578 Making Key Strategic Decisions Tax Savings Corporations in the . pay billions each year in corporate income taxes. M&A activity may create tax savings that would not be possible absent the transaction. While acquisitions made solely to reduce taxes would be disallowed, substantial value may result from tax savings in deals initiated for valid business purposes. We consider the following three ways that tax incentives may motivate acquisition activity: 1. Unused operating losses. 2. Excess debt capacity. 3. Disposition of excess cash. Operating losses can reduce taxes paid, provided that the firm has operating profits in the same period to.
