Our study examines how the uniform rules of FIN 48, which governs accounting for income tax uncertainty, affect the relevance of income tax accounting. By requiring all firms to follow the same recognition and measurement process, the FASB intended FIN 48 to improve the relevance of income tax accounting. However, practitioners argue that reserves reported under FIN 48 lack relevance because they represent liabilities that will never be paid to tax authorities. Consistent with these concerns, we estimate that over a three-year period, only 24 cents of every dollar of reserves unwind via settlements. Moreover, contrary to the FASB's intention, we find no evidence that FIN 48 increased the ability of tax expense to predict future tax cash flows. Rather, we find that the predictive ability of tax expense for future tax cash flows decreases among firms for which FIN 48 is most restrictive. Finally, we find no evidence that investors identify firms for which reserves overstate future tax cash outflows and incorporate this into their valuations. Our results provide evidence that the uniform accounting rules of FIN 48 negatively affect the relevance of income tax accounting. JEL Classifications: H25; M41; M48.

Managers express growing concern over media coverage of corporate taxes, yet no large-sample empirical study examines this phenomenon. As a first step to fill this void, we identify factors associated with the likelihood and negative tone of media tax coverage and examine firms' tax avoidance behavior following media tax coverage. We find the likelihood of media tax coverage is greater for firms with GAAP effective tax rates below the top U.S. statutory rate of 35 percent and for firms with greater visibility. The degree of negative tone is increasing in cash tax avoidance and firm size. We also find evidence of more frequent and more negative tax coverage during economic recessions. We find no evidence that firms reduce their tax avoidance following media coverage. Although our analyses are subject to limitations, our results suggest the media may not have the same influence over corporate tax policy as other external stakeholders. JEL Classifications: H25; H26; H20; M41; G39. Data Availability: Data are available from public sources identified in the paper.

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This study investigates how Internal Revenue Service resources affect the IRS audit process for publicly traded corporations. Using confidential IRS audit data, we examine the effect of IRS resources on the incidence and magnitude of proposed deficiencies and settlement outcomes. We find that IRS resources are positively associated with both the likelihood and magnitude of proposed deficiencies, but negatively associated with the proportion of proposed deficiencies collected. These results are consistent with the IRS focusing on fewer positions, but targeting positions supported by weaker taxpayer facts when resources are more limited. Based on our findings, we estimate the loss in tax collections from audits of LB&I corporate tax returns alone exceeds the savings from reductions in the IRS enforcement budget. This study contributes to the literature examining the strategic game between tax authorities and corporate taxpayers and has important implications for policymakers, particularly in light of recent IRS budget cuts.