Accountants have a major role to play in addressing corruption, which negatively impact on attitudes towards tax in economies across the globe, according to new research.
The latest Public Trust in Tax survey – which questioned 7,700 members of the public across the globe – shows that 53.8% consider corruption a major problem. However, most of those surveyed believe the role of professional accountants contributes to improving tax systems by making them more efficient (59%), more effective (57%), and fairer (55%).
The biennial survey by IFAC was expanded this year to address not only corruption but also the issues of sustainable development and corruption, and how these two interconnect with trust in the tax system.
It found corruption has a significant impact on attitudes towards tax in economies across the globe, with over half of G20 respondents citing it as a major factor.
At the same time, 68% of respondents in G20 countries see at least some connection between tax and sustainable development, and 57% would be prepared to pay more tax to support it.
The results also show that accountants remain the single most trusted stakeholder in tax in every G20 country, as it has been the case in every biennial G20 Public Trust in Tax survey since it began in 2017.
Kevin Dancey, CEO of IFAC, said: “The impact of corruption on trust in tax has been an emerging theme in our recent surveys, particularly in our 2022 Global Perspectives report, which focuses on jurisdictions outside of the G20.
“Now, for the first time, we have specific data on that point, and the results are illuminating. Taken together with the continued trust in professional accountants, and additional new data on views about sustainable development, insight into the important interconnections between these issues is starting to come into view.”
The survey’s key findings show that:
• Trust in key stakeholders has improved in most regions, but there are still significant variations.
• People see tax systems as a mechanism for positive change, but are concerned about corruption.
• People generally think that levels of taxes paid are reasonable.
