IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/jbuset/v146y2017i4d10.1007_s10551-016-3037-6.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

An Examination of Ethical Influences on the Work of Tax Practitioners

Author

Listed:
  • Jane Frecknall-Hughes

    (Hull University Business School)

  • Peter Moizer

    (University of Leeds)

  • Elaine Doyle

    (University of Limerick)

  • Barbara Summers

    (University of Leeds)

Abstract

As a contribution to the continuing debate about tax practitioner ethics, this paper explores the main streams of Western ethical thought that are relevant to tax practitioners’ work, most typically deontology and consequentialism (although virtue ethics and distributive justice are also considered). It then goes on to consider the impact of such ethical influences on the professional ethical codes of conduct that govern tax practitioners’ work (with specific reference to the UK and Ireland), and attempts to unravel the complex work and ethical environment of the practice of tax in terms of tax compliance and tax avoidance. The paper then examines the prior studies on tax practitioners and ethics and the type of dilemmas that practitioners face in the context of their work. The paper proceeds to examine empirically the extent to which tax practitioners take a consequentialist versus a deontological approach in their reasoning about moral dilemmas. This is carried out by an innovative use of the Defining Issues Test.

Suggested Citation

  • Jane Frecknall-Hughes & Peter Moizer & Elaine Doyle & Barbara Summers, 2017. "An Examination of Ethical Influences on the Work of Tax Practitioners," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 146(4), pages 729-745, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:146:y:2017:i:4:d:10.1007_s10551-016-3037-6
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-016-3037-6
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10551-016-3037-6
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10551-016-3037-6?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Longenecker, Justin G. & McKinney, Joseph A. & Moore, Carlos W., 1989. "The generation gap in business ethics," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 32(5), pages 9-14.
    2. Elaine Doyle & Jane Frecknall Hughes & Barbara Summers, 2013. "An Empirical Analysis of the Ethical Reasoning of Tax Practitioners," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 114(2), pages 325-339, May.
    3. Brian Erard & Jonathan S. Feinstein, 1994. "Honesty and Evasion in the Tax Compliance Game," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 25(1), pages 1-19, Spring.
    4. Morar Ioan Dan, 2014. "Taxation. Fairness. Equality," Annals of Faculty of Economics, University of Oradea, Faculty of Economics, vol. 1(2), pages 261-265, December.
    5. Elaine Doyle & Jane Frecknall-Hughes & Barbara Summers, 2009. "Research Methods in Taxation Ethics: Developing the Defining Issues Test (DIT) for a Tax-Specific Scenario," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 88(1), pages 35-52, August.
    6. Elaine Doyle & Jane Frecknall-Hughes & Barbara Summers, 2014. "Ethics in Tax Practice: A Study of the Effect of Practitioner Firm Size," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 122(4), pages 623-641, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Darius Fatemi & John Hasseldine & Peggy Hite, 2020. "The Influence of Ethical Codes of Conduct on Professionalism in Tax Practice," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 164(1), pages 133-149, June.
    2. Helen LaVan & Lori S. Cook & Ivana Zilic, 2021. "An analysis of the ethical frameworks and financial outcomes of corporate social responsibility and business press reporting of US pharmaceutical companies," International Journal of Business Governance and Ethics, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 15(3), pages 326-355.
    3. James Alm & Peter Gerbrands & Erich Kirchler, 2022. "Using “responsive regulation” to reduce tax base erosion," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 16(3), pages 738-759, July.
    4. Patrick Flanagan & Marilynn Fleckenstein & Linda Sama & Victoria Shoaf, 2017. "Editorial: Special Issue on the Impact of Business Ethics on Public Life," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 146(4), pages 725-727, December.
    5. Erin Schauster & Patrick Ferrucci & Edson Tandoc & Tara Walker, 2021. "Advertising Primed: How Professional Identity Affects Moral Reasoning," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 171(1), pages 175-187, June.
    6. Doyle, Elaine & Frecknall-Hughes, Jane & Summers, Barbara, 2022. "Ethical reasoning in tax practice: Law or is there more?," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 48(C).
