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Legal Enforcement and Corporate Behavior: An Analysis of Tax Aggressiveness after an Audit

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  • Jason DeBacker
  • Bradley T. Heim
  • Anh Tran
  • Alexander Yuskavage

Abstract

Contrary to common expectations, legal enforcement may increase subsequent corporate misbehavior. Using Internal Revenue Service and financial statement data, we find that corporations gradually increase their tax aggressiveness for a few years following an audit and then reduce it sharply. We show that this U-shaped impact is consistent with strategic responses on the part of firms and with Bayesian updating of audit risk. This adverse effect on corporate behavior calls for a reexamination of both the theory and policy of legal enforcement.

Suggested Citation

  • Jason DeBacker & Bradley T. Heim & Anh Tran & Alexander Yuskavage, 2015. "Legal Enforcement and Corporate Behavior: An Analysis of Tax Aggressiveness after an Audit," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 58(2), pages 291-324.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:jlawec:doi:10.1086/684037
    DOI: 10.1086/684037
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    Cited by:

    1. Marie Bjørneby & Annette Alstadsæter & Kjetil Telle, 2018. "Collusive Tax Evasion by Employers and Employees: Evidence from a Randomized Field Experiment in Norway," CESifo Working Paper Series 7381, CESifo.
    2. Ojala, Hannu & Malo, Pekka & Penttinen, Esko, 2023. "Private firms’ tax aggressiveness and lightweight pre-tax-audit interventions by the tax administration," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).
    3. Lopez-Luzuriaga, Andrea & Scartascini, Carlos, 2019. "Compliance spillovers across taxes: The role of penalties and detection," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 518-534.
    4. Mittone, Luigi & Panebianco, Fabrizio & Santoro, Alessandro, 2017. "The bomb-crater effect of tax audits: Beyond the misperception of chance," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 225-243.
    5. Motta Café, Renata & Yarygina, Anastasiya & Escalante, Lisseth, 2024. "Leveraging Data to Improve Tax Compliance for Micro and Small Firms: Evidence from Brazil," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 13603, Inter-American Development Bank.
    6. Dina Pomeranz & José Vila-Belda, 2019. "Taking State-Capacity Research to the Field: Insights from Collaborations with Tax Authorities," Annual Review of Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 11(1), pages 755-781, August.
    7. Benjamin C. Ayers & Jeri K. Seidman & Erin M. Towery, 2019. "Tax Reporting Behavior Under Audit Certainty," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 36(1), pages 326-358, March.
    8. Torsvik, Gaute & Raaum, Oddbjørn & Løyland, Knut & Øvrum, Arnstein, 2019. "Compliance effects of risk-based tax audits," OSF Preprints 6u3ns, Center for Open Science.
    9. Jarkko Harju & Kaisa Kotakorpi & Tuomas Matikka & Annika Nivala, 2024. "How Do Firms Respond to Risk-based Tax Audits?," Working Papers 22, Finnish Centre of Excellence in Tax Systems Research.
    10. Ye, Yongwei & Zeng, Lin & Tao, Yunqing & Yun, Feng, 2023. "Tax authority monitoring and corporate information disclosure quality in China," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    11. James Alm, 2019. "What Motivates Tax Compliance?," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(2), pages 353-388, April.
    12. Andrew R. Finley, 2019. "The impact of large tax settlement favorability on firms’ subsequent tax avoidance," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 24(1), pages 156-187, March.
    13. James Alm & Antoine Malézieux, 2021. "40 years of tax evasion games: a meta-analysis," Experimental Economics, Springer;Economic Science Association, vol. 24(3), pages 699-750, September.
    14. Banerjee, Ritwik & Boly, Amadou & Gillanders, Robert, 2022. "Anti-tax evasion, anti-corruption and public good provision: An experimental analysis of policy spillovers," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 197(C), pages 179-194.
    15. Asatryan, Zareh & Peichl, Andreas, 2016. "Responses of firms to tax, administrative and accounting rules: Evidence from Armenia," ZEW Discussion Papers 16-065, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    16. Konda, Laura & Patel, Elena & Seegert, Nathan, 2022. "Tax enforcement and the intended and unintended consequences of information disclosure," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 212(C).
    17. Pomeranz, Dina & Gerardino, Maria Paula & Litschig, Stephan, 2017. "Distortion by Audit: Evidence from Public Procurement," CEPR Discussion Papers 12529, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    18. Liu, Xiaoge & Miao, Miao & Liu, Ruiming, 2020. "Litigation and corporate risk taking: Evidence from Chinese listed firms," International Review of Law and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    19. Siglé, Maarten & Goslinga, Sjoerd & Speklé, Roland & van der Hel, Lisette & Veldhuizen, Robbert, 2018. "Corporate tax compliance: Is a change towards trust-based tax strategies justified?," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 3-16.
    20. Eberhartinger, Eva & Safaei, Reyhaneh & Sureth, Caren & Wu, Yuchen, 2021. "Are risk-based tax audit stretegies rewarded? An analysis of corporate tax avoidance," arqus Discussion Papers in Quantitative Tax Research 267, arqus - Arbeitskreis Quantitative Steuerlehre.
    21. Gabriele, Mazzolini & Laura, Pagani & Alessandro, Santoro, 2017. "The deterrence effect of real-world operational tax audits," Working Papers 359, University of Milano-Bicocca, Department of Economics, revised 03 Feb 2017.
    22. Gabriele Mazzolini & Laura Pagani & Alessandro Santoro, 2022. "The deterrence effect of real-world operational tax audits on self-employed taxpayers: evidence from Italy," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 29(4), pages 1014-1046, August.
    23. Brushwood, James D. & Johnston, Derek M. & Lusch, Stephen J., 2018. "The effect of tax audit outcomes on the reporting and valuation of unrecognized tax benefits," Advances in accounting, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 1-11.
    24. James Alm & Matthias Kasper, 2020. "Laboratory Experiments," Working Papers 2008, Tulane University, Department of Economics.
    25. Kasper, Matthias & Rablen, Matthew D., 2023. "Tax compliance after an audit: Higher or lower?," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 207(C), pages 157-171.

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