Main Article Content
Abstract
This study investigates the intricate relationship between tax policies and entrepreneurship, aiming to provide comprehensive insights into how taxes influence entrepreneurial behavior and outcomes. Adopting a qualitative approach, the research synthesizes existing literature on taxes and entrepreneurship, drawing on a diverse range of scholarly articles, books, and reports. The research methodology involves systematic literature search, data extraction, thematic analysis, and critical appraisal of findings. The study finds that tax rates significantly impact entrepreneurial activity, with higher tax rates generally associated with lower rates of new business creation. Moreover, complex tax systems and compliance costs pose barriers to entry for aspiring entrepreneurs, diverting resources away from productive activities. However, the impact of taxes on entrepreneurship extends beyond mere rate considerations, encompassing factors such as tax incentives, institutional frameworks, and socio-economic conditions. Tax policies that offer targeted incentives for startup investment, research and development (R&D), and small business development can mitigate the negative effects of high tax rates and promote entrepreneurial activity. Furthermore, favorable business climates, streamlined regulatory processes, and transparent tax administration contribute to an enabling environment for startups to thrive and innovate. The study highlights the need for policymakers to adopt a holistic approach to tax policy design that balances revenue objectives with entrepreneurship promotion.
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References
- Agarwal, R., Evers, M., & Miller, N. (2020). Tax progressivity, income inequality, and entrepreneurship. Small Business Economics, 55(2), 413-428. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-019-00156-0
- Aidis, R., Estrin, S., & Mickiewicz, T. (2020). Institutions and entrepreneurship development in Russia: A comparative perspective. Journal of Business Venturing, 35(1), 105-123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2018.09.009
- Alm, J., & Torgler, B. (2011). Do ethics matter? Tax compliance and morality. Journal of Business Ethics, 101(4), 635-651. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-010-0730-1
- Alstadsæter, A., Johannesen, N., & Zucman, G. (2018). Tax evasion and inequality. American Economic Review, 108(1), 169-196. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.20160509
- Baliamoune-Lutz, M. (2011). Tax structure, entrepreneurship, and human capital. Journal of African Economies, 20(5), 792-814. https://doi.org/10.1093/jae/ejr031
- Baliamoune-Lutz, M. (2014). Entrepreneurship and the business environment in Africa: An application to Ethiopia. African Development Review, 26(S1), 74-86. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8268.12090
- Ballester, L., & Smith, C. A. (2019). Tax incentives for social innovation: Lessons from the United States and Canada. Public Administration Review, 79(1), 68-79. https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.12969
- Berger, E. M. (2016). Corporate tax effects on the quality and quantity of entrepreneurship. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 124, 124-139. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2015.10.020
- Blanchflower, D. G. (2004). Self-employment: More may not be better. NBER Working Paper No. 10286. National Bureau of Economic Research. https://doi.org/10.3386/w10286
- Cerulus, L. (2021). EU agrees on landmark deal to tax tech giants. Politico. Retrieved from https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-agrees-on-landmark-deal-to-tax-tech-giants/
- Cullen, J. B., Gordon, R. H., & Hassett, K. A. (2019). Effects of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act: A preliminary analysis. NBER Working Paper No. 25175. National Bureau of Economic Research. https://doi.org/10.3386/w25175
- De Mooij, R. A., & Ederveen, S. (2020). Digital entrepreneurship: Challenges and opportunities for taxation. CESifo Working Paper No. 8540. CESifo Group Munich. Retrieved from https://www.cesifo.org/en/publikationen/2020/working-paper/digital-entrepreneurship-challenges-and-opportunities-taxation
- Djankov, S., Ganser, T., McLiesh, C., Ramalho, R., & Shleifer, A. (2010). The effect of corporate taxes on investment and entrepreneurship. American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, 2(3), 31-64. https://doi.org/10.1257/mac.2.3.31
- Feld, L. P., Frey, C. B., & Schaltegger, C. A. (2021). Tax policy and entrepreneurship: New time series evidence. Small Business Economics, 57(1), 281-297. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-020-00330-2
