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Financial Sector Debt Bias

Author : Ms.Oana Luca

Publisher : International Monetary Fund

Page : 28 pages

File Size : 42,55 MB

Release : 2016-11-10

Category : Business & Economics

ISBN : 1475552807

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Book Description

Most tax systems create a tax bias toward debt finance. Such debt bias increases leverage and may negatively affect financial stability. This paper models and estimates debt bias in the financial sector, and present novel estimates for investment banks and non-bank financial intermediaries such as finance and insurance companies. We find debt bias to be pervasive, explaining as much as 10 percent of total leverage for regular banks and 20 percent for investment banks, with the effects most pronounced before the global financial crisis. Going forward, debt bias is likely to once again gain prominence as a key driver of leverage decisions, underscoring the importance of policy reform at this juncture.



Curbing Corporate Debt Bias

Author : Ruud A. de Mooij

Publisher : International Monetary Fund

Page : 20 pages

File Size : 46,65 MB

Release : 2017-01-30

Category : Business & Economics

ISBN : 1475573057

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Book Description

Tax provisions favoring corporate debt over equity finance (“debt bias”) are widely recognized as a risk to financial stability. This paper explores whether and how thin-capitalization rules, which restrict interest deductibility beyond a certain amount, affect corporate debt ratios and mitigate financial stability risk. We find that rules targeted at related party borrowing (the majority of today’s rules) have no significant impact on debt bias—which relates to third-party borrowing. Also, these rules have no effect on broader indicators of firm financial distress. Rules applying to all debt, in contrast, turn out to be effective: the presence of such a rule reduces the debt-asset ratio in an average company by 5 percentage points; and they reduce the probability for a firm to be in financial distress by 5 percent. Debt ratios are found to be more responsive to thin capitalization rules in industries characterized by a high share of tangible assets.



Tax Policy, Leverage and Macroeconomic Stability

Author : International Monetary Fund. Fiscal Affairs Dept.

Publisher : International Monetary Fund

Page : 78 pages

File Size : 47,29 MB

Release : 2016-12-10

Category : Business & Economics

ISBN : 1498345204

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Book Description

Risks to macroeconomic stability posed by excessive private leverage are significantly amplified by tax distortions. ‘Debt bias’ (tax provisions favoring finance by debt rather than equity) has increased leverage in both the household and corporate sectors, and is now widely recognized as a significant macroeconomic concern. This paper presents new evidence of the extent of debt bias, including estimates for banks and non-bank financial institutions both before and after the global financial crisis. It presents policy options to alleviate debt bias, and assesses their effectiveness. The paper finds that thin capitalization rules restricting interest deductibility have only partially been able to address debt bias, but that an allowance for corporate equity has generally proved effective. The paper concludes that debt bias should feature prominently in countries’ tax reform plans in the coming years.



Debt Bias and Other Distortions

Author : International Monetary Fund. Fiscal Affairs Dept.

Publisher : International Monetary Fund

Page : 41 pages

File Size : 21,73 MB

Release : 2009-12-06

Category : Business & Economics

ISBN : 1498335926

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Book Description

Tax distortions are likely to have encouraged excessive leveraging and other financial market problems evident in the crisis. These effects have been little explored, but are potentially macro-relevant. Taxation can result, for example, in a net subsidy to borrowing of hundreds of basis points, raising debt-equity ratios and vulnerabilities from capital inflows. This paper reviews key channels by which tax distortions can significantly affect financial markets, drawing implications for tax design once the crisis has passed.



Global Waves of Debt

Author : M. Ayhan Kose

Publisher : World Bank Publications

Page : 403 pages

File Size : 18,42 MB

Release : 2021-03-03

Category : Business & Economics

ISBN : 1464815453

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Book Description

The global economy has experienced four waves of rapid debt accumulation over the past 50 years. The first three debt waves ended with financial crises in many emerging market and developing economies. During the current wave, which started in 2010, the increase in debt in these economies has already been larger, faster, and broader-based than in the previous three waves. Current low interest rates mitigate some of the risks associated with high debt. However, emerging market and developing economies are also confronted by weak growth prospects, mounting vulnerabilities, and elevated global risks. A menu of policy options is available to reduce the likelihood that the current debt wave will end in crisis and, if crises do take place, will alleviate their impact.



