IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/corfin/v36y2016icp15-25.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Pyramidal structure, political intervention and firms' tax burden: Evidence from China's local SOEs

Author

Listed:
  • Zhang, Min
  • M, Lijun
  • Zhang, Bo
  • Yi, Zhihong

Abstract

Using a sample of Chinese firms, we examine the influence of state-pyramids on corporate tax burden. We find results that state-pyramidal layers are significantly and negatively associated with effective tax rates, indicating that pyramids formed by the state protect local state-owned enterprises (SOEs) from political intervention. The results hold after controlling for potential endogeneity. We further find evidences suggesting that taxation is one of the channels through which state-controlled pyramids increase firm value. Our study contributes to both corporate finance and corporate tax literatures by documenting the role of pyramidal organizational structures in reducing local SOEs' tax burden.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhang, Min & M, Lijun & Zhang, Bo & Yi, Zhihong, 2016. "Pyramidal structure, political intervention and firms' tax burden: Evidence from China's local SOEs," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 15-25.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:corfin:v:36:y:2016:i:c:p:15-25
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2015.10.004
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S092911991500125X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2015.10.004?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Chen, Shuping & Chen, Xia & Cheng, Qiang & Shevlin, Terry, 2010. "Are family firms more tax aggressive than non-family firms?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(1), pages 41-61, January.
    2. Banker, Rajiv D. & Bardhan, Indranil R. & Chen, Tai-Yuan, 2008. "The role of manufacturing practices in mediating the impact of activity-based costing on plant performance," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 1-19, January.
    3. Stijn Claessens & Simeon Djankov & Joseph P. H. Fan & Larry H. P. Lang, 2002. "Disentangling the Incentive and Entrenchment Effects of Large Shareholdings," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 57(6), pages 2741-2771, December.
    4. Besley, Timothy & Case, Anne, 1995. "Incumbent Behavior: Vote-Seeking, Tax-Setting, and Yardstick Competition," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 85(1), pages 25-45, March.
    5. Tarun Khanna & Jan W. Rivkin, 2001. "Estimating the performance effects of business groups in emerging markets," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(1), pages 45-74, January.
    6. Zimmerman, Jerold L., 1983. "Taxes and firm size," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 5(1), pages 119-149, April.
    7. Lin, Justin Yifu & Cai, Fang & Li, Zhou, 1998. "Competition, Policy Burdens, and State-Owned Enterprise Reform," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 88(2), pages 422-427, May.
    8. Aghion, Philippe & Tirole, Jean, 1997. "Formal and Real Authority in Organizations," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 105(1), pages 1-29, February.
    9. Chen, Ye & Li, Hongbin & Zhou, Li-An, 2005. "Relative performance evaluation and the turnover of provincial leaders in China," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 88(3), pages 421-425, September.
    10. Michael L. Lemmon & Karl V. Lins, 2003. "Ownership Structure, Corporate Governance, and Firm Value: Evidence from the East Asian Financial Crisis," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 58(4), pages 1445-1468, August.
    11. Liansheng Wu & Yaping Wang & Wei Luo & Paul Gillis, 2012. "State ownership, tax status and size effect of effective tax rate in China," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 42(2), pages 97-114, June.
    12. Mara Faccio, 2010. "Differences between Politically Connected and Nonconnected Firms: A Cross‐Country Analysis," Financial Management, Financial Management Association International, vol. 39(3), pages 905-928, September.
    13. Green, Jerry R & Stokey, Nancy L, 1983. "A Comparison of Tournaments and Contracts," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 91(3), pages 349-364, June.
    14. Cull, Robert & Xu, Lixin Colin, 2005. "Institutions, ownership, and finance: the determinants of profit reinvestment among Chinese firms," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 77(1), pages 117-146, July.
    15. Randall Morck & Daniel Wolfenzon & Bernard Yeung, 2004. "Corporate Governance, Economic Entrenchment and Growth," NBER Working Papers 10692, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    16. Khanna, Tarun & Thomas, Catherine, 2009. "Synchronicity and firm interlocks in an emerging market," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(2), pages 182-204, May.
    17. Yingyi Qian, 1996. "Enterprise reform in China: agency problems and political control," The Economics of Transition, The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, vol. 4(2), pages 427-447, October.
