The Citigroup, Inc. and American International Group, Inc. disclosures that opened this research report
demonstrate the importance of tax-planning strategies to the assessment of a need for a valuation allowance
against deferred tax assets. Yet, the importance of these strategies notwithstanding, many firms identify the
availability of tax-planning strategies but do not disclose what they are. Analysts and investors are left to wonder.
In this research report we review tax-planning strategies to better determine what disclosures are being
provided about the strategies and to summarise what specific strategies are being used. We find that the
practice of most firms is not to describe the tax-planning strategies that they reference in their tax notes. Our
10-K searches identified only 34 firms that both discussed tax planning strategies and also described them. Firms
that identify sufficient tax planning strategies, whether or not they describe them, can reduce or avoid recording
valuation allowances against their deferred tax assets. By so doing, both earnings and shareholders’ equity are
increased.