Pages: 126-141

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of corporate governance mechanisms on the relationship between ownership structure and social responsibility and tax avoidance of listed companies in Tehran Stock Exchange during 2009-2015. For this aim panel data regression analysis and total of 162 listed companies in the Tehran Stock Exchange were examined during this period. Examining the results in the first hypothesis shows that the corporate governance mechanisms have a significant effect on the relationship between ownership structure and tax avoidance, so that the effect of ownership structure in companies with family and institutional ownership on the effective tax rate (tax avoidance) is negative, but these relationships is reversed in companies with governmental ownership. In addition, involvement of governance mechanisms reverses this relationship. The second hypothesis results suggest that corporate governance criteria have a positive effect on the ownership structure of social responsibility. It means that strategic plan of sample companies in various ownership structures is to participate in social responsibility plans. Finally, examining the third hypothesis indicated that in companies with strong governance structure (such as higher institutional ownership), there is a negative relationship between corporate social responsibility and tax avoidance.