Tax-Related Restatements and Tax Avoidance Behavior

Abstract

Our research empirically examines the relationship between tax avoidance and the likelihood of incurring a tax-related restatement, as well as the effects tax restatements have on future tax avoidance behavior. We predict and find that the association between tax avoidance and the likelihood of a tax-related restatement is nonlinear. Specifically, both relatively high levels and relatively low levels of tax avoidance compared to peer firms increase the likelihood of incurring a tax-related restatement. We consider whether the increased likelihood for high avoiders is attributable to obfuscation necessary to escape detection of tax avoidance or weak corporate governance. For high avoiders, we find evidence that both obfuscation and weak corporate governance may contribute to the likelihood of a tax-related restatement. As low avoiders should not need to obfuscate, we focus on corporate governance and find an increased likelihood when governance is weak. In response to a tax-related restatement announcement, we document a decline in tax avoidance for firms that have relatively high tax avoidance prior to the restatement announcement. We attribute this to the increased level of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) monitoring and strengthening of corporate governance that we observe post-restatement announcement. In contrast, we do not find evidence that low avoidance firms alter their tax avoidance after a tax-related restatement announcement, consistent with our finding that corporate governance does not improve post-restatement for low avoiders.