Corporate Social Responsibility, Tax Aggressiveness, and Firm Market Value

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship of corporate social responsibility (CSR), tax aggressiveness, and firm market value. An economic model has been developed to show that profit-maximization firms are willing to incur additional costs in CSR, such as paying more taxes, as long as they can differentiate their products from non-CSR firms, and that socially conscious consumers will buy products from CSR firms at prices higher than those of non-CSR firms. The empirical study in this paper indicates that the higher the CSR ranking of a firm, the less likely a firm is to engage in tax aggressiveness. It also indicates that a reputation of higher CSR will enhance firm market value. Using Canadian companies listed in the S&P/TSX 60 index, I find that both firms’ five-year effective tax rates and annual effective tax rates are positively associated with their overall CSR scores as well as with their social scores. Firms’ five-year effective tax rates are also positively associated with their governance index. I also find that firms’ overall CSR ranking and governance scores are positively associated with their market value.