Pouring Oil on Fire: Interest Deductibility and Corporate Debt

Author : Pietro Dallari

Publisher : International Monetary Fund

Page : 42 pages

File Size : 12,58 MB

Release : 2018-12-07

Category : Business & Economics

ISBN : 1484389107

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Book Description

This paper investigates the role of tax incentives towards debt finance in the buildup of leverage in the nonfinancial corporate (NFC) sector, using a large firm-level dataset. We find that so-called debt bias is a significant driver of leverage, for both small and medium-sized enterprises and larger firms, with its effect accounting for about a quarter of leverage. The strength of this effect differs with firm size, the availability of collateral, income and income volatility, cash flow, and capital intensity. We conclude that leveling the playing field between debt and equity finance through tax policy reform would decrease NFC leverage, reducing economic risks posited by leverage.



Key Aspects of Macroprudential Policy - Background Paper

Author : International Monetary Fund. Fiscal Affairs Dept.

Publisher : International Monetary Fund

Page : 64 pages

File Size : 44,59 MB

Release : 2013-10-06

Category : Business & Economics

ISBN : 1498341713

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Book Description

The countercyclical capital buffer (CCB) was proposed by the Basel committee to increase the resilience of the banking sector to negative shocks. The interactions between banking sector losses and the real economy highlight the importance of building a capital buffer in periods when systemic risks are rising. Basel III introduces a framework for a time-varying capital buffer on top of the minimum capital requirement and another time-invariant buffer (the conservation buffer). The CCB aims to make banks more resilient against imbalances in credit markets and thereby enhance medium-term prospects of the economy—in good times when system-wide risks are growing, the regulators could impose the CCB which would help the banks to withstand losses in bad times.



Powering the Digital Economy: Opportunities and Risks of Artificial Intelligence in Finance

Author : El Bachir Boukherouaa

Publisher : International Monetary Fund

Page : 35 pages

File Size : 14,89 MB

Release : 2021-10-22

Category : Business & Economics

ISBN : 1589063953

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Book Description

This paper discusses the impact of the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in the financial sector. It highlights the benefits these technologies bring in terms of financial deepening and efficiency, while raising concerns about its potential in widening the digital divide between advanced and developing economies. The paper advances the discussion on the impact of this technology by distilling and categorizing the unique risks that it could pose to the integrity and stability of the financial system, policy challenges, and potential regulatory approaches. The evolving nature of this technology and its application in finance means that the full extent of its strengths and weaknesses is yet to be fully understood. Given the risk of unexpected pitfalls, countries will need to strengthen prudential oversight.



Financial sector taxation

Author : [Anonymus AC08741538]

Publisher :

Page : 44 pages

File Size : 29,37 MB

Release : 2010

Category :

ISBN : 9789279187353

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Book Description

"The global economic and financial crisis has created important needs for fiscal consolidation. This document analyses potential instruments to raise additional tax revenues from the financial sector. The first section reviews the current policy objectives related to the taxation of the financial sector. The second section sheds some light on the current tax treatment of the financial sector. The third section discusses potential tax instruments to reach the goals. The fourth and fifth section respectively assess the advantages and drawbacks of a Financial Transaction Tax and a Financial Activities Tax."--Editor.



Taxation and Leverage in International Banking

Author : Ms.Grace Weishi Gu

Publisher : International Monetary Fund

Page : 35 pages

File Size : 39,29 MB

Release : 2012-11-30

Category : Business & Economics

ISBN : 147554068X

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Book Description

This paper explores how corporate taxes affect the financial structure of multinational banks. Guided by a simple theory of optimal capital structure it tests (i) whether corporate taxes induce subsidiary banks to raise their debt-asset ratio in light of the traditional debt bias; and (ii) whether international corporate tax differentials vis-a-vis foreign subsidiary banks affect the intra-bank capital structure through international debt shifting. Using a novel subsidiary-level dataset for 558 commercial bank subsidiaries of the 86 largest multinational banks in the world, we find that taxes matter significantly, through both the traditional debt bias channel and the international debt shifting that is due to the international tax differentials. The latter channel is more robust and tends to be quantitatively more important. Our results imply that taxation causes significant international debt spillovers through multinational banks, which has potentially important implications for tax policy.