Tax administration and personal income tax compliance in Nigeria: A PLS-SEM approach

Abstract

Increasing tax revenue required to support basic state functions is a crucial challenge for relevant tax authorities, especially in developing countries where economic developments are inadequate. This challenge is amplified by peculiar issues such as poor tax orientation and informal sector dominance, among others, which the tax administration continuously seeks to resolve. This paper examines the effect of tax administration (represented by tax education, tax support service, tax penalty, and tax administrative efficiency) on personal income tax compliance in Nigeria. Using a survey design, data were obtained through a structured questionnaire administered to randomly selected individual taxpayers from three States of Nigeria, resulting in a usable data set of 365 responses. Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was applied to test the study's hypotheses. The statistical results show that tax education, tax penalty, and tax administrative efficiency significantly and positively influence personal income tax compliance, while tax support services have a negative and insignificant influence on personal income tax compliance. Tax administration effectiveness is crucial in enhancing personal income tax compliance and increasing tax revenue. Given the need to optimise tax compliance and revenue, tax administration needs to constantly evolve systems (policies, strategies, and principles) using effective and efficient education models, enforcement models, and bureaucratic models.