    18. Tarun Khanna & Yishay Yafeh, 2007. "Business Groups in Emerging Markets: Paragons or Parasites?," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 45(2), pages 331-372, June.
    19. Baker, George P, 1992. "Beatrice: A Study in the Creation and Destruction of Value," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 47(3), pages 1081-1119, July.
    20. Rafael La Porta & Florencio Lopez‐De‐Silanes & Andrei Shleifer, 1999. "Corporate Ownership Around the World," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 54(2), pages 471-517, April.
    21. Leuz, Christian & Oberholzer-Gee, Felix, 2006. "Political relationships, global financing, and corporate transparency: Evidence from Indonesia," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 81(2), pages 411-439, August.
    22. Gupta, Sanjay & Newberry, Kaye, 1997. "Determinants of the variability in corporate effective tax rates: Evidence from longitudinal data," Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 16(1), pages 1-34.
    23. Faccio, Mara & Lang, Larry H. P., 2002. "The ultimate ownership of Western European corporations," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(3), pages 365-395, September.
    24. Heitor V. Almeida & Daniel Wolfenzon, 2006. "A Theory of Pyramidal Ownership and Family Business Groups," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 61(6), pages 2637-2680, December.
    25. Tarun Khanna & Krishna Palepu, 2000. "Is Group Affiliation Profitable in Emerging Markets? An Analysis of Diversified Indian Business Groups," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 55(2), pages 867-891, April.
    26. Kevin Holland, 1998. "Accounting Policy Choice: The Relationship Between Corporate Tax Burdens and Company Size," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(3‐4), pages 265-288, April.
    27. Raghuram G. Rajan & Julie Wulf, 2006. "The Flattening Firm: Evidence from Panel Data on the Changing Nature of Corporate Hierarchies," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 88(4), pages 759-773, November.
    28. Jin, Hehui & Qian, Yingyi & Weingast, Barry R., 2005. "Regional decentralization and fiscal incentives: Federalism, Chinese style," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 89(9-10), pages 1719-1742, September.
    29. Kevin Holland, 1998. "Accounting Policy Choice: The Relationship Between Corporate Tax Burdens and Company Size," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(3&4), pages 265-288.
    30. Mara Faccio, 2006. "Politically Connected Firms," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 96(1), pages 369-386, March.
    31. Almeida, Heitor & Park, Sang Yong & Subrahmanyam, Marti G. & Wolfenzon, Daniel, 2011. "The structure and formation of business groups: Evidence from Korean chaebols," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 99(2), pages 447-475, February.
    32. Lin, Justin Yifu & Li, Zhiyun, 2008. "Policy burden, privatization and soft budget constraint," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 36(1), pages 90-102, March.
    33. Fan, Joseph P. H. & Wong, T. J., 2002. "Corporate ownership structure and the informativeness of accounting earnings in East Asia," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 33(3), pages 401-425, August.
    34. Claessens, Stijn & Djankov, Simeon & Lang, Larry H. P., 2000. "The separation of ownership and control in East Asian Corporations," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 58(1-2), pages 81-112.
    35. Lucian A. Bebchuk & Reinier Kraakman & George Triantis, 2000. "Stock Pyramids, Cross-Ownership, and Dual Class Equity: The Mechanisms and Agency Costs of Separating Control from Cash-Flow Rights," NBER Chapters, in: Concentrated Corporate Ownership, pages 295-318, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    36. Jacques Crémer, 1995. "Arm's Length Relationships," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 110(2), pages 275-295.
    37. Wang, Qian & Wong, T.J. & Xia, Lijun, 2008. "State ownership, the institutional environment, and auditor choice: Evidence from China," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 46(1), pages 112-134, September.
    38. Li, Hongbin & Zhou, Li-An, 2005. "Political turnover and economic performance: the incentive role of personnel control in China," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 89(9-10), pages 1743-1762, September.
    39. Barry J. Nalebuff & Joseph E. Stiglitz, 1983. "Prices and Incentives: Towards a General Theory of Compensation and Competition," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 14(1), pages 21-43, Spring.
    40. Andrei Shleifer & Robert W. Vishny, 1994. "Politicians and Firms," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 109(4), pages 995-1025.
    41. Joseph P. H. Fan & T. J. Wong & Tianyu Zhang, 2013. "Institutions and Organizational Structure: The Case of State-Owned Corporate Pyramids," The Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, Oxford University Press, vol. 29(6), pages 1217-1252, December.
