An examination of the ethical influences on the work of tax practitioners

As a contribution to the continuing debate about tax practitioner ethics, this paper explores the main streams of Western ethical thought that are relevant to tax practitioners’ work, most typically deontology and consequentialism (although virtue ethics and distributive justice are also considered)...

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Main Authors: Frecknall-Hughes, Jane, Moizer, Peter, Doyle, Elaine, Summers, Barbara
Format: Article
Published: Springer 2017
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Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/40387/
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author Frecknall-Hughes, Jane
Moizer, Peter
Doyle, Elaine
Summers, Barbara
author_facet Frecknall-Hughes, Jane
Moizer, Peter
Doyle, Elaine
Summers, Barbara
author_sort Frecknall-Hughes, Jane
building Nottingham Research Data Repository
collection Online Access
description As a contribution to the continuing debate about tax practitioner ethics, this paper explores the main streams of Western ethical thought that are relevant to tax practitioners’ work, most typically deontology and consequentialism (although virtue ethics and distributive justice are also considered). It then goes on to consider the impact of such ethical influences on the professional ethical codes of conduct that govern tax practitioners’ work (with specific reference to the UK and Ireland), and attempts to unravel the complex work and ethical environment of the practice of tax in terms of tax compliance and tax avoidance. The paper then examines the prior studies on tax practitioners and ethics and the type of dilemmas that practitioners face in the context of their work. The paper proceeds to examine empirically the extent to which tax practitioners take a consequentialist versus a deontological approach in their reasoning about moral dilemmas. This is carried out by an innovative use of the Defining Issues Test
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spelling nottingham-403872020-05-04T19:23:09Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/40387/ An examination of the ethical influences on the work of tax practitioners Frecknall-Hughes, Jane Moizer, Peter Doyle, Elaine Summers, Barbara As a contribution to the continuing debate about tax practitioner ethics, this paper explores the main streams of Western ethical thought that are relevant to tax practitioners’ work, most typically deontology and consequentialism (although virtue ethics and distributive justice are also considered). It then goes on to consider the impact of such ethical influences on the professional ethical codes of conduct that govern tax practitioners’ work (with specific reference to the UK and Ireland), and attempts to unravel the complex work and ethical environment of the practice of tax in terms of tax compliance and tax avoidance. The paper then examines the prior studies on tax practitioners and ethics and the type of dilemmas that practitioners face in the context of their work. The paper proceeds to examine empirically the extent to which tax practitioners take a consequentialist versus a deontological approach in their reasoning about moral dilemmas. This is carried out by an innovative use of the Defining Issues Test Springer 2017-12-17 Article PeerReviewed Frecknall-Hughes, Jane, Moizer, Peter, Doyle, Elaine and Summers, Barbara (2017) An examination of the ethical influences on the work of tax practitioners. Journal of Business Ethics, 146 (4). pp. 729-745. ISSN 0167-4544 Consequentialism Deontology Distributive justice Defining Issues Test (DIT) Ethical codes Tax practitioners’ work Tax compliance Tax planning/avoidance http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10551-016-3037-6 doi:10.1007/s10551-016-3037-6 doi:10.1007/s10551-016-3037-6
spellingShingle Consequentialism
Deontology
Distributive justice
Defining Issues Test (DIT)
Ethical codes
Tax practitioners’ work
Tax compliance
Tax planning/avoidance
Frecknall-Hughes, Jane
Moizer, Peter
Doyle, Elaine
Summers, Barbara
An examination of the ethical influences on the work of tax practitioners
title An examination of the ethical influences on the work of tax practitioners
title_full An examination of the ethical influences on the work of tax practitioners
title_fullStr An examination of the ethical influences on the work of tax practitioners
title_full_unstemmed An examination of the ethical influences on the work of tax practitioners
title_short An examination of the ethical influences on the work of tax practitioners
title_sort examination of the ethical influences on the work of tax practitioners
topic Consequentialism
Deontology
Distributive justice
Defining Issues Test (DIT)
Ethical codes
Tax practitioners’ work
Tax compliance
Tax planning/avoidance
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/40387/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/40387/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/40387/