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1 – 10 of over 3000Mohd Allif Anwar Abu Bakar, Mohd Rizal Palil and Ruhanita Maelah
This study examined social media, tax morale, and tax compliance behaviour. Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was utilized to investigate the…
Abstract
This study examined social media, tax morale, and tax compliance behaviour. Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was utilized to investigate the quantitative data gathered from 592 salaried and self-employed taxpayers in East Malaysia, comprising two regions – Sabah and Sarawak. The results showed that social media had no significant effect on tax compliance. There was, however, a significant and negative relationship between social media and tax morale. A significant and positive effect of tax morale on tax compliance was also discovered. The bootstrapping technique indicated that tax morale mediates the association between social media and tax compliance. This research is among the earliest in a developing country to investigate the effect of social media in enhancing tax compliance, thus, contributing to the tax literature with a broader focus.
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William D. Brink and Thomas M. Porcano
The purpose of this study is to develop a comprehensive international tax evasion framework by examining how national cultural variables and economic structural variables impact…
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to develop a comprehensive international tax evasion framework by examining how national cultural variables and economic structural variables impact individuals’ tax morale and tax evasion.
This study uses structural equation modeling (SEM) to simultaneously analyze direct and indirect paths between country-level variables, tax morale, and tax evasion.
The results of this study show that multiple cultural and structural level variables directly impact tax evasion. Further, multiple cultural variables indirectly impacts tax evasion via changing individuals’ tax morale attitudes. In that, higher tax morale leads to lower levels of tax evasion. Finally, the analysis demonstrates that tax morale attitudes and tax evasion levels differ significantly in developed countries versus in-transition or developing countries. In addition, the impact of these cultural variables and economic variables on tax morale and tax evasion differ depending on a country’s economic development.
This study further develops an understanding of how various cultural variables and economic variables impact tax evasion. Such that, some of the variables change tax morale attitudes which impacts tax evasion while other variables impact tax evasive behavior directly. This more holistic model can be used by researchers to further explore tax evasion behavior in an international context.
Policy makers should take note of this study when developing strategies to mitigate tax evasive behavior. Specific country characteristics, such as culture and economic structure, will impact how individuals respond to policy (e.g., new laws or penalties).
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Fadi Alasfour, Martin Samy and Roberta Bampton
This paper investigates how individuals determine their tax morale levels and tax compliance decisions. Using a questionnaire survey and a multivariate tests procedure, the paper…
Abstract
This paper investigates how individuals determine their tax morale levels and tax compliance decisions. Using a questionnaire survey and a multivariate tests procedure, the paper revealed that tax evasion is morally acceptable in Jordan under some circumstances, indeed there could be an affirmative duty to evade taxes since the government is perceived to be highly corrupted. The findings also show that while the extent of the governmental corruption has a positive (negative) effect on tax non-compliance (tax morale), the efficient expenditure of governmental tax revenues has a negative (positive) impact on tax non-compliance (tax morale). The individuals’ tax non-compliance decisions are likewise positively affected by the tax rates and by the taxation system’s being perceived as unjust, but decline with the increase of audit rates and the subsequent penalty rates. The degree and effectiveness of these determinants are dependent on the individual’s level of risk aversion, financial constraints and the surrounding referent groups. The results also confirm that individual factors play a significant role in determining the level of tax morale. Overall, the tax morale level and the compliance decision of an individual are greatly influenced by gender, age, educational level, occupational status and religious background.
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Maria Felice Arezzo, Colin C. Williams, Ioana Alexandra Horodnic and Giuseppina Guagnano
The aim of this paper is to evaluate whether the acceptability of different types of business- and individual-level non-compliance has different impacts on the likelihood of…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to evaluate whether the acceptability of different types of business- and individual-level non-compliance has different impacts on the likelihood of participation in undeclared work.
Design/methodology/approach
To evaluate this, data is reported on the EU27 and the UK from the special Eurobarometer survey no. 498, using a novel statistical methodology that deals with two potential sources of bias: sample selection error (avoidance to answer to the question about participation to undeclared work) and misclassification in the response variable (false statements about engagement in undeclared work).
