Title: Tax governance: the balance between tax regulatory requirements and societal expectations

Authors: J. Christian Plesner Rossing; Thomas Riise Johansen; Thomas C. Pearson

Addresses: Sykes College of Business, The University of Tampa, 401 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, FL, 33606, USA ' Department of Accounting and Auditing, Copenhagen Business School, Solbjerg Plads 3, 2000-Frederiksberg, Denmark ' School of Accountancy, Shidler College of Business, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2404 Maile Way, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA

Abstract: In October 2012, Starbucks UK branch became the subject of massive public criticism over alleged tax avoidance. Despite Starbucks arguing that its transfer pricing practices were in full compliance with regulation, public pressure led Starbucks to overpay its UK taxes on international transfer pricing beyond the regulatory requirements. This behaviour contradicts the current literature in which international transfer pricing is portrayed as a tool for aggressive tax management or an exercise of regulatory compliance. It is further argued that boards and top management of multinational enterprises (MNEs) can no longer approach tax governance as a purely technical, regulation-driven discipline to be addressed only by accounting staff and tax consultants. Instead, its pivotal role in the social contract between an MNE and its stakeholders needs to be recognised.

Keywords: tax governance; international transfer pricing; tax avoidance; multinational enterprises; MNEs; Starbucks; business ethics; corporate social responsibility; CSR; legitimacy processes.

DOI: 10.1504/IJCG.2019.103227

International Journal of Corporate Governance, 2019 Vol.10 No.3/4, pp.248 - 274

Accepted: 18 Jun 2019
Published online: 22 Oct 2019 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article