Book-tax Differences, ESG Performance, and Acquisition Efficiency
Sophia Liu/Department of Accounting, National Taiwan University
Audrey WenHsin Hsu/Department of Accounting, National Taiwan University
Abstract
We investigate the effect of the target's book-tax differences on acquisition efficiency (performance) in the acquisition process. Using international data across 32 countries, the results indicate that larger book-tax differences of the target are associated with lower acquisition efficiency. Besides, we find that the adverse impact of the target’s large firm-specific book-tax differences on acquisition efficiency is reduced when the target demonstrates superior environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance. The interaction effect suggests that ESG performance helps acquirers reduce information asymmetry and risk and facilitates the acquisition process. Overall, our findings suggest that while the acquisition efficiency is adversely affected by the target's firm-specific book-tax differences, ESG performance can help mitigate information asymmetry and the concerns of the acquirer regarding uncertainties associated with the target.
Keywords
Mergers and acquisitionsBook-tax differencesNonfinancial informationESG
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