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Corporate Social Responsibility and Tax Avoidance

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  • Laszlo Goerke

Abstract

We theoretically analyse the relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and tax avoidance of an oligopolistic firm. The firm maximises a weighted sum of profits and a CSR objective which depends on output and the firm's contribution to public good provision, i.e. tax payments. Making one CSR element more important induces the firm to adhere less to the other and to reduce tax avoidance. Hence, simultaneously a substitutive and a complementary relationship between CSR and tax avoidance can be observed. Therefore, employing composite indicators of CSR prevents an empirical identification of this linkage. Moreover, if tax avoidance declines, CSR activities will increase. Consequently, the overall link between CSR and tax avoidance is theoretically ambiguous.

Suggested Citation

  • Laszlo Goerke, 2018. "Corporate Social Responsibility and Tax Avoidance," CESifo Working Paper Series 7297, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_7297
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    2. Laszlo Goerke, 2021. "Tax Evasion by Firms," IAAEU Discussion Papers 202104, Institute of Labour Law and Industrial Relations in the European Union (IAAEU).
    3. Laszlo Goerke, 2022. "Trade unions and corporate social responsibility," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 93(1), pages 177-203, March.
    4. Franz W. Wagner, 2019. "Unternehmensbesteuerung und Corporate Social Responsibility [Business Taxation and Corporate Social Responsibility]," Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research, Springer, vol. 71(3), pages 347-380, November.
    5. Osman Issah & Lúcia Lima Rodrigues, 2021. "Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Tax Aggressiveness: A Scientometric Analysis of the Existing Literature to Map the Future," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-23, June.
    6. Luca Gandullia & Stefano Piserà, 2020. "Do income taxes affect corporate social responsibility? Evidence from European‐listed companies," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(2), pages 1017-1027, March.
    7. Gavious, Ilanit & Livne, Gilad & Chen, Ester, 2022. "Does tax avoidance increase or decrease when tax enforcement is stronger? Evidence using CSR heterogeneity perspective," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    8. Laszlo Goerke & Michael Neugart, 2020. "Thorstein Veblen, Joan Robinson, and George Stigler (probably) never met: Social Preferences, Monopsony, and Government Intervention," IAAEU Discussion Papers 202001, Institute of Labour Law and Industrial Relations in the European Union (IAAEU).
    9. Kumari Juddoo & Issam Malki & Sudha Mathew & Sheeja Sivaprasad, 2023. "An impact investment strategy," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 61(1), pages 177-211, July.
    10. Van, Huong Vu & Ly, Kim Cuong, 2021. "Does rising corporate social responsibility promote firm tax payments? New perspectives from a quantile approach," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    11. Minh, Thanh Nguyen & Ngoc, Anh Mai & Tuan, Anh Nguyen & Dao, Tung Nguyen, 2022. "Corporate social responsibility, market rivalry and firm leverage: new evidence from a fixed-effect quantile regression approach," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 47(PB).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    corporate social responsibility; public good; oligopoly; output; tax avoidance;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H26 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Tax Evasion and Avoidance
    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets
    • L31 - Industrial Organization - - Nonprofit Organizations and Public Enterprise - - - Nonprofit Institutions; NGOs; Social Entrepreneurship
    • M14 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - Corporate Culture; Diversity; Social Responsibility

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