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Rationality Versus Emotions: The Case of Tax Ethics and Compliance

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  • Boris Maciejovsky
  • Herbert Schwarzenberger
  • Erich Kirchler

Abstract

Businesses that rely heavily on cash transactions have been found to be particularly susceptible to low tax ethics. Recent research indicates that cash is a highly powerful and tempting reward, which elicits a strong emotional response. In this article, we investigate how emotions affect tax ethics in a series of experimental studies. Specifically, we show that affective priming and the ease with which tax information is retrieved moderate tax ethics. We also show that the relative effectiveness of deterrence, such as audit probabilities and tax fines, is moderated by affect. These results point toward a complex picture of tax ethics, requiring a multifaceted policy approach that emphasizes not only enforcement, but also cognitive and affective aspects of human behavior. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2012

Suggested Citation

  • Boris Maciejovsky & Herbert Schwarzenberger & Erich Kirchler, 2012. "Rationality Versus Emotions: The Case of Tax Ethics and Compliance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 109(3), pages 339-350, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:109:y:2012:i:3:p:339-350
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-011-1132-2
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    2. Amit Nigam, 2016. "A Conceptual And Factorial Review Of The Determinants Of Income Tax Compliance," Working papers 2016-09-09, Voice of Research.
    3. Casal, Sandro & Mittone, Luigi, 2016. "Social esteem versus social stigma: The role of anonymity in an income reporting game," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 55-66.
    4. Barbara Culiberg & Domen Bajde, 2014. "Do You Need a Receipt? Exploring Consumer Participation in Consumption Tax Evasion as an Ethical Dilemma," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 124(2), pages 271-282, October.
    5. 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.
    6. Laine, Tei & Silander, Tomi & Sakamoto, Kayo, 2020. "What distinguishes people who turn into tax evaders when properly incentivized from those who don’t? An experimental study using hypothetical scenarios," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    7. Pickhardt, Michael & Prinz, Aloys, 2014. "Behavioral dynamics of tax evasion – A survey," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 1-19.
    8. Annisa Hakim Z. & Safira & Hadi Mahmudah, 2019. "Guilt Cognitions, Religiosity and Taxpayer Voluntary Disclosure," International Journal of Academic Research in Accounting, Finance and Management Sciences, Human Resource Management Academic Research Society, International Journal of Academic Research in Accounting, Finance and Management Sciences, vol. 9(4), pages 160-168, October.
    9. Korndörfer, Martin & Krumpal, Ivar & Schmukle, Stefan C., 2014. "Measuring and explaining tax evasion: Improving self-reports using the crosswise model," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 18-32.
    10. 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.
    11. Benkraiem, Ramzi & Uyar, Ali & Kilic, Merve & Schneider, Friedrich, 2021. "Ethical behavior, auditing strength, and tax evasion: A worldwide perspective," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 43(C).
    12. Rajat Deb & Sourav Chakraborty, 2017. "Tax Perception and Tax Evasion," IIM Kozhikode Society & Management Review, , vol. 6(2), pages 174-185, July.
    13. J. J. Klerk, 2017. "Nobody is as Blind as Those Who Cannot Bear to See: Psychoanalytic Perspectives on the Management of Emotions and Moral Blindness," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 141(4), pages 745-761, April.
    14. Jonathan Farrar & Tisha King, 2023. "To Punish or Not to Punish? The Impact of Tax Fraud Punishment on Observers’ Tax Compliance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 183(1), pages 289-311, February.
    15. Paul Dunn & Jonathan Farrar & Cass Hausserman, 2018. "The Influence of Guilt Cognitions on Taxpayers’ Voluntary Disclosures," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 148(3), pages 689-701, March.
    16. Genifera Claudia Bănică & Klejda Gabeshi, 2021. "Organization Of Fiscal Control-International Comparisons," Management Strategies Journal, Constantin Brancoveanu University, vol. 51(1), pages 15-24.

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