Corporate taxes and financing methods for taxable acquisitions

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Dhaliwal, DS; Newberry, KJ; Weaver, CD
• 署名单位: University of Arizona; University of Texas System; University of Texas Austin
• 刊物名称: CONTEMPORARY ACCOUNTING RESEARCH
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0823-9150
• DOI: 10.1506/N4CQ-JR8F-XLUC-M50W
• 发表日期: 2005
• 页码: 1-30
• 关键词: credit limitations; FIRMS; debt; payment; CHOICE; gains

摘要

We examine the influence of corporate taxes on U.S. firms' financing methods for taxable acquisitions of 100 percent of a target corporation's stock. We conduct tests of acquirer firms' use of debt or internal funds as the funding source for these acquisitions over the period 1987-97. Our results provide the first empirical evidence that U.S. firms' use of debt to fund acquisitions significantly declines as foreign tax credit limitations reduce the marginal tax benefits received from borrowing. This finding is consistent with earlier speculation that U.S. foreign tax credit provisions could materially affect the capital costs of U.S. companies in debt-financed acquisitions. We also find that these firms are generally high-tax-rate corporations whose financing choices are not significantly influenced by whether they acquire target-firm tax loss carryovers. Our findings contribute to the accounting literature on the influence of taxes on the structure and financing of corporate acquisitions.