Tax Haven Use and Related-Party Transactions: Evidence from Australia

Abstract

Related-party transactions (RPTs) and transfer pricing techniques are typically used by multinational enterprises to reduce their tax obligations by shifting the income to zero or to low-tax countries. These techniques have thrived and have emerged as a significant concern for tax authorities. This study investigates the effect of tax haven utilisation on related-party sales pricing in a sample of Australian listed firms. We find that tax haven use is positively and significantly associated with related-party sales pricing. Moreover, we identify a positive and significant interaction between tax havens and earnings management with related-party sales pricing. Ownership concentration and its interaction effect with tax havens are significant predictors of the increased use of related-party sales pricing. Overall, the empirical findings demonstrate that earnings management, a high level of ownership concentration and the use of tax havens are substantial factors that enable firms to obtain tax benefits via the use of RPTs.