European Financial Management, Vol. 11, No. 4, 2005, 453–461 A Reconsideration of Tax Shield Valuation Enrique R. Arzac and Lawrence R. Glosten* 623 Uris Hall, Graduate School of Business, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA. email:
[email protected];
[email protected] Abstract A quarter-century ago, Miles and Ezzell (1980) solved the valuation problem of a firm that follows a constant leverage ratio L ¼ D/S. However, to this day, the proper discounting of free cash flows and the computation of WACC are often misunderstood by scholars and practitioners alike. For example, it is common for textbooks and fairness opinions to discount free cash flows at WACC with beta input bS ¼ [1 þ (1 À t)L]bu, although the latter is not consistent with the assump- tion of constant leverage. This confusion extends to the valuation of tax shields and the proper implementation of adjusted present value procedures. In this paper, we derive a general result on the value of tax shields, obtain the correct value of tax shields for perpetuities, and state the correct valuation formulas for arbitrary cash flows under a constant leverage financial policy. Keywords: tax shield valuation; WACC; APV; cost of capital; leveraged beta. JEL classifications: G13, G30, G31, G32, G33 1. A General Result on the Value of Tax Shields under Constant Leverage In their classic work, Modigliani and Miller (1963) show that when the firm maintains a constant level of debt D and pays a tax rate t, the value of the tax shield is VTS ¼ tD. How to value the tax shield in the more interesting case in which the firm maintains a constant leverage ratio is a matter of contention.