Main Article Content
Abstract
Tax compliance remains challenging for the government due to the interconnection of economic, social, cultural, and perceptual elements that harm taxpayer behavior. This study aims to investigate the influence of behavioral drivers on tax compliance, focusing on attitudes and moral principles as mediators. A quantitative technique was used to survey 265 taxpayers in Riau Islands Province. Structural equation modeling (SEM-PLS) was used to investigate relationship between variables. The results demonstrate BC exerts a direct and significant influence on MV and ATT, while also exhibiting a positive correlation in bootstrapping tests or via the median variable with TC. The correlation between BC and TC is statistically insignificant. This result is noteworthy, as the cognitive dimensions of tax behavior—specifically morality and attitude—are more significant in influencing taxpayer behavior regarding tax compliance levels. It is crucial to highlight subjective perceptions in creating a favorable environment for taxpayers. This research theoretically enhances behavioral-based tax compliance model by incorporating psychological and ethical aspects. The findings indicate that tax authorities should formulate policies and campaigns that foster positive attitudes and improve moral responsibility, alongside traditional law enforcement, to augment voluntary compliance and fortify the tax system.
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References
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- Alm, J. (2019). What motivates tax compliance? Journal of Economic Surveys, 33(2), 353–388. https://doi.org/10.1111/joes.12272
- Bakija, J. (2024). The US individual income tax: Recent evolution and evidence. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 38(3), 33–60. https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.38.3.33
- Bobek, D. D., & Hatfield, R. C. (2003). An investigation of the theory of planned behavior and the role of moral obligation in tax compliance. Behavioral Research in Accounting, 15(1), 13–38. https://doi.org/10.2308/bria.2003.15.1.13
- Bobek, D. D., Roberts, R. W., & Sweeney, J. T. (2007). The social norms of tax compliance: evidence from Australia, Singapore, and the United States. Journal of Business Ethics, 74(1), 49–64. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-006-9219-x
- Chin, W. W. (1998). The partial least squares approach to structural equation modeling. Modern Methods for Business Research, 295(2), 295–336.
- Cohen, J. (1998). Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences (1st Editio). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203771587
- Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches, 3rd ed. In Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches, 3rd ed. Sage Publications, Inc.
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- Feld, L. P., & Frey, B. S. (2007). Tax compliance as the result of a psychological tax contract: The role of incentives and responsive regulation. Law & Policy, 29(1), 102–120. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9930.2007.00248.x
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- Kaufmann, D., Mehrez, G., & Gurgur, T. (2019). Voice or public sector management? An empirical investigation of determinants of public sector performance based on a survey of public officials. Journal of Applied Economics, 22(1), 321–348. https://doi.org/10.1080/15140326.2019.1627718
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- Luttmer, E. F. P., & Singhal, M. (2014). Tax morale. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 28(4), 149–168. https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.28.4.149
- Murphy, K. (2004). The role of trust in nurturing compliance: A study of accused tax avoiders. Law and Human Behavior, 28(2), 187–209. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:LAHU.0000022322.94776.ca
- Nawawi, N. H. A., Ramli, R., Khalid, N., & Abdul Rashid, S. F. (2023). Understanding the presence of the gig economy in Malaysia. Malaysian Journal of Consumer and Family Economics, 31(1), 274–293. https://doi.org/10.60016/majcafe.v31.11
- Nurferyanto, D., & Takahashi, Y. (2024). Combating tax crimes in Indonesia: Tackling the issue head-on. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 11(1), 1556. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-04075-1
- Oktris, L., Muktiasih, I., & Azhar, Z. (2024). Understanding of taxation, taxpayer morality and tax compliance in Indonesia: The importance of tax awareness. Akrual: Jurnal Akuntansi, 16(1). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.26740/jaj.v16n1.p1-14
- Permana, Y. H., & Sanjaya, M. R. (2025). Corruption, tax morale and tax evasion: An experimental study from Indonesia. Journal of Tax Reform, 11(2), 434–450. https://doi.org/10.15826/jtr.2025.11.2.210
- Piketty, T., Saez, E., & Stantcheva, S. (2014). Optimal taxation of top labor incomes: A tale of three elasticities. American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 6(1), 230–271. https://doi.org/10.1257/pol.6.1.230
- Saptono, P. B., & Khozen, I. (2023). What determines the tax compliance intention of individual taxpayers receiving COVID-19-related benefits? Insights from Indonesia. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 43(11/12), 1190–1217. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSSP-02-2023-0045
