Nesta pesquisa foram analisados os riscos tributários relacionados à conformidade tributária paulista concernente ao ICMS. Para obter dados em profundidade com vistas a alcançar o objetivo da pesquisa, utilizou-se de um estudo de caso de uma indústria que implantou um gerenciamento de riscos tributários, até então inexistente. Através de entrevistas e observações realizadas no ambiente da empresa, foi possível delinear os processos e procedimentos pertinentes ao ICMS paulista, e socorrendo-se à metodologia sugerida pelo Committee of Sponsoring Organization of the Treadway Commission (COSO) para o gerenciamento de riscos, identificou-se os seus componentes. O gerenciamento de riscos tributários foi analisado, buscou-se identificar e avaliar os riscos e os fatores que os desencadeiam, descrever as atividades de controle e as respostas aos riscos implantadas que causam impacto nos custos de conformidade tributária. Avaliou-se as metodologias de natureza quantitativa e qualitativa de mensuração de riscos, e foram encontrados pontos fracos e fortes em ambas as metodologias. Observou-se que a percepção da empresa sobre os riscos tributários não possui completa aderência com a avaliação quantitativa. Os recursos humanos foram identificados como o fator de risco mais relevante dentro do ambiente da empresa investigada. Verificou-se também que ao estabelecer as atividades de controle e resposta aos riscos tributários, incorre-se em uma elevação nos custos de conformidade tributária, mas este impacto é mitigado pela redução à exposição dos riscos tributários. / In this research were analyzed the tax risks for São Paulo tax compliance related to the ICMS. To get data in depth in order to achieve the objective of the present research, it was used a case study of an industry that has implemented a management of tax risks, which didnt exist until then. Through interviews and observations implemented in the environment of the company, it was possible to outline the processes and procedures related to ICMS of São Paulo, and being helped by the methodology suggested by the Committee of Sponsoring Organization of the Treadway Commission (COSO) for the management of risks, its components were identified. The management of tax risks was analyzed, it was tried to identify and to assess the risks and factors that trigger them, describe the implemented activities of control and the responses to the tax risks that impact on the tax compliance costs. The quantitative and qualitative methodologies of risk measurement were evaluated, and were found strengths and weaknesses in both methodologies. It was observed that the perception of the company on the tax risks has no complete adherence with the quantitative evaluation. The human resources were identified as being the most relevant risk factor within the environment of the investigated company. It was also found that while establishing the control activities and response to the tax risks, it incurs an increase in the tax compliance costs, but this impact is mitigated by the reduction to the exposure of tax risks.

This thesis employs Bourdieu's theory of practice to explore small immigrant business owners' adaptation to the host country's income tax system. In doing this, the thesis applies a sociological perspective in the theorizing and study of their tax compliance behaviour. Drawing on a survey (N=101) and in-depth interviews (N=27) with Bangladeshi family business owners and their tax advisers in the UK, this thesis demonstrates that immigrant business owners' engagement with the host country's tax system is grounded in the sociocultural status they inherit from their country of origin, even though their social class positions in the new society unconsciously condition and impact on how they practise tax compliance. Findings suggest that the power relations inherent in the tax professional-taxpayer relationship act as a critical factor in the reproduction and transformation of immigrant business owners' moral disposition towards compliance with tax laws. The thesis argues that the ways small Bangladeshi family business owners think, feel and act in their approach to tax compliance is likely to differ not only from those of native business communities but also from those of other immigrant communities in the UK.

A constructive, highly professional relationship between tax authorities and taxpayers is essential for tax compliance. The aim of the present paper was to explore systematically the determinants of this relationship and related tax compliance behaviors based on the extended slippery slope framework. We used in-depth qualitative interviews with 33 self-employed taxpayers and 30 tax auditors. Interviewees described the relationship along the extended slippery slope framework concepts of power and trust. However, also novel sub-categories of power (e.g., setting deadlines) and trust (e.g., personal assistance) were mentioned. Furthermore, also little-studied categories of tax behavior emerged, such as accepting tax behavior, e.g., being available to the tax authorities, or stalling tax behavior, e.g., the intentional creation of complexity. The results comprehensively summarize the determinants of the tax relationship and tax compliance behaviors. Additionally, results highlight future research topics and provide insights for policy strategies.

