The Internal Revenue Code allows firms to carry excess tax losses forward to offset future taxable income and reduce taxes. Consistent with tax loss carryforwards (TLCFs) creating a significant asset, prior research finds investors positively value TLCFs. However, investors face significant...

This study examines whether qualitative disclosure in tax footnotes affects the market valuation of tax avoidance activities. We predict that more disclosures in tax footnotes mitigate investors’ concerns over the agency risk of managers engaging in potentially illegal tax avoidance and...