- Savitri, E., & Musfialdy. (2016). The effect of taxpayer awareness, tax socialization, tax penalties, compliance cost at taxpayer compliance with service quality as mediating variable. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 219, 682–687. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.05.051
- Torgler, B. (2007). Tax Compliance and Tax Morale. Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781847207203
- Torgler, B., & Schneider, F. (2009). The impact of tax morale and institutional quality on the shadow economy. Journal of Economic Psychology, 30(2), 228–245. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joep.2008.08.004
- Wenzel, M. (2005). Motivation or rationalisation? Causal relations between ethics, norms and tax compliance. Journal of Economic Psychology, 26(4), 491–508. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joep.2004.03.003
- Witte, A. D., & Woodbury, D. F. (1985). The effect of tax laws and tax administration on tax compliance: The case of the US individual. National Tax Journal, 38(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1086/NTJ41791992
- Xin Li, S. (2010). Social identities, ethnic diversity, and tax morale. Public Finance Review, 38(2), 146–177. https://doi.org/10.1177/1091142110369239
References
Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T
Allingham, M. G., & Sandmo, A. (1972). Income tax evasion: A theoretical analysis. Journal of Public Economics, 1(3–4), 323–338.
Alm, J. (2019). What motivates tax compliance? Journal of Economic Surveys, 33(2), 353–388. https://doi.org/10.1111/joes.12272
Bakija, J. (2024). The US individual income tax: Recent evolution and evidence. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 38(3), 33–60. https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.38.3.33
Bobek, D. D., & Hatfield, R. C. (2003). An investigation of the theory of planned behavior and the role of moral obligation in tax compliance. Behavioral Research in Accounting, 15(1), 13–38. https://doi.org/10.2308/bria.2003.15.1.13
Bobek, D. D., Roberts, R. W., & Sweeney, J. T. (2007). The social norms of tax compliance: evidence from Australia, Singapore, and the United States. Journal of Business Ethics, 74(1), 49–64. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-006-9219-x
Chin, W. W. (1998). The partial least squares approach to structural equation modeling. Modern Methods for Business Research, 295(2), 295–336.
Cohen, J. (1998). Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences (1st Editio). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203771587
Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches, 3rd ed. In Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches, 3rd ed. Sage Publications, Inc.
Cummings, R. G., Martinez-Vazquez, J., McKee, M., & Torgler, B. (2009). Tax morale affects tax compliance: Evidence from surveys and an artefactual field experiment. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 70(3), 447–457. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2008.02.010
Feld, L. P., & Frey, B. S. (2007). Tax compliance as the result of a psychological tax contract: The role of incentives and responsive regulation. Law & Policy, 29(1), 102–120. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9930.2007.00248.x
Fellner, G., Sausgruber, R., & Traxler, C. (2013). Testing enforcement strategies in the field: Threat, moral appeal and social information. Journal of the European Economic Association, 11(3), 634–660. https://doi.org/10.1111/jeea.12013
Hair, J. F., Risher, J. J., Sarstedt, M., & Ringle, C. M. (2019). When to use and how to report the results of PLS-SEM. European Business Review, 31(1), 2–24. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-11-2018-0203
Hair, J. F., Sarstedt, M., Hopkins, L., & G. Kuppelwieser, V. (2014). Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). European Business Review, 26(2), 106–121. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-10-2013-0128
Hallsworth, M., List, J. A., Metcalfe, R. D., & Vlaev, I. (2017). The behavioralist as tax collector: Using natural field experiments to enhance tax compliance. Journal of Public Economics, 148, 14–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpubeco.2017.02.003
Harinurdin, E., Safitri, K. A., & Kountur, R. (2024). Applying the theory of planned behavior in examining the intention to improve corporate tax compliance through compensation and counterproductive work behavior. Sage Open, 14(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440241305624
Irawan, F., & Utama, A. S. (2021). The impact of tax audit and corruption perception on tax evasion. International Journal of Business and Society, 22(3), 1158–1173. https://doi.org/10.33736/ijbs.4290.2021
Kapoor, S. (2025). The role of SmartPLS in optimizing statistical analysis: A case study approach. 2025 5th International Conference on Innovative Research in Applied Science, Engineering and Technology (IRASET), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1109/IRASET64571.2025.11008204
Kaufmann, D., Mehrez, G., & Gurgur, T. (2019). Voice or public sector management? An empirical investigation of determinants of public sector performance based on a survey of public officials. Journal of Applied Economics, 22(1), 321–348. https://doi.org/10.1080/15140326.2019.1627718
Khedekar, A., & Umranikar, M. (2025). Fiscal Feelings. In Modeling and Profiling Taxpayer Behavior and Compliance (pp. 33–60). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3373-0422-9.ch002
Kirchler, E. (2007). The economic psychology of tax behaviour. Cambridge University Press.