    42. Morck, Randall K. (ed.), 2000. "Concentrated Corporate Ownership," National Bureau of Economic Research Books, University of Chicago Press, edition 1, number 9780226536781.
    43. Asim Ijaz Khwaja & Atif Mian, 2005. "Do Lenders Favor Politically Connected Firms? Rent Provision in an Emerging Financial Market," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 120(4), pages 1371-1411.
    44. Chen, Shimin & Sun, Zheng & Tang, Song & Wu, Donghui, 2011. "Government intervention and investment efficiency: Evidence from China," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 17(2), pages 259-271, April.
    45. Chernykh, Lucy, 2008. "Ultimate ownership and control in Russia," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(1), pages 169-192, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Fang, Yuanli & Hu, Maggie & Yang, Qingsen, 2018. "Do executives benefit from shareholder disputes? Evidence from multiple large shareholders in Chinese listed firms," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 275-315.
    2. Li, Shuangyan & Fu, Huan & Wen, Jun & Chang, Chun-Ping, 2020. "Separation of ownership and control for Chinese listed firms: Effect on the cost of debt and the moderating role of bank competition," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    3. Jiang, Xiandeng & Huang, Ruoyao & Wang, Chuanjie, 2023. "Tax enforcement and efficiency wages: Evidence from China’ Golden Tax Project III," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 58(PB).
    4. Opie, Wei & Tian, Gary Gang & Zhang, Hong Feng, 2019. "Corporate pyramids, geographical distance, and investment efficiency of Chinese state-owned enterprises," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 95-120.
    5. Qingjie Zhou & Dongyao Yu & Feng Xu & Jiamin Sun, 2022. "The Impact of Institutional Friction Cost on Economic Growth: Evidence from OECD Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-15, December.
    6. Xiang, Junyi & Zhang, Hongxiang & Dang, Dingyu & Guan, Jing, 2023. "Involuntary political connections and private firms' tax avoidance," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    7. Chen Hao & Xuegang Feng & Dandan Wu & Xiaodong Guo, 2024. "Board interlocks and corporate risk-taking: An empirical analysis of listed companies from tourism and related industries in China," Tourism Economics, , vol. 30(1), pages 174-211, February.
    8. Zhang, Cheng & Zhou, Bo & Tian, Xuan, 2022. "Political connections and green innovation: The role of a corporate entrepreneurship strategy in state-owned enterprises," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 375-384.
    9. Dong, Weijia & Dong, Xinyang & Lv, Xin, 2022. "How does ownership structure affect corporate environmental responsibility? Evidence from the manufacturing sector in China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    10. Li, Jingxin & Ye, Yong & Li, Jingxuan, 2024. "Performance feedback and corporate maturity mismatch: Evidence from China," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 67(PB).
    11. Kun Su & Liuchuang Li & Rui Wan, 2017. "Ultimate ownership, risk-taking and firm value: evidence from China," Asia Pacific Business Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(1), pages 10-26, January.
    12. Kun Su & Rui Wan & Victor Y. Song, 2018. "Pyramidal structure, risk‐taking and firm value: Evidence from Chinese local SOEs," The Economics of Transition, The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, vol. 26(3), pages 401-427, July.
    13. Ye, Dezhu & Deng, Jie & Liu, Yi & Szewczyk, Samuel H. & Chen, Xiao, 2019. "Does board gender diversity increase dividend payouts? Analysis of global evidence," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 1-26.
    14. Li, Xiaoxia & Cai, Guilong & Luo, Danglun, 2020. "GDP distortion and tax avoidance in local SOEs: Evidence from China," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 582-598.
    15. Long, Wenbin & Wu, Huiying & Li, Lidan & Ying, Sammy Xiaoyan & Li, Sihai, 2024. "Mixed-ownership structure, non-state-blockholder coalition, and tax avoidance," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    16. Gu, Leilei & Ni, Xiaoran & Tian, Guangning, 2022. "Controlling shareholder expropriation and labor investment efficiency," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 261-274.
    17. Chao Yan & Jiaxin Wang & Zhi Wang & Kam C. Chan, 2023. "Awe culture and corporate social responsibility: Evidence from China," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 63(3), pages 3487-3517, September.
