Abstract:
Tax and corruption are global phenomena. No society is immune from corruption,1
and within any society taxation plays a pivotal role in relation to such activity – which
can be both positive and negative. Positively the tax system can provide the kind of
regulatory framework and institutional foundations which can help to eradicate or
constrain corrupt practices. On the negative side, corruption reduces tax compliance.2
Even perceptions of corruption, whether ‘grand’ or ‘petty’, seriously undermine
taxpayers’ intentions to report actual income or sales.3 The relationship between tax
and corruption is therefore both complex and critical.
