Robert Halperin (University of Illinois, College of Business) & Richard C. Sansing (Dartmouth, Tuck School of Business) have posted Is the Effective Tax Rate an Effective Performance Measure? on SSRN. Here is the abstract:
This paper examines the properties of the effective tax rate (ETR) as a measure of managerial tax planning effectiveness using a principal-agent model. ETR is calculated as Tax Expense (computed pursuant to SFAS No. 109) divided by Income Before Taxes. The changes in ETR due to the agent’s actions are systematically different from the changes in the principal’s tax burden. These differences suggest that ETR is an ineffective measure of the agent’s performance.



