneous equation tobit model with an application to labor supply. Econometrica 54 (1986), 679–685.
  • Standard & Poor's Rating Services, CreditStats: 2010 Industrial comparative ratio analysis, long-term debt-Europe, Middle East, Africa. 2011, McGraw Hill Financial.
  • Standard & Poor's Rating Services, CreditStats: 2013 Industrial comparative ratio analysis, long-term debt-Europe, Middle East, Africa. 2014, McGraw Hill Financial.
  • Standard & Poor's Rating Services, Default, transition, and recovery: 2014 annual European corporate default study and rating transitions. 2015, McGraw Hill Financial.
  • Strebulaev, I.A., Yang, B., The mystery of zero-leverage firms. Journal of Financial Economics 109 (2013), 1–23.
  • Titman, S., Wessels, R., The determinants of capital structure choice. The Journal of Finance 43 (1988), 1–19.
  • Van Binsbergen, J.H., Graham, J.R., Yang, J., The cost of debt. The Journal of Finance 65 (2010), 2089–2136.
  • Warner, J., Bankruptcy costs: Some evidence. The Journal of Finance 32 (1977), 337–347.
  • Windmeijer, F., A finite sample correction for the variance of linear efficient two-step GMM estimators. Journal of Econometrics 126:1 (2005), 25–51.
  • Wooldridge, J.M., Econometric analysis of cross section and panel data. 2nd ed., 2010, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA.