2. Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU

This study explores the role of taxes in explaining companies’ financing decisions. We test whether the corporate tax shields explanation of capital structure is applicable to firms listed on the Spanish stock exchange over the period 2007–2013. Taxes are found to be economically and statistically significant determinants of capital structure. Our results suggest that marginal tax rates affect the debt policies of Spanish listed companies, and the existence of non-debt tax shields constitutes an alternative to the use of debt as a tax shelter. Consistent with theoretical expectations, there is a stronger relation between debt and taxation in less levered firms. Finally, we empirically estimate the impact of the new thin-capitalization rule put forth by the Spanish government in 2012 on the financing behaviour of Spanish listed companies. Our empirical evidence supports the existence of a tax reform effect, where companies affected by interest deductibility limitations reduce their leverage more than companies that are not affected.

The potentially important impact of taxation on corporate financing decisions is widely recognized despite the fact that the empirical evidence is far from conclusive. In this study, we assess the debt tax benefits of Spanish listed firms throughout the period 2007-2013. Specifically, using a simulation approach, we found the capitalized value of gross interest deductions amounts to approximately 6.4% of firms’ market value, while the net debt benefit (of personal taxes) is estimated at 2.1%, in contrast to the traditional 11.4% (i.e. marginal tax rate times debt). Conversely, the panel data regression approach reveals a 13.6% (34.2%) debt tax shield in terms of firm (debt) value. This evidence supports the view that taxes influence corporate decision-making and that debt makes a reasonable contribution to firm value.

Los impuestos son, económica y estadísticamente, determinantes importantes de la estructura de capital de las empresas y, por tanto, no son un factor de segundo orden en las decisiones de endeudamiento de las empresas. Así lo prueba el trabajo de investigación realizado al que nos referiremos en las siguientes líneas.

In spite of the fact that there is empirical evidence that debt tax benefits add to firm value, additionalresearch is needed to explain the apparently conservative debt policy of many firms. This study exam-ines whether the costs of debt and non-debt tax related issues might shed some light on the apparent“conservative leverage puzzle” for Spanish listed firms throughout the period 2007–2013. Specifically,we compare the costs of financial distress with the potential tax benefits of debt. In addition, we testwhether debt conservativeness, measured by the kink, is explained by different costs of debt and non-debt tax shields. Our findings suggest that the most conservative Spanish listed firms may not be actingsub-optimally with respect to the tax advantage of debt financing. Furthermore, the results obtained areconsistent with the belief that debt costs might offset the tax benefits stemming from debt financing, anddebt and non-debt tax shields could act as substitutes. / nA pesar de que existe evidencia empírica de que las ventajas fiscales de la deuda se suman al valour de laempresa, es necesaria más investigación para explicar la política de deuda aparentemente conservadorade muchas empresas. Este estudio analiza si las cuestiones fiscales de la deuda y aquellas no relacionadascon la deuda podrían arrojar algo de luz sobre el aparente «rompecabezas de fuerza conservadora»de las empresas cotizadas espa˜nolas durante el período 2007-2013. Específicamente se comparan loscostes de dificultades financieras con las ventajas fiscales de la deuda. Además, probamos si el conser-vadurismo de la deuda, medido por el colapso, se explica por los diferentes costes de los escudos fiscalesrelacionados con la deuda o alternativos a esta. Nuestros resultados sugieren que las empresas cotizadasespa˜nolas más conservadoras quizá no estén actuando de manera subóptima respecto a la ventaja fiscalde la financiación de la deuda. Además, los resultados obtenidos son coherentes con la creencia de quelos costes de la deuda podrían contrarrestar las ventajas fiscales derivadas de la financiación de la deuda,y los escudos fiscales relacionados con la deuda y alternativos a la deuda podrían actuar como sustitutos.