IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bjc/journl/v12y2025i3p151-166.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A Substantive Theory Explaining Namibian Employers’ Tax Compliance Behaviour towards Employee Taxes

Author

Listed:
  • Zelda van der Walt

    (Faculty of Commerce, Human Sciences and Education, Namibia University of Science and Technology, Namibia)

  • Marina Bornman

    (College of Business and Economics, University of Johannesburg, South Africa)

  • Grietjie Verhoef

    (College of Business and Economics, University of Johannesburg, South Africa)

Abstract

Studies on tax compliance behaviour seek to identify the key determinants and frameworks for the compliance decision. These studies primarily explain the compliance decisions of tax-liable persons regarding their own taxes. However, compliance behaviour relating to employers’ withholding and remitting employees’ taxes may be more complex than the conduct of individuals regarding their own taxes. Few studies have investigated the compliance decisions of employers regarding withholding and remitting taxes on behalf of employees. In this study, using a grounded theory (GT) approach, a systematic analysis of Namibian employers in micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) attitude towards employee taxes forms the basis for developing a substantive theory explaining employers’ compliance behaviour regarding their statutory obligation towards employee taxes. The results show that employers’ compassion towards employees, moral values, upbringing and religion, lack of tax knowledge, and the power of the tax authority are the core variables influencing their compliance decisions. These results advance the understanding of employers’ compliance behaviour and may assist tax authorities’ efforts in encouraging compliance behaviour towards employee taxes.