Kirchler, E., Hoelzl, E., & Wahl, I. (2008). Enforced versus voluntary tax compliance: The “slippery slope” framework. Journal of Economic Psychology, 29(2), 210–225. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joep.2007.05.004
Kogler, C., Batrancea, L., Nichita, A., Pantya, J., Belianin, A., & Kirchler, E. (2013). Trust and power as determinants of tax compliance: Testing the assumptions of the slippery slope framework in Austria, Hungary, Romania and Russia. Journal of Economic Psychology, 34, 169–180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joep.2012.09.010
Luttmer, E. F. P., & Singhal, M. (2014). Tax morale. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 28(4), 149–168. https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.28.4.149
Murphy, K. (2004). The role of trust in nurturing compliance: A study of accused tax avoiders. Law and Human Behavior, 28(2), 187–209. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:LAHU.0000022322.94776.ca
Nawawi, N. H. A., Ramli, R., Khalid, N., & Abdul Rashid, S. F. (2023). Understanding the presence of the gig economy in Malaysia. Malaysian Journal of Consumer and Family Economics, 31(1), 274–293. https://doi.org/10.60016/majcafe.v31.11
Nurferyanto, D., & Takahashi, Y. (2024). Combating tax crimes in Indonesia: Tackling the issue head-on. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 11(1), 1556. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-04075-1
Oktris, L., Muktiasih, I., & Azhar, Z. (2024). Understanding of taxation, taxpayer morality and tax compliance in Indonesia: The importance of tax awareness. Akrual: Jurnal Akuntansi, 16(1). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.26740/jaj.v16n1.p1-14
Permana, Y. H., & Sanjaya, M. R. (2025). Corruption, tax morale and tax evasion: An experimental study from Indonesia. Journal of Tax Reform, 11(2), 434–450. https://doi.org/10.15826/jtr.2025.11.2.210
Piketty, T., Saez, E., & Stantcheva, S. (2014). Optimal taxation of top labor incomes: A tale of three elasticities. American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 6(1), 230–271. https://doi.org/10.1257/pol.6.1.230
Saptono, P. B., & Khozen, I. (2023). What determines the tax compliance intention of individual taxpayers receiving COVID-19-related benefits? Insights from Indonesia. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 43(11/12), 1190–1217. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSSP-02-2023-0045
Savitri, E., & Musfialdy. (2016). The effect of taxpayer awareness, tax socialization, tax penalties, compliance cost at taxpayer compliance with service quality as mediating variable. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 219, 682–687. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.05.051
Torgler, B. (2007). Tax Compliance and Tax Morale. Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781847207203
Torgler, B., & Schneider, F. (2009). The impact of tax morale and institutional quality on the shadow economy. Journal of Economic Psychology, 30(2), 228–245. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joep.2008.08.004
Wenzel, M. (2005). Motivation or rationalisation? Causal relations between ethics, norms and tax compliance. Journal of Economic Psychology, 26(4), 491–508. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joep.2004.03.003
Witte, A. D., & Woodbury, D. F. (1985). The effect of tax laws and tax administration on tax compliance: The case of the US individual. National Tax Journal, 38(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1086/NTJ41791992
Xin Li, S. (2010). Social identities, ethnic diversity, and tax morale. Public Finance Review, 38(2), 146–177. https://doi.org/10.1177/1091142110369239