How much corporate taxes are paying Catalan family firms? Analysis of accrued and effective tax rates

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study is determine which corporate tax rate is paid by Catalan family firms, and analyze if these companies support a greater tax burden compared to non-family firms as a consequence of their risk aversion and, hence, due to a lower fiscal aggressiveness.

Design/methodology/approach: We have estimated the corporate tax rates supported by Catalan firms during the period 2008-2003. We have used a sample of 382 large and medium-sized firms which have always obtained profits over the past ten years. This tax rate has been calculated using two estimators, the accrued rate, traditionally used in the literature, and the effective rate, which provides a more realistic measure of what companies actually paid.

Findings: Results show that family firms support higher corporate tax rates, both accrued and effective rates, than non family firms. However, this result can not be generalized for the entire sample, because while it is true that large family firms support greater tax rates, the family nature of a company does not significantly influence in those companies included in the special regime for small-sized companies.

Research limitations/implications: In this study we have not considered the influence that other variables could have on corporate tax rates, such as leverage, capital intensity, growth, among others. On the other hand, to calculate the effective tax rate paid by companies included in the special regime for small-sized companies we have used a 25% tax rate without considerer (due to the lack of available information) that for this companies, a 30% tax rate is applied for the tax base that exceeds 300.000€.

Originality/value: There are only a few studies in the literature which analyze if risk aversion, characteristic from family firms, could be a determinant factor of their fiscal aggressiveness. In addition, in this study we have not only estimated the accrued tax (typically used in the literature), but also the effective tax rate, which using data provided by the new general accounting plan allows us to estimate more precisely the tax actually paid.