Sharing the Dividend Tax Credit Pie: The Influence of Individual Investors on Ex-Dividend Day Returns

Ainsworth, Andrew; Lee, Adrian D.

doi:10.2139/ssrn.3922410

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Sharing the Dividend Tax Credit Pie: The Influence of Individual Investors on Ex-Dividend Day Returns

Journal of Financial Markets, Forthcoming

43 Pages Posted: 14 Sep 2021 Last revised: 14 Jun 2022

See all articles by Andrew Ainsworth

Andrew Ainsworth

University of Wollongong - School of Accounting, Economics & Finance

Adrian D. Lee

Deakin University - Department of Finance (Property and Real Estate)

Date Written: June 6, 2022

Abstract

Taxes create distortions in financial markets. A tax credit attached to dividend payments in Australia creates a wedge in valuations as it can be utilized only by certain investors. Individual investors, who benefit most from the credit, buy aggressively cum-dividend and sell aggressively ex-dividend, demanding liquidity from institutional investors. Stocks with higher net purchases by individual investors operating through discount brokers in the cum-dividend period have exday returns that are 25 bps lower. The tax distortion allows individual investors to capture the tax credit and institutional investors to increase trading profits. Individual investor trading influences ex-dividend pricing.

Keywords: dividend clienteles, individual investors, ex-dividend day premium, order choice

JEL Classification: G11, G14, G23

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Ainsworth, Andrew and Lee, Adrian D., Sharing the Dividend Tax Credit Pie: The Influence of Individual Investors on Ex-Dividend Day Returns (June 6, 2022). Journal of Financial Markets, Forthcoming, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3922410 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3922410