    18. Su Kun & Liu Heng, 2019. "The Effect of Interlocking Director Network on Corporate Risk Taking: Lessons from China," Entrepreneurship Research Journal, De Gruyter, vol. 9(1), pages 1-21, January.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Bernard Yeung & Randall Morck & Daniel Wolfenzon, 2004. "Corporate Governance, Economic Entrenchment and Growth," Working Papers 04-21, New York University, Leonard N. Stern School of Business, Department of Economics.
    2. Randall Morck, 2009. "The Riddle of the Great Pyramids," NBER Working Papers 14858, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Li, Xiaoxia & Cai, Guilong & Luo, Danglun, 2020. "GDP distortion and tax avoidance in local SOEs: Evidence from China," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 582-598.
    4. Richardson, Grant & Wang, Bei & Zhang, Xinmin, 2016. "Ownership structure and corporate tax avoidance: Evidence from publicly listed private firms in China," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 12(2), pages 141-158.
    5. Morck, Randall & Deniz Yavuz, M. & Yeung, Bernard, 2011. "Banking system control, capital allocation, and economy performance," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(2), pages 264-283, May.
    6. Heitor Almeida & Sang Yong Park & Marti Subrahmanyam & Daniel Wolfenzon, 2009. "The Structure and Formation of Business Groups: Evidence from Korean Chaebols," NBER Working Papers 14983, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    7. Bunkanwanicha, Pramuan & Gupta, Jyoti & Wiwattanakantang, Yupana, 2016. "Pyramidal group structure and bank risk in Thailand," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 44(2), pages 272-288.
    8. Cai, Charlie X. & Hillier, David & Tian, Gaoliang & Wu, Qinghua, 2015. "Do audit committees reduce the agency costs of ownership structure?," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 35(PA), pages 225-240.
    9. Ljungqvist, Alexander & Chen, Donghua & Lu, Haitian & Jiang, Dequan & Zhou, Mingming, 2015. "State Capitalism vs. Private Enterprise," CEPR Discussion Papers 10423, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    10. Chaney, Paul K. & Faccio, Mara & Parsley, David, 2011. "The quality of accounting information in politically connected firms," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(1), pages 58-76.
    11. Chandera, Yane & Utama, Cynthia Afriani & Husodo, Zaäfri Ananto & Setia-Atmaja, Lukas, 2018. "The co-insurance effect hypothesis and the cost of bank loans: Evidence from Indonesian pyramidal business groups," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 100-122.
    12. Bodnaruk, Andriy & Massa, Massimo & Yadav, Vijay, 2017. "Family ownership, country governance, and foreign portfolio investment," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 96-115.
    13. Jenifer Piesse & Roger Strange & Fahad Toonsi, 2012. "Is there a distinctive MENA model of corporate governance?," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 16(4), pages 645-681, November.
    14. Bona-Sánchez, Carolina & Pérez-Alemán, Jerónimo & Santana-Martin, Domingo J., 2017. "Sustainability disclosure, dominant owners and earnings informativeness," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 39(PA), pages 625-639.
    15. Long, Wenbin & Wu, Huiying & Li, Lidan & Ying, Sammy Xiaoyan & Li, Sihai, 2024. "Mixed-ownership structure, non-state-blockholder coalition, and tax avoidance," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    16. Randall Morck, 2011. "Finance and Governance in Developing Economies," Annual Review of Financial Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 3(1), pages 375-406, December.
    17. Torres, Juan Pablo & Jara Bertín, Mauricio & López-Iturriaga, Félix J., 2017. "Corporate control and firm value: The bright side of business groups," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 8(2), pages 99-108.
    18. Evžen Kočenda & Jan Hanousek, 2012. "State ownership and control in the Czech Republic," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 45(3), pages 157-191, August.
    19. Gur Aminadav & Elias Papaioannou, 2020. "Corporate Control around the World," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 75(3), pages 1191-1246, June.
    20. Omrane Guedhami & Jeffrey A. Pittman & Walid Saffar, 2014. "Auditor Choice in Politically Connected Firms," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(1), pages 107-162, March.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Pyramidal structure; Local SOEs; Political intervention; Tax burden;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • G38 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Government Policy and Regulation
    • H25 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Business Taxes and Subsidies

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:corfin:v:36:y:2016:i:c:p:15-25. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jcorpfin .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.