The Effect of Tax Fairness, Peer Influence, and Moral Obligation on Sales Tax Evasion among Jordanian SMEs

Nayef Mohammad Al-Rahamneh and Zainol Bidin ()
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Nayef Mohammad Al-Rahamneh: Tunku Puteri Intan Safinaz School of Accountancy (TISSA-UUM), Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), Sintok 06010, Kedah, Malaysia
Zainol Bidin: Tunku Puteri Intan Safinaz School of Accountancy (TISSA-UUM), Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), Sintok 06010, Kedah, Malaysia

JRFM, 2022, vol. 15, issue 9, 1-15

Abstract: Tax evasion remains a complex issue for tax authorities, policymakers, and researchers. While socio-psychological factors have been researched, their impact on tax evasion among SMEs has not yet been determined. This paper empirically analyses the effects of tax fairness, peer influence and moral obligation, on sales tax evasion among Jordanian SME owners/managers. A survey was used to obtain data from three regions of Jordan (north, middle, south). Random sampling was utilized in selecting the prospective respondents from SMEs in three sectors (trade, service, manufacturing). A total of 212 usable questionnaires retrieved from the SMEs were analysed using Smart-PLS 3.0. The results revealed that tax fairness and moral obligation had a significant negative effect on sales tax evasion behaviour among SME owner-managers. On the other hand, peer influence positively and significantly impacted sales tax evasion behaviour. Thus, policymakers and tax authorities should incorporate these factors in developing effective strategies to reduce tax evasion in Jordan, which could result in an improvement in the country’s overall revenue collection. The findings also contribute to the scarcity of literature about the significance of socio-psychological factors in mitigating tax evasion by examining the effects of tax fairness, peer influence, and moral obligation on sales tax evasion.

Keywords: tax fairness; peer influence; moral obligation; tax evasion; SMEs (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C E F2 F3 G (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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