The purpose of this dissertation is to identify the impact of moral emotions (sympathy and empathy) and religious education on individual behavior. This dissertation is divided into three main chapters. The first chapter examines the effect of sympathy and empathy on tax compliance. We run a series of experiments in which we employ methods such as priming, the Davis Empathic Concern scale, and questions about frequency of prosocial behaviors in the past year in order to promote and to identify empathy and sympathy in subjects. We observe the subjects’ decisions in a series of one-shot tax compliance game presented at once and with no immediate feedback. Our results suggest that the presence and/or the promotion of sympathy in most cases encourage tax compliance. The second chapter takes into consideration religious schooling as a way of helping the development of religiosity or morality on individuals. Our intent is to investigate the effect of religious education on charitable donations in adulthood. Our empirical analysis is based on data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics dataset. Our estimation results indicate that there is a positive effect of religious education on donations to secular and religious organizations. The third chapter explores the hypothesis that sympathetic individuals are more likely to support income redistribution because they believe that the poor may benefit from this policy. We use data from the General Social Survey to estimate support for income distribution. Our results suggest that some measures of sympathy have a positive effect on support for redistribution. Across all three main chapters, we find that sympathy has mostly small and positive effects on the types of behavior examined in this dissertation, although we are not able to determine the impact of religious education on charitable donations. Despite the sometimes weak results of this research caused by the limitations of the available data and the complexity of the issues studied, we believe that the development of these moral emotions is likely to generate benefits to society.

The aim of this thesis is to understand tax compliance decisions made by corporate SMEs in Uganda. The study draws on compliance models developed in other settings and explores their applicability in the Ugandan context using mixed methods. Firstly, the study investigates the roles played by tax fairness, trust in government and the URA, and the effects of audits and sanctions in influencing compliance . Secondly, the study explores the direct and indirect roles played by social norms in terms of influencing tax compliance among SMEs . Lastly, the study assesses the effects of corruption on compliance behaviour among SMEs. Survey and semi-structured interview data were collected concurrently. A survey was used to collect data from a total of 386 corporate SME owners and managers from Kampala Capital City Authority and the central and eastern regions. In addition, interviews were conducted with 26 corporate SME owners and managers about their perceptions of corporate tax system fairness in Uganda. The results, unlike those of other studies, show that corporate SME taxpayers are willing to pay their corporate taxes once they have put their trust in the government and tax authorities, even when the tax system is unfair. Also, audit probability and sanctions might not encourage corporate SMEs to comply with corporate tax rules. However, when URA is perceived as powerful where tax officers are able to discover tax non-compliance and impose severe sanctions, SME firms could be motivated to pay taxes due to the government. Importantly, corruption within the URA and the bureaucratic system of Uganda has a negative impact on tax fairness, which triggers corporate tax evasion. Indeed, I have identified four types of corruption that appear to have different impacts on attitudes towards compliance. Also, the results show that day-to-day tax compliance decisions made by corporate SMEs have more direct influence on corporate SMEs’ tax (non)compliance behaviour than ethical values do. However, SMEs’ willingness to comply is affected by how people who are close to each taxpayer think. Overall, the thesis advances scholarship by demonstrating that the Slippery Slope Framework does not hold in Uganda and that different types of social norm impact compliance differently. Corruption is identified as an important differentiating feature when compared to studies in developed countries.

Nesta pesquisa foram analisados os riscos tributários relacionados à conformidade tributária paulista concernente ao ICMS. Para obter dados em profundidade com vistas a alcançar o objetivo da pesquisa, utilizou-se de um estudo de caso de uma indústria que implantou um gerenciamento de riscos tributários, até então inexistente. Através de entrevistas e observações realizadas no ambiente da empresa, foi possível delinear os processos e procedimentos pertinentes ao ICMS paulista, e socorrendo-se à metodologia sugerida pelo Committee of Sponsoring Organization of the Treadway Commission (COSO) para o gerenciamento de riscos, identificou-se os seus componentes. O gerenciamento de riscos tributários foi analisado, buscou-se identificar e avaliar os riscos e os fatores que os desencadeiam, descrever as atividades de controle e as respostas aos riscos implantadas que causam impacto nos custos de conformidade tributária. Avaliou-se as metodologias de natureza quantitativa e qualitativa de mensuração de riscos, e foram encontrados pontos fracos e fortes em ambas as metodologias. Observou-se que a percepção da empresa sobre os riscos tributários não possui completa aderência com a avaliação quantitativa. Os recursos humanos foram identificados como o fator de risco mais relevante dentro do ambiente da empresa investigada. Verificou-se também que ao estabelecer as atividades de controle e resposta aos riscos tributários, incorre-se em uma elevação nos custos de conformidade tributária, mas este impacto é mitigado pela redução à exposição dos riscos tributários. / In this research were analyzed the tax risks for São Paulo tax compliance related to the ICMS. To get data in depth in order to achieve the objective of the present research, it was used a case study of an industry that has implemented a management of tax risks, which didnt exist until then. Through interviews and observations implemented in the environment of the company, it was possible to outline the processes and procedures related to ICMS of São Paulo, and being helped by the methodology suggested by the Committee of Sponsoring Organization of the Treadway Commission (COSO) for the management of risks, its components were identified. The management of tax risks was analyzed, it was tried to identify and to assess the risks and factors that trigger them, describe the implemented activities of control and the responses to the tax risks that impact on the tax compliance costs. The quantitative and qualitative methodologies of risk measurement were evaluated, and were found strengths and weaknesses in both methodologies. It was observed that the perception of the company on the tax risks has no complete adherence with the quantitative evaluation. The human resources were identified as being the most relevant risk factor within the environment of the investigated company. It was also found that while establishing the control activities and response to the tax risks, it incurs an increase in the tax compliance costs, but this impact is mitigated by the reduction to the exposure of tax risks.