Suggested Citation

  • Zelda van der Walt & Marina Bornman & Grietjie Verhoef, 2025. "A Substantive Theory Explaining Namibian Employers’ Tax Compliance Behaviour towards Employee Taxes," International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation, International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI), vol. 12(3), pages 151-166, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bjc:journl:v:12:y:2025:i:3:p:151-166
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.rsisinternational.org/journals/ijrsi/digital-library/volume-12-issue-3/151-166.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://rsisinternational.org/journals/ijrsi/articles/a-substantive-theory-explaining-namibian-employers-tax-compliance-behaviour-towards-employee-taxes/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kirchler, Erich & Hoelzl, Erik & Wahl, Ingrid, 2008. "Enforced versus voluntary tax compliance: The "slippery slope" framework," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 29(2), pages 210-225, April.
    2. Jorge Martinez-Vazquez & Benno Torgler, 2009. "The Evolution of Tax Morale in Modern Spain," Journal of Economic Issues, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(1), pages 1-28.
    3. Webley, Paul & Cole, Michaela & Eidjar, Ole-Petter, 2001. "The prediction of self-reported and hypothetical tax-evasion: Evidence from England, France and Norway," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 22(2), pages 141-155, April.
    4. James Alm & Benno Torgler, 2011. "Do Ethics Matter? Tax Compliance and Morality," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 101(4), pages 635-651, July.
    5. Henrik Jacobsen Kleven & Claus Thustrup Kreiner & Emmanuel Saez, 2016. "Why Can Modern Governments Tax So Much? An Agency Model of Firms as Fiscal Intermediaries," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 83(330), pages 219-246, April.
    6. Leonie Huddy & Nadia Khatib, 2007. "American Patriotism, National Identity, and Political Involvement," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 51(1), pages 63-77, January.
    7. Kirchler,Erich, 2007. "The Economic Psychology of Tax Behaviour," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521876742, Enero-Abr.
    8. Braithwaite, Valerie & Ahmed, Eliza, 2005. "A threat to tax morale: The case of Australian higher education policy," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 26(4), pages 523-540, August.
    9. James Alm, 2019. "What Motivates Tax Compliance?," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(2), pages 353-388, April.
    10. Allingham, Michael G. & Sandmo, Agnar, 1972. "Income tax evasion: a theoretical analysis," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 1(3-4), pages 323-338, November.
    11. Bastian Schulz, 2021. "The Cum-ex Case: A Look at Germany," ACTA VSFS, University of Finance and Administration, vol. 15(1), pages 49-62.
    12. Alm, James & Bruner, David M. & McKee, Michael, 2016. "Honesty or dishonesty of taxpayer communications in an enforcement regime," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 85-96.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. James Alm & Matthias Kasper & Erich Kirchler, 2022. "Can ethics change? Enforcement and its effects on taxpayer compliance," Working Papers 2209, Tulane University, Department of Economics.
    2. Benno Torgler, 2021. "Behavioral Taxation: Opportunities and Challenges," CREMA Working Paper Series 2021-25, Center for Research in Economics, Management and the Arts (CREMA).
    3. Colin C. Williams, 2023. "A Modern Guide to the Informal Economy," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 18668, December.
    4. Ho Fai Chan & Uwe Dulleck & Jonas Fooken & Naomi Moy & Benno Torgler, 2023. "Cash and the Hidden Economy: Experimental Evidence on Fighting Tax Evasion in Small Business Transactions," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 185(1), pages 89-114, June.
    5. 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.
    6. Nathalie Etchart-vincent & Marisa Ratto & Emmanuelle Taugourdeau, 2024. "Why should I comply with taxes if others don't?: an experimental study testing informational effects," Working Papers hal-04635966, HAL.
    7. Deparade, Darius & Jarmolinski, Lennart & Mohr, Peter, 2025. "Behavioral interventions, tax compliance and consequences on inequality," Discussion Papers 2025/4, Free University Berlin, School of Business & Economics.
    8. Larissa M. Batrancea & Anca Nichita & Ruggero Agostini & Fabricio Batista Narcizo & Denis Forte & Samuel Paiva Neves Mamede & Ana Maria Roux-Cesar & Bozhidar Nedev & Leoš Vitek & József Pántya & Aidin, 2022. "A self-employed taxpayer experimental study on trust, power, and tax compliance in eleven countries," Financial Innovation, Springer;Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, vol. 8(1), pages 1-23, December.
    9. Rodriguez-Justicia, David & Theilen, Bernd, 2018. "Education and tax morale," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 18-48.
    10. James Alm & Erich Kirchler & Stephan Muehlbacher, 2012. "Combining Psychology and Economics in the Analysis of Compliance: From Enforcement to Cooperation," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(2), pages 133-152, September.
    11. Benno Torgler, 2021. "The Power of Public Choice in Law and Economics," CREMA Working Paper Series 2021-04, Center for Research in Economics, Management and the Arts (CREMA).
    12. James Alm & Lilith Burgstaller & Arrita Domi & Amanda März & Matthias Kasper, 2023. "Nudges, Boosts, and Sludge: Using New Behavioral Approaches to Improve Tax Compliance," Economies, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-22, September.
    13. James Alm & Laura Rosales Cifuentes & Carlos Mauricio Ortiz Niño & Diana Rocha, 2019. "Can Behavioral “Nudges” Improve Compliance? The Case of Colombia Social Protection Contributions," Games, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-23, October.
    14. Pickhardt, Michael & Prinz, Aloys, 2014. "Behavioral dynamics of tax evasion – A survey," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 1-19.
    15. Fany Inasius & Giri Darijanto & Engelwati Gani & Gatot Soepriyanto, 2020. "Tax Compliance After the Implementation of Tax Amnesty in Indonesia," SAGE Open, , vol. 10(4), pages 21582440209, October.
    16. Colin C. Williams, 2014. "Confronting the Shadow Economy," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 15370, December.
    17. James Alm & Kay Blaufus & Martin Fochmann & Erich Kirchler & Peter N. C. Mohr & Nina E. Olson & Benno Torgler, 2020. "Tax Policy Measures to Combat the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic and Considerations to Improve Tax Compliance: A Behavioral Perspective," FinanzArchiv: Public Finance Analysis, Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, vol. 76(4), pages 396-428.
    18. James Alm & Matthias Kasper, 2020. "Laboratory Experiments," Working Papers 2008, Tulane University, Department of Economics.
    19. Colin C Williams, 2021. "Tackling Undeclared Self-Employment in South-East Europe: from Deterrents to Preventative Policy Measures," Economic Alternatives, University of National and World Economy, Sofia, Bulgaria, issue 2, pages 280-298, July.
    20. Puklavec, Žiga & Kogler, Christoph & Stavrova, Olga & Zeelenberg, Marcel, 2023. "What we tweet about when we tweet about taxes: A topic modelling approach," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 212(C), pages 1242-1254.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:bjc:journl:v:12:y:2025:i:3:p:151-166. 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: Dr. Renu Malsaria (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://rsisinternational.org/journals/ijrsi/ .

    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.