Beyond Enforcement
The Effect of Adult Tax Education on Tax Morale in Indonesia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31004/anthor.v5i2.401Keywords:
Tax Morale, Tax Education, Adult Learning, Tax Compliance, Fiscal Policy, IndonesiaAbstract
This study investigates the effect of adult tax education on tax morale in Indonesia, moving beyond the traditional enforcement-centric approach to tax compliance. Utilizing a mixed-methods research design, we combined a quantitative survey of 400 adult taxpayers in East Java with a qualitative thematic analysis of in-depth interviews. The quantitative results, analyzed through multiple linear regression, revealed a significant and positive effect of adult tax education on tax morale (β=0.87,p<0.001). This finding indicates that participation in non-formal tax education programs is a strong predictor of an individual's intrinsic motivation to pay taxes. The qualitative findings provide rich context, highlighting a shift in taxpayers' perceptions from viewing taxes as a financial burden to a civic responsibility. Participants' narratives consistently emphasized that education demystified the tax system, rebuilt trust in government, and fostered a sense of shared community responsibility. These findings have critical implications for fiscal policy, suggesting that investing in targeted educational initiatives is a more sustainable and effective strategy for fostering voluntary tax compliance than relying solely on punitive measures. This study fills a significant gap in the literature by providing robust, causal evidence in the Indonesian context, offering a new path for building a more cooperative relationship between taxpayers and the state.
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