IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jiaata/v41y2020ics1061951820300525.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Financial statement users’ judgment and disaggregated tax disclosure

Author

Listed:
  • Eberhartinger, Eva
  • Genest, Nadia
  • Lee, Soojin

Abstract

We investigate whether the effect on users’ judgment of the dis-/aggregation of line items on the face of financial statements is subject to users’ anchoring heuristics in an experimental setting. A firm’s financial performance, investment attractiveness, and tax position are judged in the absence or presence of disaggregated tax information in the statement of other comprehensive income (OCI). We do not find that such disaggregation affects users’ judgment, as long as the disaggregated amounts do not challenge the users’ anchor; however, when they do, judgments differ significantly. The results are consistent with anchoring effect theory: because financial statement complexity exceeds users’ limited cognitive processing capacity, users adjust their prior beliefs when the information received deviates strongly from anchor values. Our study contributes to the literature on impression management and on the effects of disclosure choices by exploring users’ susceptibility to the disaggregation of specific items in the face of financial statements. Our results are important for financial statement preparers, because they could consider the anchoring effect when choosing whether to disclose disaggregated line item information.

Suggested Citation

  • Eberhartinger, Eva & Genest, Nadia & Lee, Soojin, 2020. "Financial statement users’ judgment and disaggregated tax disclosure," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 41(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jiaata:v:41:y:2020:i:c:s1061951820300525
    DOI: 10.1016/j.intaccaudtax.2020.100351
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1061951820300525
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.intaccaudtax.2020.100351?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. Robert Bloomfield & Frank Hodge & Patrick Hopkins & Kristina Rennekamp, 2015. "Does Coordinated Presentation Help Credit Analysts Identify Firm Characteristics?," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 32(2), pages 507-527, June.
    2. Barth, Mary E. & Beaver, William H. & Landsman, Wayne R., 2001. "The relevance of the value relevance literature for financial accounting standard setting: another view," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 31(1-3), pages 77-104, September.
    3. Keiichi Kubota & Kazuyuki Suda & Hitoshi Takehara, 2011. "Information Content of Other Comprehensive Income and Net Income: Evidence for Japanese Firms," Asia-Pacific Journal of Accounting & Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(2), pages 145-168.
    4. Santanu Mitra & Mahmud Hossain, 2009. "Value-relevance of pension transition adjustments and other comprehensive income components in the adoption year of SFAS No. 158," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 33(3), pages 279-301, October.
    5. Doris M. Merkl-Davies & Niamh Brennan, 2007. "Discretionary disclosure strategies in corporate narratives : incremental information or impression management?," Open Access publications 10197/2907, Research Repository, University College Dublin.
    6. Merton, Robert C, 1987. "A Simple Model of Capital Market Equilibrium with Incomplete Information," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 42(3), pages 483-510, July.
    7. Herbert A. Simon, 1955. "A Behavioral Model of Rational Choice," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 69(1), pages 99-118.
    8. García Osma, Beatriz & Guillamón-Saorín, Encarna, 2011. "Corporate governance and impression management in annual results press releases," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 36(4), pages 187-208.
    9. Edward J. Riedl & Suraj Srinivasan, 2010. "Signaling Firm Performance Through Financial Statement Presentation: An Analysis Using Special Items," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(1), pages 8-8, March.
    10. Hanlon, Dean & Navissi, Farshid & Soepriyanto, Gatot, 2014. "The value relevance of deferred tax attributed to asset revaluations," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 10(2), pages 87-99.
    11. Robert Libby & Scott A. Emett, 2014. "Earnings presentation effects on manager reporting choices and investor decisions," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(4), pages 410-438, August.
    12. S. Chattopadhyay & F.J. Arcelus & G. Srinivasan, 1997. "Deferred Taxes and Bond Ratings: A Canadian Case," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(3), pages 541-557, April.
    13. Edward J. Riedl & Suraj Srinivasan, 2010. "Signaling Firm Performance Through Financial Statement Presentation: An Analysis Using Special Items," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(1), pages 289-332, March.
    14. van Exel, N.J.A. & Brouwer, W.B.F. & van den Berg, B. & Koopmanschap, M.A., 2006. "With a little help from an anchor: Discussion and evidence of anchoring effects in contingent valuation," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 836-853, October.
    15. S. Chattopadhyay & F.J. Arcelus & G. Srinivasan, 1997. "Deferred Taxes and Bond Ratings: A Canadian Case," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(3), pages 541-557.
    16. Dyer, Travis & Lang, Mark & Stice-Lawrence, Lorien, 2017. "The evolution of 10-K textual disclosure: Evidence from Latent Dirichlet Allocation," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(2), pages 221-245.
    17. Doris M. Merkl-Davies & Niamh M. Brennan, 2011. "A conceptual framework of impression management: new insights from psychology, sociology and critical perspectives," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(5), pages 415-437, December.
    18. Hirst, DE & Hopkins, PE, 1998. "Comprehensive income reporting and analysts' valuation judgments," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36, pages 47-75.
    19. Atwood, T.J. & Drake, Michael S. & Myers, James N. & Myers, Linda A., 2011. "Do earnings reported under IFRS tell us more about future earnings and cash flows?," Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 30(2), pages 103-121, March.
