Learn, by using a quantitative perspective, how taxes affect the decision-making of businesses and, in turn, how businesses can adjust decisions to affect taxes.
Learn what tax planning is, and what needs to be considered when making decisions with regard to tax planning.
Learn about the recording of taxes in a financial accounting setting.
Learn about the increasing role of tax risk management in businesses.
Enhance understanding of current issues in tax research.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE INFORMATION ABOUT THE TEACHING AND ASSESSMENT METHOD(S) USED IN THIS COURSE IS WITH RESERVATION. THE INFORMATION PROVIDED HERE IS BASED ON THE COURSE SETUP PRIOR TO THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS. AS A CONSEQUENCE OF THE CRISIS, COURSE COORDINATORS MAY BE FORCED TO CHANGE THE TEACHING AND ASSESSMENT METHODS USED. THE MOST UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION ABOUT THE TEACHING/ASSESSMENT METHOD(S) WILL BE AVAILABLE IN THE COURSE SYLLABUS.

Managers of businesses make many different types of decisions (investment decisions, setting compensation contracts, locating foreign operations, financial reporting choices and many more). These decisions can/will be influenced by different types of taxes and different tax outcomes. The aim of this course is to explore the influences that taxation has on these decisions made by management and, in turn, how management can influence taxes by adjusting the decisions they make (tax planning). This course studies these relationships using a quantitative (corporate) finance perspective and using recent academic literature.

Furthermore, this course stresses that it is not only the monetary tax consequences a manager should consider when making decisions, but a manager should consider all tax and non-tax costs of a decision. Next to that a manager should consider the (tax) consequences for all parties involved in or influenced by the decisions as well society at large.

Lastly, this course examines the financial accounting issues that arise due to taxation and how IFRS treats the recording of taxes.

It is stressed that this course does not focus on applying or setting tax laws. The course creates a business framework that is applicable to multiple business decisions and to multiple tax jurisdictions across time.

Textbook: Scholes, Wolfson, Erickson, Hanlon, Maydew & Shevlin (2015). Taxes and Business Strategy: A Planning Approach, 5th Edition, Global Edition, Pearson, Upper Saddle River
A collection of (research) articles on several aspects of taxation.

Intermediate knowledge of (Corporate) Finance
Intermediate knowledge of Financial Accounting
Introductory knowledge of the workings of (international) tax systems (e.g. income tax, corporate tax, dividend tax)