This dissertation comprises three essays that examine critical aspects of fiscal policy and explores important determinants of tax compliance in a developing country context. The first essay examines the fiscal response to changes in debt-to-GDP for a panel of developing countries. Our empirical strategy adopts a dynamic difference generalized methods of moments (DGMM) model with forward orthogonal deviation. We find a positive and significant response for the primary balance and ‘fiscal effort’ to changes in debt-to-GDP. For the fiscal components, we find a positive relationship between debt-to-GDP and general and tax revenues, and a negative relationship with primary spending. We also find evidence of nonlinearities, with countries making larger increases in the primary balance and fiscal effort at higher levels of debt, largely driven by increases in revenues. Higher income countries demonstrate a greater propensity to adjust along the revenue margins, compared to lower income countries. This might be indicative of systemic revenue mobilization challenges facing the latter. The second essay examines the effect of the provision of taxpayer services on filing and payment of the corporate income tax (CIT) and general consumption tax (GCT) for large taxpayers in Jamaica. We use a regression discontinuity design (RDD) that exploits an exogenous jump in the intensity of taxpayer service delivery, which occurs when a taxpayer reaches gross receipts of J$500 million (US$5.7 million) and is selected into the large taxpayer office (LTO). The results indicate null effects for the CIT but positive filing and payment compliance effects for the GCT. The contrasting results for the CIT and GCT may be due to the relatively weaker legal enforcement framework of the former. The results provide suggestive evidence of a complementarity between the strength of the legal enforcement framework of the taxing regime and the provision of taxpayer services. In the third essay we implement public goods messaging experiments to examine the effects on personal income tax (PIT) compliance among self-employed individuals in Jamaica. In the first sub-experiment we examine the effect of the standard public goods message on payment of quarterly PIT obligations. In the second sub-experiment we focus on payment of PIT arrears and expand the message context to include a variant of the standard public goods message – which provides additional information on actual spending on key public goods and services. The compliance outcomes in sub-experiment two relate to established PIT delinquencies, compared to sub-experiment one where there is no legal obligation to comply. We find that the standard public goods message had no effect on compliance with quarterly PIT payments in sub-experiment one. However results from sub-experiment two indicate positive compliance effects from the standard and augmented public goods messages on the probability of making a payment and the amount of PIT arrears paid after nineteen weeks. Point estimates from the standard and augmented public goods messages are not statistically different for any of the outcomes examined; suggesting that additional information on public spending allocations does not matter.

This study seeks to understand specific factors that are pertinent to individuals when making a use-tax compliance decision and to test a remedy to improve use-tax compliance. This study investigates use-tax compliance using a three-step approach. The first step involved building a survey to determine potential salient beliefs that are pertinent to individuals when facing a use-tax compliance decision. Results of the initial survey reveal that the effort of complying with the use tax, potential revenue to the state if the individual complies, fairness of the use tax, monetary concerns of the individual, perceived knowledge of the use tax, and social influences were the most mentioned factors contributing to individuals when making a use tax compliance decisions. The second step in this study develops a model, based on the Theory of Planned Behavior, incorporating these salient beliefs. Results indicate that most of the salient beliefs identified in the survey were correlated to an individual's attitude. Finally, the third step involved testing two remedies. The first remedy gave the individual the option to have the website automatically collect the use tax due. The second examined remedy provided information to the participant regarding the use tax. Results indicated that the effort remedy developed, having the website give the individual the choice whether the website will automatically collect the tax, does improve the likelihood the individual will comply with the use tax. In addition, results also show compliance improves if participants are given information regarding the use tax.