    20. Ragland, Linda & Reck, Jacqueline L., 2016. "The effects of the method used to present a complex item on the face of a financial statement on nonprofessional investors' judgments," Advances in accounting, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 77-89.
    21. Eli Amir & Theodore Sougiannis, 1999. "Analysts' Interpretation and Investors' Valuation of Tax Carryforwards," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 16(1), pages 1-33, March.
    22. Einhorn, Hillel J & Hogarth, Robin M, 1986. "Decision Making under Ambiguity," The Journal of Business, University of Chicago Press, vol. 59(4), pages 225-250, October.
    23. Cheryl Chang & Kathleen Herbohn & Irene Tutticci, 2009. "Market's perception of deferred tax accruals," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 49(4), pages 645-673, December.
    24. Ronald A. Dye & Sri S. Sridhar, 2004. "Reliability‐Relevance Trade‐Offs and the Efficiency of Aggregation," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 42(1), pages 51-88, March.
    25. Chandra, Uday & Ro, Byung T., 1997. "The association between deferred taxes and common stock risk," Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 16(3), pages 311-333.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Blankespoor, Elizabeth & deHaan, Ed & Marinovic, Iván, 2020. "Disclosure processing costs, investors’ information choice, and equity market outcomes: A review," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(2).
    2. Eva Eberhartinger & Nadia Genest & Soojin Lee, 2020. "Financial statement users’ judgment and disaggregated tax disclosure," Post-Print hal-03493885, HAL.
    3. Murad Harasheh & Federica Doni & Maria Vittoria Franceschelli & Andrea Amaduzzi, 2021. "The value relevance of Other Comprehensive Income: Extensive evidence from Europe," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(3), pages 3835-3851, July.
    4. Anna Görlitz & Michael Dobler, 2023. "Financial accounting for deferred taxes: a systematic review of empirical evidence," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 73(1), pages 113-165, February.
    5. Federica Doni & Silvia Rossetti & Roberto Verona, 2017. "Performance Reporting Choices after the Adoption of IAS 1 Revised: Comparative Evidence from Europe and the USA," International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Econjournals, vol. 7(4), pages 558-574.
    6. Elizabeth Blankespoor, 2019. "The Impact of Information Processing Costs on Firm Disclosure Choice: Evidence from the XBRL Mandate," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 57(4), pages 919-967, September.
    7. Guragai, Binod & Attachot, Weerapat & Peabody, S. Drew, 2020. "Financial statement presentation of discontinued operations: Determinants and consequences," Advances in accounting, Elsevier, vol. 49(C).
    8. Barua, Abhijit & Kim, Jung Hoon, 2017. "Reporting order of financial statements in SEC filings: Evidence from 10-K filings of S&P 500 entities," Research in Accounting Regulation, Elsevier, vol. 29(2), pages 167-171.
    9. Maria-Silvia Sandulescu, 2017. "Impression management – an international perspective," The Audit Financiar journal, Chamber of Financial Auditors of Romania, vol. 15(148), pages 605-605.
    10. Walid Ben‐Amar & Merridee Bujaki & Bruce McConomy & Philip McIlkenny, 2022. "Disclosure transparency and impression management: A textual analysis of board gender diversity disclosures in Canada," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(5), pages 1247-1265, September.
    11. Arcelus, F.J. & Mitra, D. & Srinivasan, G., 2005. "On the incidence of deferred taxes, intangibles and non-linearities in the relationship between Tobin's Q and ROI," Journal of Economics and Business, Elsevier, vol. 57(2), pages 165-185.
    12. Abderrahmane Djaballah & Anne Fortin, 2021. "Value Relevance of Comprehensive Income for the Canadian Market," Accounting Perspectives, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 20(1), pages 49-77, March.
    13. Saverio Bozzolan & Charles Cho & Giovanna Michelon, 2015. "Impression Management and Organizational Audiences: The Fiat Group Case," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 126(1), pages 143-165, January.
    14. Chen, Han-Chung & Lee, Yen-Jung & Lo, Sheng-Yi & Yu, Yong, 2021. "Qualitative characteristics of non-GAAP disclosures and non-GAAP earnings quality," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 72(1).
    15. Gaynor, Lisa Milici & McDaniel, Linda & Yohn, Teri Lombardi, 2011. "Fair value accounting for liabilities: The role of disclosures in unraveling the counterintuitive income statement effect from credit risk changes," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 36(3), pages 125-134, April.
    16. Maria-Silvia Sandulescu & Catalin-Nicolae Albu, 2018. "Impression Management in The Letters to Shareholders of Listed Entities: A Romanian Case Study," Journal of Accounting and Management Information Systems, Faculty of Accounting and Management Information Systems, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, vol. 17(3), pages 353-373, September.
    17. Alessandro Mechelli & Riccardo Cimini, 2013. "Assessing value relevance of comprehensive income in European banks and other financial institutions," FINANCIAL REPORTING, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2013(1), pages 13-41.
    18. Palea, Vera & Scagnelli, Simone Domenico, 2014. "Do Earnings Reported under IFRS Improve the Prediction of Future Cash Flows? Evidence From European Banks," Department of Economics and Statistics Cognetti de Martiis. Working Papers 201443, University of Turin.
    19. Beattie, Vivien, 2014. "Accounting narratives and the narrative turn in accounting research: Issues, theory, methodology, methods and a research framework," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 46(2), pages 111-134.
    20. Rani Hoitash & Udi Hoitash & Ari Yezegel, 2021. "Can sell-side analysts’ experience, expertise and qualifications help mitigate the adverse effects of accounting reporting complexity?," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 57(3), pages 859-897, October.

    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:jiaata:v:41:y:2020:i:c:s1061951820300525. 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: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-international-accounting-auditing-and-taxation .

    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.