- Fossen, F. M., & Steiner, V. (2006). Income taxes and entrepreneurial choice: Empirical evidence from Germany. Small Business Economics, 26(1), 31-40. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-004-6482-1
- Fossen, F. M., & Steiner, V. (2020). Tax policy and entrepreneurial entry. International Tax and Public Finance, 27(5), 1119-1146. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10797-020-09599-w
- García-Posada, M., & Mora-Sanguinetti, J. S. (2021). The effects of corporate taxes on small firms. Journal of Public Economics, 192, 104319. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpubeco.2020.104319
- Hepburn, C., O'Callaghan, B., Stern, N., Stiglitz, J., & Zenghelis, D. (2020). Will COVID-19 fiscal recovery packages accelerate or retard progress on climate change? Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 36(S1), S359-S381. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxrep/graa015
- Hines, J. R. (2010). State fiscal policies and transitory income fluctuations. Journal of Public Economics, 94(3-4), 185-202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpubeco.2009.11.002
- Kahneman, D., & Tversky, A. (1979). Prospect theory: An analysis of decision under risk. Econometrica, 47(2), 263-291. https://doi.org/10.2307/1914185
- Kuratko, D. F., & Audretsch, D. B. (2013). Clarifying the domains of corporate entrepreneurship. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 9(3), 323-335. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11365-012-0227-6
- Lerner, J. (2019). The importance of entrepreneurship for wealth concentration and mobility. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 33(3), 3-20. https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.33.3.3
- Li, M., Wang, C., & Wu, M. (2020). The impact of tax incentives on corporate innovation: Evidence from China. Journal of Business Venturing, 35(5), 105982. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2019.105982
- Mair, J., & Martí, I. (2006). Social entrepreneurship research: A source of explanation, prediction, and delight. Journal of World Business, 41(1), 36-44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2005.09.002
- Mankiw, N. G., Weinzierl, M., & Yagan, D. (2009). Optimal taxation in theory and practice. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 23(4), 147-174. https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.23.4.147
- Moro, A., & Fink, M. (2013). Framing effects in tax evasion decisions: An empirical study. Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, 47, 34-48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socec.2013.07.003
- Murray, J., Rehdanz, K., & Drupp, M. A. (2020). The effect of carbon pricing on inequality: Evidence from the Canadian province of British Columbia. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 103, 102360. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeem.2020.102360
- Oberhofer, M., Stocker, T., & Winner, H. (2021). How do COVID-19 support measures affect tax morale and tax compliance? Evidence from a natural experiment in Austria. European Economic Review, 137, 103796. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroecorev.2021.103796
- OECD. (2019). Tax challenges arising from digitalisation – Interim report 2019. OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on BEPS. Retrieved from https://www.oecd.org/tax/beps/tax-challenges-arising-from-digitalisation-interim-report-2019.pdf
- OECD. (2021). Taxation of the digitalized economy: Summary of the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on BEPS work on the taxation of the digitalized economy. OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on BEPS. Retrieved from https://www.oecd.org/tax/beps/taxation-of-the-digitalised-economy-summary-of-the-oecd-g20-inclusive-framework-on-beps-work-on-the-taxation-of-the-digitalised-economy.pdf
- Piketty, T. (2014). Capital in the twenty-first century. Harvard University Press.
- Richter, K., Werner, J., & van Stuijvenberg, J. (2021). The digital gig economy and tax policy: What is at stake? European Taxation, 61(3), 99-105. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10797-020-09599-w
- Rogers, E., & Wu, H. (2017). The sharing economy and housing markets. Journal of Housing Economics, 35, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhe.2016.10.001
- Slemrod, J., & Yitzhaki, S. (2002). Tax avoidance, evasion, and administration. In A. J. Auerbach & M. Feldstein (Eds.), Handbook of public economics (Vol. 3, pp. 1423-1470). Elsevier.
