The Effect of Value Chain Efficiency on Tax Avoidance, Cash Flows, and Shareholders Wealth

Companies with the most efficient value chain thus address success factors and engage less in tax avoidance. This study investigated the effect of value chain efficiency on tax avoidance, shareholder wealth, and cash flows, and then delineated the impact of tax avoidance on shareholder wealth. Moreover, the impact of two key characteristics, company size and debt ratio, on tax avoidance was assessed. The statistical population included the companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange, Iran, of which 142 cases were selected as the study samples by screening, and investigated within an 11-year period (2011-2021). The results demonstrated that value chain efficiency has a negative effect on tax avoidance, but a positive impact on shareholder wealth and cash flows. On the other hand, tax avoidance does not influence shareholder wealth, but increases cash flows. Besides, company size has a positive effect on tax avoidance, whereas debt ratio reduces it. According to the results, the synergy of value-creating activities improves operational results by increasing cash flows and also improving the market value of the company. On the other hand, companies that have a more efficient and favorable value chain are less involved in tax avoidance. From a practical point of view, based on the results, tax avoidance cannot be considered a policy aimed at misleading the real value of the company's shares, and managers, investors, and analysts can make better decisions by relying on the operational and non-operational capabilities of the value chain that actually lead to wealth creation.