Family firms’ dividend policies: Evidence from a Japanese tax reform

Abstract

We hypothesize that family firms’ dividend policies are in part determined by a consumption smoothing motive of family shareholders. Our paper tests this hypothesis using a Japanese dividend tax reform in 2011 which increased the dividend tax rate for only some groups of major family shareholders. In this quasi-experimental setting, we find that family firms with non-executive family shareholders, who were likely rentiers, counteracted the tax increase by increasing dividends. This behavior cannot be explained by standard theories of dividend policy, which predict a lower dividend payout, and highlights a unique governance problem in family firms.