기업지배구조와 조세회피

Abstract

[Purpose]This paper examines the relationship between various characteristics of the corporate governance and the tax avoidance. [Methodology]We measure the tax avoidance by using long－run effective tax rates (GAAP ETR and current ETR are used in this research) following Dyreng et al. (2008). This study examines not only the level of tax avoidance but also the sustainability of a firm’s tax strategy following McGuire(2013). [Findings]The results show that the ownership concentration has a significant relation to the corporate tax management. To explain concretely, the ownership concentration has negative associations with the corporate tax avoidance and positive associations with the sustainability of the tax strategy. It suggests that the owners face “asymmetry in cost distribution” due to much larger equity ownership, so they forgo the risky tax avoidance. It is possible to distribute tax costs, whereas it is difficult to distribute non－tax costs. The higher ownership concentration is, the more owners are concerned with non－tax costs such as potential penalty and reputation damage from being involved in a tax related lawsuit etc. [Implications]This study described the decrease in tax avoidance in companies with high concentration of ownership as “asymmetry in cost distribution” rather than capital market pressure. The “asymmetry of cost distribution” can be said to be a risk that Korea’s corporate governance structure, which exercises control over its stake, has come to bear.