    7. Peter E. Mudrack & E. Sharon Mason, 2022. "Vignette Themes and Moral Reasoning in Business Contexts: The Case for the Defining Issues Test," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 181(4), pages 979-995, December.
    8. 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).
    9. AnnMarie Bennett & Breda Murphy, 2017. "The Tax Profession: Tax Avoidance and the Public Interest," Economics Department Working Paper Series n286-17.pdf, Department of Economics, National University of Ireland - Maynooth.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Peter E. Mudrack & E. Sharon Mason, 2022. "Vignette Themes and Moral Reasoning in Business Contexts: The Case for the Defining Issues Test," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 181(4), pages 979-995, December.
    2. Darius Fatemi & John Hasseldine & Peggy Hite, 2020. "The Influence of Ethical Codes of Conduct on Professionalism in Tax Practice," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 164(1), pages 133-149, June.
    3. Elaine Doyle & Jane Frecknall-Hughes & Barbara Summers, 2014. "Ethics in Tax Practice: A Study of the Effect of Practitioner Firm Size," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 122(4), pages 623-641, July.
    4. Apostol, Oana & Pop, Alina, 2019. "‘Paying taxes is losing money’: A qualitative study on institutional logics in the tax consultancy field in Romania," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 1-23.
    5. Dinah M. Payne & Cecily A. Raiborn, 2018. "Aggressive Tax Avoidance: A Conundrum for Stakeholders, Governments, and Morality," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 147(3), pages 469-487, February.
    6. Doyle, Elaine & Frecknall-Hughes, Jane & Summers, Barbara, 2022. "Ethical reasoning in tax practice: Law or is there more?," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 48(C).
    7. Christofer Adrian & Mukesh Garg & Anh Viet Pham & Soon-Yeow Phang & Cameron Truong, 2023. "Do Natural Disasters Affect Corporate Tax Avoidance? The Case of Drought," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 186(1), pages 105-135, August.
    8. Ingela Alger & Régis Renault, 2006. "Screening Ethics When Honest Agents Care About Fairness ," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 47(1), pages 59-85, February.
    9. Matthias Kasper & James Alm, 2022. "Does the Bomb-crater Effect Really Exist? Evidence from the Laboratory," FinanzArchiv: Public Finance Analysis, Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, vol. 78(1-2), pages 87-111.
    10. Barabino, Benedetto & Salis, Sara & Useli, Bruno, 2015. "What are the determinants in making people free riders in proof-of-payment transit systems? Evidence from Italy," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 184-196.
    11. Hitoshi Matsushima, 2003. "Implementation and Preference for Honesty," CIRJE F-Series CIRJE-F-244, CIRJE, Faculty of Economics, University of Tokyo.
    12. Hamida Skandrani & Lilia Fessi & Riadh Ladhari, 2021. "The Impact of the Negotiators' Personality and Socio-Demographic factors on their Perception of Unethical Negotiation Tactics," Post-Print hal-03499514, HAL.
    13. Giulia Mascagni, 2018. "From The Lab To The Field: A Review Of Tax Experiments," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(2), pages 273-301, April.
    14. M. Rosario González-Rodríguez & M. Carmen Díaz Fernández & Biagio Simonetti, 2016. "Corporate Social Responsibility perception versus human values: a structural equation modeling approach," Journal of Applied Statistics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(13), pages 2396-2415, October.
    15. Angel Solano García, 2015. "Tax Morale with Partisan Parties," Hacienda Pública Española / Review of Public Economics, IEF, vol. 213(2), pages 83-108, June.
    16. Cécile Bazart & Mickael Beaud & Dimitri Dubois, 2020. "Whistleblowing vs. Random Audit: An Experimental Test of Relative Efficiency," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 73(1), pages 47-67, February.
    17. Ingela Alger & Laura Juarez & Miriam Juarez-Torres & Josepa Miquel-Florensa, 2023. "Do Women Contribute More Effort than Men to a Real Public Good?," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 37(2), pages 205-220.
    18. Garmaise, Mark J & Liu, Jun, 2005. "Corruption, Firm Governance, and the Cost of Capital," University of California at Los Angeles, Anderson Graduate School of Management qt29403706, Anderson Graduate School of Management, UCLA.
    19. Roland G. Fryer, Jr., 2009. "Implicit Quotas," The Journal of Legal Studies, University of Chicago Press, vol. 38(1), pages 1-20, January.
    20. Ognedal, Tone & Barth, Erling, 2005. "Unreported Labour," Memorandum 28/2005, Oslo University, Department of Economics.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:146:y:2017:i:4:d:10.1007_s10551-016-3037-6. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.