- Smith, A. (2019). The relationship between tax incentives and entrepreneurial activity: A literature review. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 31(5-6), 421-444. https://doi.org/10.1080/08985626.2019.1572312
- Smith, A. (2019). The relationship between tax incentives and entrepreneurial activity: A literature review. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 31(5-6), 421-444. https://doi.org/10.1080/08985626.2019.1572312
- Smith, K., & Schreiber, C. (2018). Neural mechanisms underlying tax compliance: An fMRI investigation. Journal of Economic Psychology, 64, 99-108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joep.2018.01.009
- Venâncio, A. (2020). Do corporate taxes affect firm entry and size? Evidence from Portugal. International Review of Entrepreneurship, 18(3), 339-364. https://doi.org/10.1515/ire-2019-0013
- Zucman, G. (2020). The triumph of injustice: How the rich dodge taxes and how to make them pay. W. W. Norton & Company.
- Zucman, G., & Torslov, T. (2021). The missing profits of nations. National Bureau of Economic Research. https://doi.org/10.3386/w29595
References
Agarwal, R., Evers, M., & Miller, N. (2020). Tax progressivity, income inequality, and entrepreneurship. Small Business Economics, 55(2), 413-428. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-019-00156-0
Aidis, R., Estrin, S., & Mickiewicz, T. (2020). Institutions and entrepreneurship development in Russia: A comparative perspective. Journal of Business Venturing, 35(1), 105-123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2018.09.009
Alm, J., & Torgler, B. (2011). Do ethics matter? Tax compliance and morality. Journal of Business Ethics, 101(4), 635-651. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-010-0730-1
Alstadsæter, A., Johannesen, N., & Zucman, G. (2018). Tax evasion and inequality. American Economic Review, 108(1), 169-196. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.20160509
Baliamoune-Lutz, M. (2011). Tax structure, entrepreneurship, and human capital. Journal of African Economies, 20(5), 792-814. https://doi.org/10.1093/jae/ejr031
Baliamoune-Lutz, M. (2014). Entrepreneurship and the business environment in Africa: An application to Ethiopia. African Development Review, 26(S1), 74-86. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8268.12090
Ballester, L., & Smith, C. A. (2019). Tax incentives for social innovation: Lessons from the United States and Canada. Public Administration Review, 79(1), 68-79. https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.12969
Berger, E. M. (2016). Corporate tax effects on the quality and quantity of entrepreneurship. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 124, 124-139. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2015.10.020
Blanchflower, D. G. (2004). Self-employment: More may not be better. NBER Working Paper No. 10286. National Bureau of Economic Research. https://doi.org/10.3386/w10286
Cerulus, L. (2021). EU agrees on landmark deal to tax tech giants. Politico. Retrieved from https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-agrees-on-landmark-deal-to-tax-tech-giants/
Cullen, J. B., Gordon, R. H., & Hassett, K. A. (2019). Effects of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act: A preliminary analysis. NBER Working Paper No. 25175. National Bureau of Economic Research. https://doi.org/10.3386/w25175
De Mooij, R. A., & Ederveen, S. (2020). Digital entrepreneurship: Challenges and opportunities for taxation. CESifo Working Paper No. 8540. CESifo Group Munich. Retrieved from https://www.cesifo.org/en/publikationen/2020/working-paper/digital-entrepreneurship-challenges-and-opportunities-taxation
Djankov, S., Ganser, T., McLiesh, C., Ramalho, R., & Shleifer, A. (2010). The effect of corporate taxes on investment and entrepreneurship. American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, 2(3), 31-64. https://doi.org/10.1257/mac.2.3.31
Feld, L. P., Frey, C. B., & Schaltegger, C. A. (2021). Tax policy and entrepreneurship: New time series evidence. Small Business Economics, 57(1), 281-297. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-020-00330-2
Fossen, F. M., & Steiner, V. (2006). Income taxes and entrepreneurial choice: Empirical evidence from Germany. Small Business Economics, 26(1), 31-40. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-004-6482-1
Fossen, F. M., & Steiner, V. (2020). Tax policy and entrepreneurial entry. International Tax and Public Finance, 27(5), 1119-1146. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10797-020-09599-w
García-Posada, M., & Mora-Sanguinetti, J. S. (2021). The effects of corporate taxes on small firms. Journal of Public Economics, 192, 104319. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpubeco.2020.104319
