Overconfident CEOs, Corporate Social Responsibility & Tax Avoidance: Evidence from China

CEO overconfidence is a significant factor in corporate decisions. We investigate whether CEO overconfidence affects the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and tax avoidance using a dataset of Chinese listed companies. We find that firms with higher CSR scores avoid paying more taxes. This relationship is moderated, however, by CEO overconfidence. While firms with higher CSR scores avoid more taxes on average, those led by overconfident CEOs avoid less. We contend that overconfident CEOs are less likely to use CSR strategically to mitigate risk. Our conclusion stands up to a battery of sensitivity tests, including the use of CSR subdimensions.