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Power, justice, and trust: A moderated mediation analysis of tax compliance among Ethiopian business owners

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  • Gobena, Lemessa Bayissa
  • Van Dijke, Marius

Abstract

We explored the moderating roles of legitimate and coercive power held by the tax authority in the relationship between procedural justice, trust in the tax authority, and voluntary tax compliance. Drawing from fairness heuristic theory and the slippery slope framework of tax compliance, we predicted that procedural justice fosters voluntary tax compliance, particularly when legitimate power of the tax authority is low and when coercive power of the authority is high. Moreover, we predicted that these interactive effects are mediated by (cognition-based) trust. Finally, we predicted that coercive power of the tax authority is positively related with enforced tax compliance. The results of a field study among Ethiopian business owners supported most predictions. This research is among the first to integrate social–psychological and deterrence-related factors to understand tax compliance behavior in a developing country.

Suggested Citation

  • Gobena, Lemessa Bayissa & Van Dijke, Marius, 2016. "Power, justice, and trust: A moderated mediation analysis of tax compliance among Ethiopian business owners," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 24-37.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joepsy:v:52:y:2016:i:c:p:24-37
    DOI: 10.1016/j.joep.2015.11.004
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    Cited by:

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    2. Jonathan Farrar & Steven E. Kaplan & Linda Thorne, 2019. "The Effect of Interactional Fairness and Detection on Taxpayers’ Compliance Intentions," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 154(1), pages 167-180, January.
    3. Aktaş Güzel, Sonnur & Özer, Gökhan & Özcan, Murat, 2019. "The effect of the variables of tax justice perception and trust in government on tax compliance: The case of Turkey," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 80-86.
    4. Bilal Hassan, 2024. "Workplace democracy and democratic legitimacy in Europe," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 45(2), pages 389-414, May.
    5. Siglé, Maarten & Goslinga, Sjoerd & Speklé, Roland & van der Hel, Lisette & Veldhuizen, Robbert, 2018. "Corporate tax compliance: Is a change towards trust-based tax strategies justified?," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 3-16.
    6. Vanina Adoriana Trifan & Silviu Gabriel Szentesi & Lavinia Denisia Cuc & Mioara Florina Pantea, 2023. "Assessing Tax Compliance Behavior Among Romanian Taxpayers: An Empirical Case Study," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(3), pages 21582440231, September.
    7. Zhifeng Chen & Haiming Hang & Weisha Wang, 2024. "COVID-19 Policy Actions, Trust in Government and Tax Compliance Intentions: A Study of the British Self-Employment Income Support Scheme," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 193(2), pages 441-458, August.
    8. Georgia Kaplanoglou & Vassilis T. Rapanos & Nikolaos Daskalakis, 2016. "Tax compliance behaviour during the crisis: the case of Greek SMEs," European Journal of Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 42(3), pages 405-444, December.
    9. YoungRok Kim & Hongyu Wan, 2022. "The effect of fairness on tax morale in South Korea: a framed question approach," International Review of Economics, Springer;Happiness Economics and Interpersonal Relations (HEIRS), vol. 69(1), pages 103-123, March.
    10. Siglé, Maarten A. & Goslinga, Sjoerd & Speklé, Roland F. & van der Hel, Lisette E.C.J.M., 2022. "The cooperative approach to corporate tax compliance: An empirical assessment," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 46(C).
    11. Maria Kostritsa & Inken Sittler, 2017. "The Impact of Social Norms, Trust, and Fairness on Voluntary Tax Compliance in Austria," Management, University of Primorska, Faculty of Management Koper, vol. 12(4), pages 333-353.
    12. Frecknall-Hughes, Jane & Gangl, Katharina & Hofmann, Eva & Hartl, Barbara & Kirchler, Erich, 2023. "The influence of tax authorities on the employment of tax practitioners: Empirical evidence from a survey and interview study," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    13. Gobena, Lemessa Bayissa & Van Dijke, Marius, 2017. "Fear and caring: Procedural justice, trust, and collective identification as antecedents of voluntary tax compliance," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 1-16.
    14. Mardhiah Mardhiah & Riyana Miranti & Robert Tanton, 2019. "The Slippery Slope Framework: Extending the Analysis by Investigating Factors Affecting Trust and Power," CESifo Working Paper Series 7494, CESifo.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Procedural justice; Trust; Legitimate power; Coercive power; Voluntary tax compliance;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H26 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Tax Evasion and Avoidance

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