Hepburn, C., O'Callaghan, B., Stern, N., Stiglitz, J., & Zenghelis, D. (2020). Will COVID-19 fiscal recovery packages accelerate or retard progress on climate change? Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 36(S1), S359-S381. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxrep/graa015
Hines, J. R. (2010). State fiscal policies and transitory income fluctuations. Journal of Public Economics, 94(3-4), 185-202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpubeco.2009.11.002
Kahneman, D., & Tversky, A. (1979). Prospect theory: An analysis of decision under risk. Econometrica, 47(2), 263-291. https://doi.org/10.2307/1914185
Kuratko, D. F., & Audretsch, D. B. (2013). Clarifying the domains of corporate entrepreneurship. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 9(3), 323-335. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11365-012-0227-6
Lerner, J. (2019). The importance of entrepreneurship for wealth concentration and mobility. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 33(3), 3-20. https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.33.3.3
Li, M., Wang, C., & Wu, M. (2020). The impact of tax incentives on corporate innovation: Evidence from China. Journal of Business Venturing, 35(5), 105982. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2019.105982
Mair, J., & Martí, I. (2006). Social entrepreneurship research: A source of explanation, prediction, and delight. Journal of World Business, 41(1), 36-44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2005.09.002
Mankiw, N. G., Weinzierl, M., & Yagan, D. (2009). Optimal taxation in theory and practice. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 23(4), 147-174. https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.23.4.147
Moro, A., & Fink, M. (2013). Framing effects in tax evasion decisions: An empirical study. Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, 47, 34-48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socec.2013.07.003
Murray, J., Rehdanz, K., & Drupp, M. A. (2020). The effect of carbon pricing on inequality: Evidence from the Canadian province of British Columbia. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 103, 102360. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeem.2020.102360
Oberhofer, M., Stocker, T., & Winner, H. (2021). How do COVID-19 support measures affect tax morale and tax compliance? Evidence from a natural experiment in Austria. European Economic Review, 137, 103796. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroecorev.2021.103796
OECD. (2019). Tax challenges arising from digitalisation – Interim report 2019. OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on BEPS. Retrieved from https://www.oecd.org/tax/beps/tax-challenges-arising-from-digitalisation-interim-report-2019.pdf
OECD. (2021). Taxation of the digitalized economy: Summary of the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on BEPS work on the taxation of the digitalized economy. OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on BEPS. Retrieved from https://www.oecd.org/tax/beps/taxation-of-the-digitalised-economy-summary-of-the-oecd-g20-inclusive-framework-on-beps-work-on-the-taxation-of-the-digitalised-economy.pdf
Piketty, T. (2014). Capital in the twenty-first century. Harvard University Press.
Richter, K., Werner, J., & van Stuijvenberg, J. (2021). The digital gig economy and tax policy: What is at stake? European Taxation, 61(3), 99-105. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10797-020-09599-w
Rogers, E., & Wu, H. (2017). The sharing economy and housing markets. Journal of Housing Economics, 35, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhe.2016.10.001
Slemrod, J., & Yitzhaki, S. (2002). Tax avoidance, evasion, and administration. In A. J. Auerbach & M. Feldstein (Eds.), Handbook of public economics (Vol. 3, pp. 1423-1470). Elsevier.
Smith, A. (2019). The relationship between tax incentives and entrepreneurial activity: A literature review. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 31(5-6), 421-444. https://doi.org/10.1080/08985626.2019.1572312
Smith, A. (2019). The relationship between tax incentives and entrepreneurial activity: A literature review. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 31(5-6), 421-444. https://doi.org/10.1080/08985626.2019.1572312
Smith, K., & Schreiber, C. (2018). Neural mechanisms underlying tax compliance: An fMRI investigation. Journal of Economic Psychology, 64, 99-108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joep.2018.01.009
Venâncio, A. (2020). Do corporate taxes affect firm entry and size? Evidence from Portugal. International Review of Entrepreneurship, 18(3), 339-364. https://doi.org/10.1515/ire-2019-0013
Zucman, G. (2020). The triumph of injustice: How the rich dodge taxes and how to make them pay. W. W. Norton & Company.
Zucman, G., & Torslov, T. (2021). The missing profits of nations. National Bureau of Economic Research. https://doi.org/10.3386/w29595