The relationship between tax uncertainty and trade credit: firm-level evidence from the United States

We examine whether firms' tax uncertainty affect their trade credit and inventory investment policies. Using a measure of tax uncertainty based on an accounting reserve for contingent tax liability, we find that tax uncertainty is negatively associated with trade credit use and inventory investment. In terms of economic significance, the effect of tax uncertainty on trade credit use is comparable to those of the firm's cash flow and leverage. Overall, our findings highlight a new channel through which tax planning policies affect corporate decisions and show that the firm's tax planning policies are important determinants of its trade credit use and inventory investment. Our results are robust to different empirical specifications and tests.