In view of these points, this paper seeks to develop a valuation model for the purposes of simultaneously optimising the level of debt, the level and type of dividends, and the level of “externally-financed” investment.The model must recognise significant real-world features that are relevant to optimising each of these policies and must also be readily amenable to implementation. The essential features of the model are as follows.
Firstly, consistent with standard practice in evaluating investment projects, the model is of the multi-period DCF form with a risk-adjusted discount rate of theWACC form, and therefore allows for bankruptcy costs exante through the cost of debt. Secondly, consistent with the importance of personal taxes to optimal debt and dividend policy, the model recognises that tax rates on personal income differ across both investors and forms of income, allows for the deferral option on capital gains tax by reducing the effective tax rate, and considers both classical and dividend imputation tax systems.Thirdly, the model recognises that the level of dividends and interest affects the need for share issues, with their associated share issue costs (which discourages
dividends and interest beyond the point at which share issues are induced). Fourthly, the model recognises that the level of dividends and interest affects the level of “internally-financed” investment, which may have negative NPV (and which encourages dividends and interest up to point at which such investment is avoided).
Clearly, there are other aspects of debt and dividend policy that are not readily capable of being incorporated into this analysis, most particularly relating to agency issues and asymmetric information. So,our results are subject to that caveat. The paper commences by optimising dividend and debt policy for a given level of “externally-financed” investment, and then goes on to consider the implications of optimal
debt and dividend policy for the level of such investment.