Findings
This reveals the association between tax morale and participation in undeclared work. It shows that citizens find far more unacceptable undeclared work conducted by firms than individuals, but both are significantly associated with participation in undeclared work although the greatest effect is clearly exerted by individual-level tax morale.
Originality/value
This paper uses a methodology that accounts for the potential bias related to sample selection error and misclassification in the response variable of participation in undeclared work and sheds light on different components of tax morale.
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Richmond Kumi and Richard Kwasi Bannor
The paper aims to examine agrochemical traders’ tax morale in three Ghanaian regions.
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to examine agrochemical traders’ tax morale in three Ghanaian regions.
Design/methodology/approach
Primary data were collected from 92 respondents using structured questionnaires. A multistage sampling technique was employed and used in selecting respondents.. Descriptive statistics, factor analysis and quantile regression analysis were used to analyse data obtained via the questionnaires.
Findings
The study found tax reporting knowledge, tax calculating knowledge and tax payment knowledge to be the keen factors influencing agrochemical traders’ tax knowledge. It was also revealed that age, religion and marriage positively influence the tax morale of traders. Inversely, gender, high level of education and monthly sales were found to affect tax morale negatively. Moreover, trust (respect, trustworthiness and expertise knowledge) negatively influenced tax morale. Authorities’ tax knowledge and power (sanction and lockdown) were revealed to impact tax morale positively. However, tax morale decreases amongst agrochemical traders with higher tax morale when sanction increases.
Originality/value
Unlike previous studies which focussed on tax morale amongst individuals and firms outside the agribusiness sector, this study examined the tax morale within the informal agrochemical trading sector, which has recently attracted colossal patronage due to the high usage of agrochemicals amongst farmers in Africa and Ghana. This study also assumed tax morale to be at different levels; hence the factors that affect the morale at different levels differ. Therefore, the study examined the factors influencing tax morale amongst agrochemical traders by segregating tax morale into quartiles. Relating to theory, the economic deterrence theory was used to ground the study, which is not usually used in most tax morale studies.
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Farah Nabila Md Fadzil and Anna Che Azmi
The purpose of this study is to provide insights into the factors affecting the tax morale of workers in the gig economy. Tax morale is defined as the willingness and motivation…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to provide insights into the factors affecting the tax morale of workers in the gig economy. Tax morale is defined as the willingness and motivation to comply with tax laws.
Design/methodology/approach
Data was collected from gig economy workers through a questionnaire survey and analysed using second-generation multivariate analysis (partial least squares-structural equation modelling).
Findings
The findings reveal that while the extent of the dependency on the gig economy has a positive relationship with tax morale, the level of education has a negative relationship. However, in contrast to reflective moral attentiveness, perceptual moral attentiveness positively influence tax morale.
Originality/value
As no earlier study has examined factors affecting tax morale in the context of the gig economy, this research will be beneficial to tax authorities and policymakers. This study also offers insights into multidimensional aspects of the tax morale of those working in the gig economy.
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Muazu Ibrahim, Alhassan Musah and Abdallah Abdul-Hanan
This paper aims to investigate the determinants of the motivation to pay tax in Ghana. Traditionally, raising tax morale to ensure compliance is often tied to the level of…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate the determinants of the motivation to pay tax in Ghana. Traditionally, raising tax morale to ensure compliance is often tied to the level of prevailing enforcement. But beyond enforcement, why do citizens pay tax?
Design/methodology/approach
This paper relied on the sixth wave of the World Values Survey data in determining the drivers of tax morale. It used the probit model with different specifications to determine robustness of the results.
Findings
The findings remain robust to model specification and show a non-linear relationship between age and tax morale. The level of education, marital status, patriotism, sector of employment, satisfaction with democracy and one’s “fear of God” do not matter in tax morale. The economic class of a person per se is also far from being a significant driver and that people are intrinsically motivated to pay tax once they are satisfied with their financial situation, have trust in the government as well as confidence in the parliament.
Originality/value
In addition to being a pioneering micro-econometric work on the determinants of tax morale in Ghana, the main contribution of the study lies in its investigation of a non-linear relationship between age and tax morale in Ghana.
