Tax Education to Enhance Tax Compliance for Socio-Economic Development

Abstract

Tax collection by governments globally is to generate revenue so that they can deliver basic services to citizens like health, education, roads, infrastructural development, and meet expenditure. Hence, revenue from taxation is important for all countries and more so for developing ones. However, to ensure that this collection is optimum, the citizens must be tax compliant. Yet, many countries and more so emerging ones are poor at tax collection due to the low tax compliance. Among other mechanisms to increase tax compliance like a penalty, confiscation of property that is more detrimental in nature, the progressive mechanism to increase tax compliance is taxpayer education. Hence, adopting a descriptive qualitative approach, this study investigates individual citizens' taxpayer education approach to enhance tax compliance for socio-economic development. Findings reveal that educating citizens on taxation not only aids in tax compliance but has a multiplier effect on fiscal knowledge and nation development.