Dynamics of Political Stability and Transparency in Encouraging Tax Compliance: A Local Perspective of South Sulawesi, Indonesia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14419/bd19pz07Published
19-10-2025Keywords:
Tax Compliance, Political Stability, Transparency, Trust, Tax PolicyAbstract
Taxes are the main source of revenue for the Indonesian government, supporting economic, social, and political development. However, Indonesia's tax-to-GDP ratio remains below the Asia-Pacific average, indicating low tax compliance. This study analyses the influence of political stability and transparency on tax compliance in South Sulawesi, with trust as a moderating variable. Using a quantitative approach with Partial Least Square (PLS) methodology, primary data were collected from 99 individual taxpayers in South Sulawesi. Analysis em-ployed structural equation modelling and hypothesis testing to examine relationships between variables. Results demonstrate that political stability and transparency have positive and significant effects on tax compliance. Political stability creates an environment conducive to consistent tax policy implementation, while transparency increases public confidence in government fund utilization. However, trust does not significantly moderate these relationships, suggesting that in regions with good political stability, trust is not a major factor in improving compliance. This research contributes to Indonesian taxation literature by identifying political stability and transparency as primary drivers of tax compliance, particularly in regions with strong social character. The findings indicate that institutional factors may be more critical than trust mechanisms in achieving compliance outcomes in politically stable environments.
References
Khlif, H. & Amara, I. (2019). Political stability and tax compliance: A cross-country analysis. Journal of Economic Studies, 46(7), 1421–1441. https://doi.org/10.1108/JES-02-2019-0083
Al-Rahamneh, N. M., Al Zobi, M. K. & Bidin, Z. (2023). The influence of tax transparency on sales tax evasion among Jordanian SMEs: The mod-erating role of moral obligation. Cogent Business & Management, 10(2), 2220478. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2023.2220478
Elbahnasawy, N. G. (2020). Democracy, political instability, and government tax effort in hydrocarbon-dependent countries. Resources Policy, 65, 101530. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2019.101530
McKay, S., Johnson, R. & Thompson, L. (2023). Transparency and public trust: Evidence from municipal governance reforms. Public Administra-tion Review, 83(2), 245–261. https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.13564
Mebratu, A. A. (2024). Theoretical foundations of voluntary tax compliance: Evidence from a developing country. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 11(1), 29. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-02903-y
Gebrihet, H. G., Gebresilassie, Y. H. & Woldu, G. T. (2024). Trust, corruption, and tax compliance in fragile states: On a quest for transforming Africa into future global powerhouse. Social Sciences, 13(1), 3. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13010003
Masud, A., Alkali, Y. M. & Aliyu, A. A. (2021). Mediating role of trust in the relationship between public governance quality and tax compliance: An African cross-sectional analysis. Bussecon Review of Social Sciences, 3(4), 11–22. http://www.bussecon.com/ojs/index.php/brss/article/view/276
Salman, R. T., Sanni, P., Olaniyi, T. A. & Yahaya, K. A. (2022). Governance transparency of tax revenue performance in West Africa. Business Ethics and Leadership, 6(1), 14–24. https://doi.org/10.21272/bel.6(1).14-24.2022
Al-Maghrebi, M. S., Sapiei, N. S. & Abdullah, M. (2022). Power, trust and transparency as determinant factors of tax compliance: A systematic review. Journal of Tax Reform, 8(3), 312–335. https://doi.org/10.15826/jtr.2022.8.3.124
Kogler, C., Olsen, J., Kirchler, E., Batrancea, L. M. & Nichita, A. (2023). Perceptions of trust and power are associated with tax compliance: A cross-cultural study. Economic and Political Studies, 11(3), 365–381. https://doi.org/10.1080/20954816.2022.2130501
Nyantakyi, G., Sarpong, F. A., Asiedu, F., Bimpeh, D. A., Ntoso, J. K. A. & Nunoo, L. O. (2024). Unearthing the mediating role of political affilia-tion in tax compliance determinants: New evidence from Ghana. Cogent Business & Management, 11(1), 2316886. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2024.2316886
Kirchler, E., Hoelzl, E. & Wahl, I. (2008). Enforced versus voluntary tax compliance: The ‘slippery slope’ framework. Journal of Economic Psy-chology, 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
Mahpudin, E. (2024). Digital tax reform in Indonesia: Perspective on tax policy development. Journal of Infrastructure, Policy and Development, 8(8), 7032. https://doi.org/10.24294/jipd.v8i8.7032
Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M. & Sarstedt, M. (2017). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications.
Grimmelikhuijsen, S. G. & Meijer, A. J. (2014). Effects of transparency on the perceived trustworthiness of a government organization: Evidence from an online experiment. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 24(1), 137–157. https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/mus048
OECD. (2023). Revenue statistics in Asia and the Pacific 2023: Indonesia tax-to-GDP ratio, tax structures, personal income tax, social security con-tributions, value added taxes / goods and services tax, other taxes on goods and services. OECD Publishing.
Purba, A. & Salomo, R. (2024). Measuring the urgency of tax administration reform in Indonesia. International Research Journal of Management, IT and Social Sciences, 11(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.21744/irjmis.v11n1.2401
Priyono, A., Nisa, F. & Dwijayanti, A. (2024). Optimizing Indonesian tax collection with effectiveness and efficiency analysis through transfor-mation to improve national welfare. International Journal of Pertapsi, 2(2), 88–94. https://doi.org/10.9744/ijp.2.2.88-94
Prastiwi, D. & Diamastuti, E. (2023). Building trust and enhancing tax compliance: The role of authoritarian procedures and respectful treatment in Indonesia. Journal of Risk and Financial Management, 16(8), 375. https://doi.org/10.3390/jrfm16080375
Supriyati, Hapsari, I. & Nahumury, J. (2024). The influence of trust in the government, perceived fairness, and tax morale on taxpayer compliance: Implications for budget formation. Public and Municipal Finance, 13(2), 11. https://doi.org/10.21511/pmf.13(2).2024.11
Stilia, L., Riandoko, R. & Kartiko, N. (2024). Power and trust: A mediator in the relationship between procedural justice and tax compliance in In-donesia. Jurnal Aplikasi Akuntansi, 8(2), 327. https://doi.org/10.29303/jaa.v8i2.327
Timothy, J. & Abbas, Y. (2021). Tax morale, perception of justice, trust in public authorities, tax knowledge, and tax compliance: A study of Indo-nesian SMEs. eJournal of Tax Research (2021) vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 168-184
Torgler, B. & Schneider, F. (2007). What shapes attitudes toward paying taxes? Evidence from multicultural European countries. Social Science Quarterly, 88(2), 443–470. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6237.2007.00466.x
