Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-2lccl Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-27T00:46:44.331Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Role of social aversion in the motivations for tax law compliance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 May 2023

Karnit Malka Tiv*
Affiliation:
Law School, Zefat Academic College, Zefat, Israel and Law School, Netanya Academic College, Netanya, Israel School of Economics and Management, Western Galilee Academic College, Acre, Israel Kinneret Academic College, Galilee, Israel
*
Corresponding author. E-mail: Karnitmalka.law@gmail.com

Abstract

Discovering individuals' internal motivations for paying taxes is essential to a tax system since the basic assumption of any tax system is that most of the population pays their taxes voluntarily. This article examines the existence of a social aversion towards tax offenders in Israel as well as the variables that affect tax law compliance and increase tax payments. In this respect, the article presents quantitative questionnaire data collected by the author, which is based on a sample of 189 participants from Israel. The study shows that the social response to tax evaders exerts a greater impact on increasing tax law compliance than the fear of punishment per se and clarifies the importance of education for paying taxes.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Millennium Economics Ltd.

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

Karnit Malka Tiv's areas of specialization are tax law, international taxation, tax offenses, and white-collar offenses.

References

Ahmed, E. and Braithwaite, V. (2005) Understanding small business taxpayers: issues of deterrence, tax morale, fairness and work practice. International Small Business Journal 23, 539568.10.1177/0266242605055911CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Alesina, A. and Giuliano, P. (2015) Culture and institutions. Journal of Economic Literature 53(4), 898944.10.1257/jel.53.4.898CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Allingham, M.G. and Sandmo, A. (1972) Income tax evasion: a theoretical analysis. Journal of Public Economics 1, 323338.10.1016/0047-2727(72)90010-2CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Amir, G. (1990) Tax offenses and ways to increase compliance with tax laws the Israeli tax quarterly 271, 272.Google Scholar
Amir, G. (1992) Tax Offenses. Tel Aviv: Sadan Publishing.Google Scholar
Amir, G. (2008) Tax Offenses and Money Laundering Offenses, 5th edn edn), Tel-aviv: Sadan Publishing Ltd.Google Scholar
Andriani, L. and Sabatini, F. (2015) Trust and prosocial behavior in a process of state capacity building: the case of the Palestinian territories. Journal of Institutional Economics 11(4), 823846.10.1017/S1744137414000575CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Andriani, L., Bruno, R., Douarin, E. and Stepien-Baig, P. (2021) Is tax morale culturally driven?. Journal of Institutional Economics, 18, 6784.10.1017/S1744137421000072CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Arieli, D. (2009) Is Irrational and Not by Chance, Bnei Brak: Matar Publishing.Google Scholar
Braithwaite, V. (2008) Tax evasion. In Tonry, M. (ed), Handbook on Crime and Public Policy. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 381405.Google Scholar
Braithwaite, V. (2009) Defiance in Taxation and Governance: Resisting and Dismissing Authority in a Democracy. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar.10.4337/9781848449077CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cohen, H.E. (1996) The Law 368. Jerusalem: Bialik Institute Publishing.Google Scholar
Cooley, C.H. (1902) Human Nature and the Social Order. New York: Scribner, 179185. http://media.pfeiffer.edu/lridener/courses/LKGLSSLF.HTML.Google Scholar
Edrei, Y. (1996) On tax legislation – primary legislation, administrative legislation and judicial legislation in Israel. The Law C 319(1996), 325.Google Scholar
Ekstrand, L.E. (1981) Factors affecting compliance: focus group and survey results, in National Tax Association – Tax Institute of America, 1980 Proceedings of the Seventy – Third Annual Conference of Taxation 253, 255 (Stanley J. Bowers, ed.).Google Scholar
Engel, C. (2008) Learning the law. Journal of Institutional Economics 4(3), 275297.10.1017/S1744137408001094CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fehr, E. and Gachter, S. (1998) Reciprocity and economics: the economic implication of the Homo reciprocans. 42 European Economic Review 845, 854.Google Scholar
