Courses Master Display 2015-2016

Course Description To PDF
Course title Tax Accounting & Finance
Course code EBC4040
ECTS credits 6,5
Assessment Whole/Half Grades
Period
Period Start End Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri
1 31-8-2015 23-10-2015 X X
Level Advanced
Coordinator Rick Kaenen
For more information: r.kaenen@maastrichtuniversity.nl
Language of instruction English
Goals
Learn how taxes affect corporate decision making, and the financial and operational behaviour of firms.
Learn about the interactions between taxes and financial reporting.
Learn when tax planning (in interaction with other factors) is useful to try to minimize taxes.
Learn how and why tax assurance and tax risk management play an increasingly important role in the (tax) management of companies.
Enhance your understanding of current issues in tax research.
Apply your knowledge to specific business situations and tax problems.
Description
The aim of this course is to provide insight into the effects of taxation on the management of firms. Management makes decisions in many different areas, and the impact of taxes on these decisions is the focus of this course. Examples of managerial decisions are, and this is not an exhaustive list, international location decisions, employee compensation, use of tax havens, legal form choice, tax and financial accounting decisions, investment decisions, etc. The variety in managerial decisions mentioned also shows that different forms of taxation have an impact on the management of firms. This course stresses that managers should be aware of the interaction between tax costs and the non-tax costs of managerial decisions. In light of recent changes in (accounting) regulations (IFRS, Sarbanes Oxley, corporate governance codes) companies increasingly focus on tax risk management and tax control instead of tax minimisation.
The course is based on selected chapters from the text book mentioned below, and recent articles highlighting several aspects of tax planning, tax and financial reporting, and/or tax research. The course will not specifically focus on the Dutch tax system, but will have an international focus. The course contents will therefore focus on the general applicability of tax planning and other techniques in multiple jurisdictions, including for example the European Union, the Netherlands and the US."
Literature
Textbook: Scholes, Wolfson, Erickson, Maydew & Shevlin (2008). Taxes and Business Strategy: A Planning Approach, 5th Edition, Pearson, Upper Saddle River
A collection of (research) articles on several aspects of taxation.
Prerequisites
- Intermediate knowledge of (financial) accounting and corporate finance.
- Intermediate knowledge of (international) tax accounting. For bachelor graduates of the UM programmes in Fiscal Economics and/or Tax Law, this knowledge will have been acquired in the course Winst uit Onderneming TAX3004 and either Bedrijfseconomie (FdR) or International Financial Accounting (EBC2056).
- Advanced knowledge of the taxation of companies, for example under the Dutch tax system. Note that the course will have an international focus and will therefore not focus only on the Dutch tax system
Teaching methods (indicative; course manual is definitive) PBL / Presentation / Lecture / Assignment / Groupwork
Assessment methods (indicative; course manual is definitive) Participation / Written Exam
Evaluation in previous academic year For the complete evaluation of this course please click "here"
This course belongs to the following programmes / specialisations
Master Fiscale Economie Compulsory Courses