Exploring the Disclosure differentials of government grants and assistance in Brazilian companies listed in B3

Abstract

The study aims to explore the differences in the disclosure of Government Grants and Assistance (SAG) in publicly traded Brazilian companies. The sample consists of 353 publicly traded companies listed on Brasil, Bolsa and Balcão (B3) between 2017 and 2019. The data were obtained by analyzing the content of the explanatory notes referring to the Standardized Financial Statements (DFP) available on the company's website. B3 S/A, verifying the information related to SAG, as stated in the Accounting Pronouncements Committees (CPC), CPC 07 (2008) and CPC 07 R1 (2010). To achieve the objectives of the study, an independent t-mean comparison test and analysis of variance were performed. The results showed that the SAG are mostly of State (39.8%) and Federal (38.6%) origin and the most representative SAG is granted to companies through tax incentives (54.1%). The results of the statistical tests show that the level of SAG disclosure does not differ according to corporate governance and the period. On the other hand, the results show that unregulated companies present higher levels of SAG disclosure and that the oil, gas and biofuels and health sectors presented, respectively, the highest and lowest levels of SAG disclosure. The study seeks to contribute to the literature by evidencing the existence of differences, or not, in the level of disclosure of SAG based on company characteristics, such as the level of corporate governance, regulation, the sample period and the sector of activity.