Feldman, Y. (2018) The Law of Good People, United Kingdom: Cambridge Press.10.1017/9781316480328CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Filippin, A., Fiorio, C. and Viviano, E. (2013) The effect of tax enforcement on tax morales. European Journal of Political Economy 32, 320331.10.1016/j.ejpoleco.2013.09.005CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gabay, H. (2003) Tax offenses as white collar offenses – really? Israeli Tax Quarterly 120(36), 45.Google Scholar
Grasmick, H.G. and Scott, W.J. (1982) Tax evasion and mechanisms of social control: a comparison with grand and petty theft. Journal of Economic Psychology 2, 213230.10.1016/0167-4870(82)90004-6CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Greif, A. and Mokyr, J. (2016) Cognitive rules, institutions, and economic growth: Douglass North and beyond. Journal of Institutional Economics 13(1), Douglass C. North Memorial Issue, 2552.10.1017/S1744137416000370CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harel, A. and Klement, A. (2007) The economics of stigma: Why more detection of crime may result in less stigmatization. The Journal of Legal Studies 36(2), 355, at p. 356.10.1086/511893CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hodgson, G. (2015) Much of the ‘economics of property rights’ devalues property and legal rights. Journal of Institutional Economics 11(4), 683709.10.1017/S1744137414000630CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hughes, J. (2017) Perfectly legal, but still bad: lessons for sex work from the decriminalization of abortion. University of New Brunswick Law Journal 236, 238239.Google Scholar
Hugo, E., Savage, D., Schneider, F. and Torgler, B. (2022) Two sides of the coin: Exploring the duality of corruption in Latin America. Journal of Institutional Economics, 115. doi:10.1017/S1744137422000467.Google Scholar
Kaasa, A. and Andriani, L. (2021) Determinants of institutional trust: the role of cultural context. Journal of Institutional Economics, 18, 4565.10.1017/S1744137421000199CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kahan, D.M. (2000) Gentle nudges vs. hard shoves: solving and sticky norms problem. The University of Chicago Law Review 67, 607645.10.2307/1600336CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kahan, D.M. (2006) What's Really Wrong with Shaming Sanctions, United States: Yale Law School.Google Scholar
Kahan, D.M. and Posner, E.A. (1999) Shaming white-collar criminals: a proposal for reform of the federal sentencing guidelines. The Journal of Law and Economics 42, 365392.10.1086/467429CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kirchler, E. (2007) The Economic Psychology of tax Behavior. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.10.1017/CBO9780511628238CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kuperan, K. and Sutinen, J.G. (1999) A socio-economic theory of regulatory compliance. International Journal of Social Economics 26(1/2/3), 174.Google Scholar
Kwon Hyun, J. (2006) Tax compliances in Korea and Japan: Why are they so different? The Journal of the Korean Economy 7(1), 135153.Google Scholar
Larnau, H. (2016) Crime and Law Enforcement: Theory, Policy, Criticism, Haifa: Pardes Publishing Ltd., pp. 152153.Google Scholar
Lessing, L. (1995) The regulation of social meaning. University of Chicago Law Review 62, 9431045.10.2307/1600054CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lin, U. (1982) Fundamentals of law enforcement – implementation in the tax system. Quarterly for Tax Matters 12, 205, 206.Google Scholar
Link, B.G. and Phelan, J.C. (2001) Conceptualizing stigma. 27 Annual Review of Sociology 363, 367.Google Scholar
Luttmer, E.F.P. and Singhal, M. (2014) Tax morale. Journal of Economic Perspectives 28(4), 149168.10.1257/jep.28.4.149CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Murphy, K. (2008) Enforcing tax compliance: to punish or persuade? Economic Analysis and Policy 38(1), 113135.10.1016/S0313-5926(08)50009-9CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Murphy, K. and Harris, N. (2007), Shaming, shame and recidivism: A test of reintegrative shaming theory in the white-collar crime context, British Journal of Criminology, 47(6): 900917.10.1093/bjc/azm037CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nerre, B. (2001) The concept of tax culture, the proceedings of the 94th annual conference, National Tax Association, 288295.Google Scholar
