Firm Attributes and Corporate Tax Aggressiveness in Nigeria

Abstract

Purpose: The study examined the impact of firm attributes on tax aggressiveness in Nigeria. The study employed the longitudinal research design.
 Methodology: The population consisted of the 13 listed commercial banks quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. The final sample, after excluding firms with incomplete data, consisted of 13 Nigerian banks for a period of nine financial years (2012-2020). Data for the study were collected from the annual reports and financial statements of the selected banks. Two alternative measures of tax aggressiveness (GAAP-ETR and D_BTD) were employed and the data was analysed using the panel data regression technique while MAPE and Theil’s inequality coefficient was used in evaluating the forecast abilities of the models.
 Findings: The findings of the analysis revealed that firm size and firm complexity have significant positive relationship with tax aggressiveness, firm age and profitability asserted significant negative impact respectively on tax aggressiveness.
 Recommendations: The study recommends that regulatory bodies and tax authorities should beam their searchlight on the tax saving strategies of small size companies with a view to discouraging aggressive tax avoidance schemes. It was also recommended that regulators should increase their monitoring of the older firms as a strategy for reducing potential tax evasions while encouraging appropriate tax savings strategies to ensure greater tax compliance.