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James Alm, Jorge Martinez‐Vazque and Benno Torgler
This paper examines citizens' attitudes toward paying taxes – what is sometimes termed their “tax morale” or the intrinsic motivation to pay taxes – focusing on the experience of…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper examines citizens' attitudes toward paying taxes – what is sometimes termed their “tax morale” or the intrinsic motivation to pay taxes – focusing on the experience of individuals in the Russian Federation before, during, and after the transition from a planned socialist economy to a market‐based economy.
Design/methodology/approach
Micro‐level data for Russia from the World Values Survey and the European Values Survey for the years 1991, 1995, and 1999 are used to estimate the determinants of individuals' attitudes toward paying taxes. The data also allow the examination of the evolution of tax morale in the regions of Russia.
Findings
The estimation results show decay in tax morale in the first four years of the transition, and a small recovery in 1999. Significant regional differences in tax morale are also found.
Research limitations/implications
The results are consistent with the relevance of social norms in tax compliance, where the widespread perception of tax evasion and of a corrupt and inefficient state led initially to a decline of tax morale. The results also indicate that the restoration of a higher level of trust in the state, after some progress in the transition to a market economy, positively influenced tax morale.
Practical implications
The results suggest, once tax morale is crowded out, it is difficult for government to raise tax morale very quickly back to previous levels. Doing so requires designing tax systems, tax administrations, and government structures that inspire trust and pride in governmental and legal institutions.
Originality/value
A unique aspect of the analysis is the ability to study tax morale at the individual level before (1991), during (1995), and shortly after (1999) the Russian transition.
Godfred Matthew Yaw Owusu, Mary-Ann Bart-Plange, Theodora Aba Abekah Koomson and Miriam Arthur
This paper aims to explore the relationship among personality traits, tax morale and tax evasion intention of students. Using the five-factor model of personality ratings, this…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the relationship among personality traits, tax morale and tax evasion intention of students. Using the five-factor model of personality ratings, this study hypothesizes that agreeableness, openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion and neuroticism are good predictors of both tax morale and tax evasion intentions of individuals. Further, this paper argues that tax morale correlates negatively with tax evasion intention.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey method was adopted and questionnaires were developed to elicit responses for the study. The study hypotheses were tested structurally using the partial least square-structural equation modelling technique.
Findings
The results of the study demonstrate the existence of a positive and statistically significant relationship between three dimensions of the personality traits (agreeableness, conscientiousness and openness to experience) and tax morale. Consistent with the expectation, the study also finds tax morale to be significant and negatively associated with tax evasion intention.
Research limitations/implications
This study concludes from the findings that improving the tax morale of individuals could be an important way by which tax authorities can improve voluntary tax compliance and reduce the incidence of tax evasion by individuals.
Originality/value
The study uses all the dimensions of the five-factor model to examine the tax evasion intention of individuals. It also contributes to the theoretical literature by highlighting the mediating role of tax morale in the relationship between personality traits and tax evasion intention from an African perspective.
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The purpose of this paper is to conduct a systematic review of the factors that shape tax morale. A large range of random explanatory variables identified in the literature as…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to conduct a systematic review of the factors that shape tax morale. A large range of random explanatory variables identified in the literature as determinants of tax morale are synthesised and structured by drawing inspiration from the institutional theory.
Design/methodology/approach
To do this, a systematic search has been conducted using a library catalogue which provides access to more than 400 databases.
Findings
The finding is that the institutional theory provides a suitable theoretical basis to explore tax morale. Indeed, all the factors until now identified as determinants of tax morale (except the control variables/socio-demographic characteristics) can be categorised either as belonging to formal institutions or to informal institutions. The most salient factor is trust, with both vertical and horizontal trust positively related to tax morale.
Research limitations/implications
The outcome is a call for a more nuanced understanding of not only the effect of formal and informal institutions on tax morale but also how formal and informal institutions interact and alter each other and, consequently, affect tax morale.
Practical implications
The paper seeks to encourage governments to start recognising that as low tax morale arises when a gap exists between formal and informal institutions, they need to design policy measures aimed to reduce this gap, rather than persisting with deterrence measures.
Originality/value
This is the first systematic review of the factors that influence tax morale using an institutionalist lens.
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