We experimentally analyze three anti-tax-evasion mechanisms: (1) prefilling of deductions in tax returns, (2) restricting tax evasion opportunities by either disallowing or (3) limiting the deductibility of expenditures. We find that prefilling compared to blank forms reduces tax evasion....

Using pairs of similar US and European firms listed on the S&P500 or StoxxEurope600, we examine effective tax differentials between US multinational corporations (MNCs) and their European peers. We show that statutory tax rates and profit shifting opportunities are important determinants of...

We analyze the effect of mandatory financial transparency on corporate tax avoidance. Capital Requirements Directive IV by the European Commission required multinational banks to publish key financial and tax data in the form of public Country-by-Country Reporting. We examine tax avoidance of...

Our study analyzes the relationship between public disclosure of group structures in Exhibit 21 and international tax avoidance of U.S. multinational firms. Several U.S. multinational enterprises have removed a substantial number of foreign subsidiaries from their Exhibit 21 since 2010. Our...

This study analyzes the capital market reaction to news about tax avoidance. Because tax information is usually not published, little is known about the effects of disclosing tax avoidance. However, in the course of the event known as LuxLeaks, hundreds of tax documents were released. Unlike...

We analyze the effect of mandatory financial transparency on corporate tax avoidance. The effectiveness of comprehensive tax transparency, in the form of a public Country-by-Country Reporting, to mitigate corporate tax planning is largely unknown. Capital Requirements Directive IV by the...

We exploit the 2017 US tax reform to learn about the tax-competitiveness of US multinational corporations (MNCs) relative to their international peers. Matching on the propensity score, we compare pairs of similar US and European firms listed on the S&P500 or StoxxEurope600 in a...

Our empirical study tests the effect of advance tax rulings on the tax avoidance of multinational firms. In 2014, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists published confidential documents that identify hundreds of firms worldwide that had benefited from advance tax rulings in...