Taxation has become one of the most important concepts in the everyday lives of millions of taxpayers in South Africa. Not only does SARS require each and every employee to be registered as taxpayer but people are more and more reliant on the money in their pocket for everyday survival. Taxpayers want to know why they pay taxes, how the taxes deducted from their income is calculated and what the government is doing with such taxes deducted from the taxpayers. It would thus be for the benefit of both taxpayer and SARS to provide taxpayers in South Africa with a basic form of tax education to provide them with knowledge regarding how the tax system works. School-going children are the future taxpayers of South Africa and therefore it is deemed the most effective place to educate such future taxpayers about taxation. This will allow South African taxpayers to have a basic knowledge on their tax affairs as well as to make informed decisions about their tax affairs. Increasing the level of the taxpayer’s knowledge about taxes will lead to an increase in the attitude of taxpayers about their tax affairs. This will result in an increase in the level of the country’s tax compliance rate and ultimately resulting in the overall increase in the income basis of the South African government. AFRIKAANS : Belasting is besig om een van die mees belangrikste konsepte in die allerdaagse lewe van miljoene belastingpligtiges in Suid-Afrika te word. Nie net alleen vereis die SAID dat ieder en elke werknemer vir belasting geregistreer word nie maar belastingpligtiges raak al hoe meer afhanklik van die geld in hulle sak vir allerdaagse oorlewing. Belastingpligtiges wil weet waarom hulle belasting betaal, hoe die belasting wat hulle betaal bereken word en hoe die belasting wat hulle betaal deur die Suid-Afrikaanse regering spandeer word. Dit sal dus vir beide die belastingbetaler sowel as vir die SAID voordelig wees dat belastingpligtiges in Suid-Afrika ‘n basiese opleiding in die veld van belasting ontvang ten einde hulle te voorsien van kennis rondom die belastingstelsel van Suid-Afrika. Skoolgaande kinders is die toekomstige belastingpligtiges van die land en dit word geag die mees effektiewe plek te wees om die toekomstige belastingpligtiges te onderrig rakende die onderwerp van belasting. Dit sal alle Suid-Afrikaanse belastingpligtiges toerus met ‘n basiese vlak van kennis rakende hulle belastingsake en om hulle in staat te stel om ingeligte besluite te maak rondom hulle belastingsake. Deur dus die vlak van kennis van belastingpligtiges te verhoog, sal dit lei tot ‘n verhoging in die algehele gesindheid van die belastingpligtiges rondom hulle belastingsake. Dit sal verder lei tot ‘n verhoging in die land se belastingnakomingskoers wat dan uiteindelik sal lei tot ‘n verhoging in die inkomste basis van die Suid-Afrikaanse regering. / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Taxation / unrestricted

Many tax authorities across the globe, including South Africa, continuously develop new methods to maximise tax collection and rely on taxpayers' voluntary tax compliance. Prior tax compliance studies confirm that taxpayers' tax morale is influenced by various economic, non-economic and social factors. However, limited research has been conducted on the effects of tax morale on tax compliance in the mining industry in South Africa. The objective of this study is to determine the factors that influence tax morale in the mining industry, and to determine the perceived effects of tax morale on tax compliance in the mining industry. The current study reports the results of a survey conducted amongst South African taxpayers in the mining industry. The survey contained a structured and open-ended questionnaire, which was sent to the participants via email. The findings show that the majority of the participants in this study are not happy with most of the public services they receive from government. They were of the opinion that corruption and waste in our government is high, and that a large proportion of collected tax is wasted on unnecessary expenses. Further to this, the majority of participants indicated that government does not share sufficient information on how it is spending collected revenue. However, a large proportion of participants believe that paying their fair share of taxes is the right thing to do, as it is required by law. These participants indicated that tax evasion is not acceptable and every taxpayer must pay their fair share of taxes when it is due and required. This study found that the complexity of tax law, fairness and equity, direct democracy, role and efficiency of tax officials, trust in government, as well as tax audit and tax compliance cost have an impact on taxpayers in the mining industry's tax morale. Tax audit is perceived to have both a positive and negative influence on these taxpayers' tax morale. However, various economic and noneconomic factors identified in existing literature as influential on taxpayers' tax compliance were not found to have an influence on taxpayers in the South African mining industry. This may be due to the fact that the majority of the participants indicated that they pay taxes due on behalf of the company to comply with the tax law and other regulations that govern the mining sector. / Mini Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Taxation / MCom / Unrestricted