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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol. 11, No. 9.2

Publication Date: September 25, 2024

DOI:10.14738/assrj.119.2.17403.

Nasir, N. E. M., Yaacob, N. M., Kamarudin, S. N., Rashid, N., & Othman, N. N. J. N. (2024). Navigating the Intersection of Corporate

Governance and Corporate Tax Planning: A Scoping Review. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 11(9.2). 91-102.

Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom

Navigating the Intersection of Corporate Governance and

Corporate Tax Planning: A Scoping Review

Noor Emilina Mohd Nasir

Faculty of Accountancy, Universiti Teknologi MARA,

Cawangan Terengganu, Kampus Dungun, 23000 Dungun,

Terengganu, Malaysia

Najihah Marha Yaacob

Faculty of Accountancy, Universiti Teknologi MARA,

Cawangan Terengganu, Kampus Dungun, 23000 Dungun,

Terengganu, Malaysia

Siti Nurhazwani Kamarudin

Faculty of Accountancy, Universiti Teknologi MARA,

Cawangan Terengganu, Kampus Dungun, 23000 Dungun,

Terengganu, Malaysia

Norfadzilah Rashid

Faculty of Accountancy, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin,

21300 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia

Nik Norlaili Jamilah Nik Othman

Center of STEM Enculturation, Faculty Education,

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi Campus,

43650 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia

ABSTRACT

The scoping review analyses the convergence of corporate governance and

corporate tax planning. The aim of this review is to identify the publication trends,

key issues and areas of limited understanding in the current academic literature.

Corporate governance structures balance the interests of shareholders,

management and other stakeholders. Tax planning, on the other hand, involves

strategies aimed at reducing an organisation's tax liability while ensuring

compliance. Recent studies point to an intricate relationship between these two

areas. The extent and form of tax planning activities can be influenced by corporate

governance mechanisms, including ownership structure and board composition.

Strong, independent boards may be more inclined to favour tax strategies that are

consistent with long-term value creation rather than resorting to aggressive tax

planning strategies. Hence, the objective of this review relevant academic articles,

focusing on research that examines the relationship between corporate governance

characteristics and corporate tax planning. This will provide a basis for future

research that can further investigate this important relationship. Overall, this

scoping review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of

knowledge on the influence of corporate governance on companies' tax planning

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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal (ASSRJ) Vol. 11, Issue 9.2, September-2024

Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom

practises. This information can provide valuable insights to policymakers,

regulators and business leaders in their efforts to create a fair and open tax

environment.

Keyword: Scoping Review, Corporate Governance, Tax Planning, Sustainable

Development Goals

INTRODUCTION

In today's globalised business world, corporate tax practises are under increasing scrutiny.

Finding a balance between maximising shareholder value and fulfilling tax obligations is a key

challenge for corporate management. Corporate governance, the system of rules and practises

that governs decision-making within a company, plays a central role in shaping tax planning

strategies. Effective corporate governance is critical to fostering a robust business climate as it

strengthens transparency and accountability within organisations. [1] defines corporate

governance as “the process and structure used to direct and manage the business and affairs of

the company towards enhancing business prosperity and corporate accountability with the

ultimate objective of realising long-term shareholder value, whilst taking into account the

interests of other stakeholders” (p. 3).

According to the seminal work of [2], the board of directors plays a central role in the

governance of large companies and acts as a critical mechanism for aligning the interests of

management with those of shareholders. They argue that the responsibilities of the board are

closely tied to the broader framework of corporate governance rules, which aim to improve the

accountability and transparency of an organisation. Consequently, a higher proportion of

independent directors is expected to foster a culture of enhanced disclosure. This increased

transparency is vital in mitigating potential conflicts of interest among directors, as

independent directors are better positioned to objectively monitor and regulate management's

activities. [3] elaborate on this by pointing out that independent directors, due to their

impartiality, can more effectively control and monitor the actions of management without

compromising their independent judgement, thereby strengthening the overall governance

structure and promoting better corporate practises.

The impact on corporate tax planning practises remains the subject of ongoing debate.

Incorporating tax planning into corporate strategy can be beneficial in many ways. However, if

tax planning activities are not properly regulated, they can become problematic, which can

affect the quality of financial reporting [4]. The relationship between companies and tax

authorities is extensive. Companies endeavour to reduce their tax liability by skilfully

navigating through a complex web of laws and loopholes. Achieving a higher after-tax income

is one of the company’s goals so that the value of the firm also increases [5]. Consequently, this

leads to meeting owners’ expectation as management acts on behalf of the owners to create

more profits. Besides, tax planning also is an effective mechanism in increasing company

liquidity [6], minimizing the occurrence of tax surprises in the event of a tax audit by the tax

authorities as well as fulfilling tax assessment correctly and in accordance with tax provisions

[7]. Nevertheless, tax authorities endeavour to ensure that companies meet their fair tax

obligations. This leads to the motivation of this study which is to examine the relationship

between corporate governance and corporate tax planning by conducting a scoping review.

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Nasir, N. E. M., Yaacob, N. M., Kamarudin, S. N., Rashid, N., & Othman, N. N. J. N. (2024). Navigating the Intersection of Corporate Governance and

Corporate Tax Planning: A Scoping Review. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 11(9.2). 91-102.

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.119.2.17403

A scoping review was conducted to comprehensively summarise the research conducted in this

area. The purpose of the scoping review was to capture the basic concepts of the research area

and identify the primary sources and types of evidence available [8]. The study highlights the

growing number of publications and the top leading journals in this area of research. In

addition, this study explores the keywords used by the authors to identify important

opportunities for future research. By systematically exploring this research landscape, this

study hopes to uncover how corporate governance structures and practises influence a

company's approach to tax planning.

METHODS

A scoping review is a methodological approach to analyse the current body of literature on a

broad topic. This approach is optimal for examining the characteristics and scope of research

conducted in a particular area, recognising important keywords and uncovering areas of

knowledge that require additional investigation. The study adhered to the requirements of the

Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping

Reviews (PRISMA-ScR), as described by [9]. Firstly, research questions are identified in order

to determine and map the existing body of research on the relationship between corporate

governance and corporate tax planning. The flowchart shown in Figure 1 provides a graphical

representation of the key steps in conducting a scoping review.

In this study, relevant documents were identified using two international databases: Scopus

and Web of Science (WoS). The search was conducted on 3 April 2024. The search terms were

selected based on their relevance. The summary of articles was reviewed to identify duplicate

entries. During screening and data extraction, the titles of the datasets were reviewed, and, in

a further step, the abstracts were analysed to eliminate datasets that were deemed irrelevant

after review. In this phase, the full texts of the identified datasets were searched for eligibility

using the Scopus and WoS databases. Mendeley, a reference management software, is used to

organise the retrieved data, eliminate duplicates and facilitate the screening process. Initially,

237 and 303 documents were found in the Scopus and WoS databases respectively.

The data relevant to the research question were extracted from the included studies. Based on

the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 375 full texts were finalised and documented. The

publications were assessed on the basis of technical attributes such as year of publication,

document type, country of publication and language. The title of the source, keywords and

research areas were also analysed. The extracted dataset was then synthesised and analysed to

identify recurring themes in the literature. This synthesis provides a comprehensive overview

of the existing knowledge base on this topic.