Tax aggressiveness in Moroccan family SMES : A moral and ethical approach

Abstract

In recent years, the techniques used by certain companies to reduce their tax burden have been the subject of numerous studies. Although discussions about aggressive tax planning activities and their regulatory responses are often conducted in reference to moral concepts such as "fairness," the philosophical analysis of the ethics of corporate tax aggressiveness remains limited. In particular, the virtue ethics approach that focuses on the agent (and their character) and the execution of specific roles has not been examined in detail. This article examines how moral theories associated with Alasdair MacIntyre's contemporary virtue ethics can be applied to the issue of tax aggressiveness in family businesses and explores the role played by accountants in these activities. It argues, firstly, that MacIntyre's approach provides a more useful philosophical analysis of the issue (compared to utilitarian and deontological approaches, for example), and secondly, that the main stakeholders (accountants) are likely to agree with the key principles of this approach. The article also contributes by reconceptualizing, using MacIntyre's framework, the issue of tax aggressiveness in relation to Donald Cressey's "fraud triangle." In this article, the study of tax aggressiveness was conducted in a family context because family businesses have unique characteristics that distinguish them from other enterprises, and specifically focused on small and medium-sized Moroccan enterprises. Although these businesses are often overlooked in management literature, they play a crucial role in the national economic landscape.

Keywords: Tax aggressiveness, family business, MacIntyre's virtue, fraud triangle, SMEs.

Classification JEL : H26

Paper type: Empirical Research