Tax-Optimal Step-Up and Imperfect Loss Offset

In the field of mergers and acquisitions, German and international tax law allow for several opportunities to step up a firm's assets, i.e., to revaluate the assets at fair market values. When a step-up is performed the taxpayer recognizes a taxable gain, but also obtains tax benefits in the form of higher future depreciation allowances associated with stepping up the tax base of the assets. This tax-planning problem is well known in taxation literature and can also be applied to firm valuation in the presence of taxation. However, the known models usually assume a perfect loss offset. If this assumption is abandoned, the depreciation allowances may lose value as they become tax effective at a later point in time, or even never if there are not enough cash flows to be offset against. This aspect is especiallyrelevant if future cash flows are assumed to be uncertain. This paper shows that a step-up may be disadvantageous or a firm overvalued if these aspects are not integrated into the basic calculus. Compared to the standard approach, assets should be stepped up only in a few cases and - under specific conditions - at a later point in time. Firm values may be considerably lower under imperfect loss offset.

Tax differentials and inflow of foreign direct investments : evidence from foreign operations of U.S. multinational companies

This paper concerns the measurement of the impact of tax differentials across countries on inflow of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) by using comprehensive data on the foreign operations of U.S. multinational corporations that has been collected by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), the U.S. Department of Commerce. In particular, this research focuses on examining: (1) how responsive FDI locations are to tax differentials across countries, (2) how different the tax effect on FDI inflow is between developed and developing countries, and (3) whether investment location decisions have become more or less sensitive to tax differences between countries over time ranging from the late 1990s to the early 2000s. Estimation results suggest that high rates of corporate income taxation are associated with reduced foreign assets of U.S. multinational firms in all industries by decreasing the return to foreign asset investment. Further, foreign assets of U.S. multinationals in all industries have become more responsive to non-income tax differentials across countries than to income tax differences from 1999 to 2004. Empirical estimates also indicate that foreign investment by American firms is associated with higher tax sensitivity more in developed countries than in those that are developing.

What determines tax haven FDI

This paper examines the determinants of a multinational enterprise’s (MNEs) decision to invest in countries classified as tax havens. To the best of our knowledge this has not been analysed at the cross-country level before. We use the ownership-location-internalisation (OLI) paradigm and link it with financial specific advantages to develop a number of hypotheses which are subsequently tested by our empirical model. Our analysis is based on a large firm-level database covering 39,543 MNEs across the world for the period 2002- 2011. We find that higher corporate taxes faced by MNEs at home increase the likelihood of locating in a tax haven. Moreover, high technology manufacturing and services MNEs that possess large levels of intangible assets are also more likely to locate subsidiaries in tax havens. Finally, we find evidence that MNEs from countries with a more coordinated market orientation are less likely to locate in tax havens.

Implicaciones tributarias en la determinación del impuesto a la renta como resultado de la revaluación de propiedad, planta y equipo en el sector industrial, en el cantón Cuenca a partir de la implementación de las NIIF en el Ecuador

En el Ecuador, a partir del año 2010, por resolución de la Superintendencia de Compañías, las compañías que se encuentran reguladas por este organismo, deben aplicar de manera obligatoria las Normas Internacionales de Información Financiera (NIIF), cuyo objetivo fundamental es que los Estados Financieros reflejen la realidad de la compañía y puedan ser comparables a nivel mundial, permitiendo una mayor competitividad y mejor toma de decisiones. La exención de la NIIF 1 permite optar en la fecha de transición a las NIIF por la medición de una partida de propiedad, planta y equipo por su Valor Razonable, y utilizar este valor como Costo Atribuido lo que implica contablemente un incremento en el valor tanto del activo como del patrimonio así como el reconocimiento de impuestos diferidos. Las NIIF no están diseñadas para realizar reportes impositivos por lo que la revaluación en los elementos de propiedad, planta y equipo generó implicaciones tributarias en la determinación del Impuesto a la Renta sobre todo en el sector industrial porque las compañías que pertenecen a este sector tienen en sus activos un valor significativo en propiedad, planta y equipo. El presente trabajo de investigación se lo realizó a través de un estudio de caso a una de las compañías objeto de estudio así como también a través de la aplicación de encuestas a las compañías que pertenecen al sector industrial del Cantón Cuenca y del análisis de la información que consta en la página de la Superintendencia de Compañías de dichas compañías.

Knowledge-based strategic planning: harnessing (in)tangible assets of city-regions

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to investigate the ways of best managing city-regions’ valuable tangible and intangible assets while pursuing a knowledge-based urban development that is sustainable and competitive. Design/methodology/approach – The paper provides a theoretical framework to conceptualise a new strategic planning mechanism, knowledge-based strategic planning, which has been emerged as a planning mechanism for the knowledge-based urban development of post-industrial city-regions. Originality/value – The paper develops a planning framework entitled 6K1C for knowledge-based strategic planning to be used in the analysis of city-regions’ tangible and intangible assets. Practical implications – The paper discusses the importance of asset mapping of cityregions, and explores the ways of successfully managing city-regions’ tangible/intangible assets to achieve an urban development that is sustainable and knowledge-based. Keywords – Knowledge-based urban development, Knowledge-based strategic planning, Tangible assets, Intangible assets, City-regions. Paper type – Academic Research Paper