The Principle of Proportionality in the Portuguese Tax Law： A Case of Its Application

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the application of the principle of proportionality based on a case relating to a Portuguese economic group operating in the transportation sector. The group applied for being taxed under the regime of the group relief, as established in the Portuguese Corporate Income Tax Code （CITC）, and the tax authorities approved the request in 2002. The group＇s accounts for 2003 were audited by tax inspectors in 2007. In 2008, the accounts from 2004 to 2006 were also under a tax auditing. Following such audits and basing on, in the author＇s view, some minor faults, the tax administration disallowed the use of group relief for four consecutive years （from 2003 to 2006）. The financial implication was that 12 million Euros in additional taxes were charged to the group. Such an increase in the income tax would wipe out profits for two consecutive years, thus, pushing the effective tax rate to 100%. Such an economic result fell outside what seemed to be a balanced application of the law, by disregarding financial consequences from minor tax faults, some of which were voluntarily corrected by the group

Impact of Tax Audit on Tax Compliance with Reference to Category“A”Taxpayers:A Case Study in Hawassa City Administration,South Nations,Nationalities and Peoples’Regional State of Ethiopia

The main issue faced by all tax authorities is that it has never been easy to persuade all taxpayers to comply with the regulations of a tax system.Business sector is one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy in Ethiopia.The study specifically sought the effect of tax audit,fines and penalties,and tax education and knowledge on tax compliance in Hawassa City,south nations,nationalities and peoples’regional state.Population under this research comprises Hawassa City audit officers who are 50 audit officers.Since the number of staff is not large,the study used census approach.Data were collected using structured questionnaire,both primary and secondary data were used.Descriptive statistical tools and correlation and multiple regressions analysis were used in analyzing the data collected.The study findings showed that probability of tax audit,and tax knowledge and education have positive effect on level of tax compliance.Similarly,fines/penalties have positive effect on level of tax compliances.The study provides some preliminary evidence that probability of tax audit,imposing fines/penalties and provision of tax knowledge and education will improve tax compliance.There should be stiff enforcement of fines and penalties to deter tax evasion.Additionally,tax authorities should simplify processes involved in filling of returns and payment of taxes.

A Feasibility Study on the Implementation of External Tax Audit in Malaysia

This study examines the feasibility of external tax audit implementation in Malaysia. External tax audit has been purported to enhance tax administration efficiency, deter tax evasion and noncompliance as well as improve tax collection for a nation. Therefore, this study solicits perceptions from various stakeholders on the new service while retaining the principle of justice that lies in the tax system. External tax audit refers to the process of business income tax returns being attested by other than the tax authority. External tax audit has been implemented successfully to increase tax compliance in some areas such as Taiwan, Bangladesh and United States of America. Therefore, this study examines the benefits and risks influencing the implementation of external tax audit in Malaysia from the viewpoints of corporate taxpayers and tax agents. Data is obtained through questionnaire from the selected respondents. Findings from multiple regression analysis reveal that tax agents and taxpayers agree with the implementation of this new service. For tax agents, the external tax audit has benefits and risks, while taxpayers believe that only benefits influence their agreement to the external tax audit. This study contributes to the tax literature by providing knowledge on the feasibility of external tax audit implementation in Malaysia.