Financial Sector Debt Bias

Financial Sector Debt Bias
ISBN-10
1475554133
ISBN-13
9781475554137
Category
Business & Economics
Pages
38
Language
English
Published
2016-11-15
Publisher
International Monetary Fund
Authors
Alexander F. Tieman, Ms.Oana Luca

Description

Most tax systems create a tax bias toward debt finance. Such debt bias increases leverage and may negatively affect financial stability. This paper models and estimates debt bias in the financial sector, and present novel estimates for investment banks and non-bank financial intermediaries such as finance and insurance companies. We find debt bias to be pervasive, explaining as much as 10 percent of total leverage for regular banks and 20 percent for investment banks, with the effects most pronounced before the global financial crisis. Going forward, debt bias is likely to once again gain prominence as a key driver of leverage decisions, underscoring the importance of policy reform at this juncture.

Similar books