Geared Equity Investments: A Case Study of Tax Arbitrage Down Under

Abstract

Geared Equity Investment (GEI) contracts are an over-the-counter financial derivative product offered by Macquarie Bank, Ltd, to individual investors in Australia and New Zealand as a managed-risk investment in local shares carrying significant tax shield benefits. Upon issuance, a geared equity contract has three stakeholders: (1) the investor; (2) the issuer; and (3) the national tax authority. We assess the value of these contracts to each stakeholder and their support for tax arbitrage. We find that the national tax authority provides a significant subsidy to GEI contracts via tax shield benefits. These benefits support investor tax arbitrage in certain cases and issuer tax arbitrage in all cases examined. © 2003, SAGE Publications. All rights reserved.