n this research repor t we look closely at tax-planning strategies
and the details, or lack thereof, provided by firms in describing them.
From a sample of 34 firms drawn from recent filings with the SEC,
we identify and categorise tax-planning strategies currently being
used. We find that investment-related tax-planning strategies, eg.,
selling appreciated securities or switching tax-exempt securities to
taxable ones are the most common strategy in use, comprising 47
per cent of our sample. Planned sales of other assets comprise 16
per cent and transactions related to sale and leaseback transactions
and other income-acceleration transactions constitute 13 per cent of
the sample. Five percent of the sample each employ a permanent
reinvestment of foreign subsidiary earnings or capitalising R&D costs
for tax purposes. The remaining sample firms use a host of other
miscellaneous practices, including the purchase of replacement
properties, the merging of subsidiaries, or the shifting of entities to
lower tax-rate jurisdictions. Given the general lack of disclosures
obser ved, the FASB may wish to consider requiring more disclosure
of tax-planning strategies by repor ting firms.