Netter, B. (2005) Avoiding the shameful backlash: social repercussions for the increased use of alternative sanction. The Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology 38(1), 113, 122.Google Scholar
North, D.C. (1981) Structure and Change in Economic History. New York: W. W. Norton.Google Scholar
Owens, J.B. (2000) Have we no shame?: thoughts on shaming, white collar criminals, and the federal sentencing guidelines. American University International Law Review 49, 10471058.Google Scholar
Posner, E.A. (2000) Symposium: The legal constructions of norms: law and social norms: the case of tax compliance. The Virginia Law Review 86, 17811819.10.2307/1073829CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pridex, N. (2002) Changes in the Penal Policy in the Field of Taxes Management 146, 149.Google Scholar
Raphael, A. (1998) Do Tax Laws Must Be Complicated Taxes 12 (6) A-21, A-41-A-43.Google Scholar
Richardson, G. (2008) The relationship between culture and tax evasion across countries: additional evidence and extensions. Journal of International Accounting Auditing and Taxation 17(2), 6778.10.1016/j.intaccaudtax.2008.07.002CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robinson, P.H. and Darley, J.M. (1997) The utility of desert. 91 The Northwestern University Law Review 453, 471.Google Scholar
Schneider, F. (2011) The Shadow Economy and Shadow Economy Labor Force: What Do We (Not) Know? IZA Discussion Paper No. 5769, P.15.Google Scholar
Shapira, R. (2002) The white collar – how dirty is it? Kiryat Hamishpat B 101, 118.Google Scholar
Shoham, S.G. (1994) Divergence and alienation (Ramot Tsn'g -), 5053.Google Scholar
Summers, L.H. (2000) Quoted in David Cay Johnston Corporations ‘Taxes are Failing Even as Individuals’ Burden Rises’, N.Y. Times, 20 Feb., at A36.Google Scholar
Torgler, B. (2001) What do we know about tax morale and tax compliance? International Review of Economics and Business (RISEC) 48(3), 395419.Google Scholar
Torgler, B. (2002) Speaking to theorists and searching for facts: tax morale and tax compliance in experiments. Journal of Economic Surveys 16(5), 657683.10.1111/1467-6419.00185CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Torgler, B., Schneider, F. and Schaltegger, C.A. (2007) With or against the people? The impact of a bottom-up approach on tax morale and the shadow economy, Working/Discussion Paper No. 211, QUT – School of Economics and Finance, Brisbane, February.Google Scholar
Tyler, T. (1990) Why People Obey the Law. New Haven and London: Yale University Press.Google Scholar
Veblen, T. (1919) The Place of Science in Modern Civilization and Other Essays. New York: Huebsch.Google Scholar
Wärneryd, K. and Walerud, B. (1982) Taxes and economic behavior: some interview data on tax evasion in Sweden. Journal of Economic Psychology 2, 187211.10.1016/0167-4870(82)90003-4CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wenzel, M. (2004) An analysis of norm processes in tax compliance. Journal of Economic Psychology 25, 213228.10.1016/S0167-4870(02)00168-XCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zouboulakis, M.S. (2015) Customary rule-following behaviour in the work of John Stuart Mill and Alfred Marshall. Journal of Institutional Economics 11(4), 783801.10.1017/S1744137414000502CrossRefGoogle Scholar
624/80, Weiss Ernst Ltd. et al. v. State of Israel, PDI 31 (3) 211, pp. 220–221. Anti-Money Laundering Law (Amendment No. 14), 2016, Rules 2546.Google Scholar
Case 398/07 Movement for Freedom of Information v. State of Israel Tax Authority (published in Nevo, 3.12.2007).Google Scholar
Supreme Court 2407/05 Ronen Mann v. State of Israel (published in Nevo, 29 June 2005).Google Scholar
Bank of Israel website on 23.11.2016 (www.boi.org.il).10.22233/20412495.1116.24CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Forum on Tax Administration: Small/Medium Enterprise (SME) Compliance Subgroup Information Note Understanding and Influencing Taxpayers ‘Compliance Behavior’ November 2010 (www.oecd.org/tax/forum-on-tax-administration/publications-and-products/46274793.pdf).Google Scholar
The State Comptroller's Report 68A for 2017, published on 25 October 2017 on the State Comptroller's website (www.mevaker.gov.il).Google Scholar
Public Consultation Document What Is Driving Tax Morale? 10 April–10 May 2019 (www.oecd.org/tax/tax-global/public-consultation-document-what-is-driving-tax-morale.pdf).Google Scholar
m.knesset.gov.il/news/pressreleases/pages/press220621b.aspx, to 2021. OECD data estimates that the shadow economy in Israel is about 13–19%, based on the data for 2018.Google Scholar