Justified Rejection of the Policy of Granting Tax Incentives to Donor Companies: A Call to Protect the Idea of CSR from Distortion

Authors

  • Younis A. Battal SALEH GECOL

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.38142/jtep.v5i4.1403

Keywords:

Corporate Philanthropy (CP), Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Tax Treatments, Tax Incentives, Tax Justice

Abstract

This article aims to highlight the distortions that the thought of CSR is exposed to due to the policy of granting tax incentives to donor companies adopted by legislative bodies in many countries of the world. The researcher adopted the method of logical justification and rational argumentation in describing and identifying the distortions that the thought of CSR is exposed to due to the adoption of this policy (By studying and analyzing the extent to which this policy is compatible with the content of CSR thought). This article identified all the distortions that the idea of CSR is exposed to due to the adoption of a policy of granting tax incentives to donor companies. This research article will enhance the intellectual capabilities of specialists in tax legislation. The logical justification and rational arguments raised in this article can be a pressure tool towards developing the laws of tax treatment of corporate donations in many countries of the world, with the aim of protecting the idea of CSR from distortion.

References

ActionAid. (2011). Addicted to tax havens: The secret life of the FTSE 100. https://actionaid.org/sites/default/files/addicted_to_tax_havens.pdf

ActionAid, Christian Aid, & Oxfam. (2015). Getting to good – Towards responsible corporate tax behaviour. https://oi-files-d8-prod.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/file_attachments/dp-getting-to-good-corporate-tax-171115-en.pdf

Al Rai Newspaper. (2014, November 18). The private sector calls for legislation to stimulate the adoption of the idea of CSR. http://alrai.com/article/681515.html

Asatryan, Z., & Joulfaian, D. (2022). Taxes and business philanthropy in Armenia. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 200, 914–930. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2022.06.008

Avi-Yonah, R. S. (2006). The three goals of taxation. Tax Law Review, 60(1), 1–28.

Avi-Yonah, R. S. (2014a). Just say no: Corporate taxation and CSR (Public Law and Legal Theory Paper No. 402). University of Michigan. https://ssrn.com/abstract=2423045

Avi-Yonah, R. S. (2014b). Corporate taxation and corporate social responsibility. New York University Journal of Law and Business, 11(1), 1–30.

Berman, S. L., Wicks, A. C., Kotha, S., & Jones, T. M. (1999). Does stakeholder orientation matter? The relationship between stakeholder management models and firm financial performance. Academy of Management Journal, 42(5), 488–506.

Bertrand, M., Bombardini, M., Fisman, R., Hackinen, B., & Trebbi, F. (2018). Hall of mirrors: Corporate philanthropy and strategic advocacy (NBER Working Paper No. 25329). National Bureau of Economic Research. https://doi.org/10.3386/w25329

Bhattacharya, C. B., & Sen, S. (2003). Consumer-company identification: A framework for understanding consumers’ relationships with companies. Journal of Marketing, 67(2), 76–88.

Brammer, S., & Millington, A. (2004). The development of corporate charitable contributions in the UK: A stakeholder analysis. Journal of Management Studies, 41(8), 1411–1434.

Bremner, R. (1987). American philanthropy. University of Chicago Press.

Brønn, P. S., & Vidaver-Cohen, D. (2009). Corporate motives for social initiative: Legitimacy, sustainability, or the bottom line? Journal of Business Ethics, 87(1), 91–109.

Brown, T. J., & Dacin, P. A. (1997). The company and the product: Corporate associations and consumer product responses. Journal of Marketing, 61(1), 68–84.

Buchholtz, A. K., Amason, A. C., & Rutherford, M. A. (1999). Beyond resources: The mediating effect of top management discretion and values on corporate philanthropy. Business & Society, 38(2), 167–187.

Burlingame, D. F., & Young, D. R. (1996). Corporate philanthropy at the crossroads. Indiana University Press.

Camilleri, M. A., & Carroll, A. B. (2024). Corporate social responsibility. In V. Ratten (Ed.), International encyclopedia of business management. Elsevier.

Campbell, L., Gulas, C. S., & Gruca, T. S. (1999). Corporate giving behavior and decision-maker social consciousness. Journal of Business Ethics, 19(4), 375–383.

Carroll, A. B. (1991). The pyramid of corporate social responsibility: Toward the moral management of organizational stakeholders. Business Horizons, 34(4), 39–48.

Chen, J. C., Patten, D. M., & Roberts, R. W. (2008). Corporate charitable contributions: A corporate social performance or legitimacy strategy? Journal of Business Ethics, 82(1), 131–144.

Chen, Z. S., & Cao, Y. (2016). Chinese private corporate philanthropy: Social responsibility, legitimacy strategy, and the role of political capital. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 23(2), 108–136.

Choi, J., & Wang, H. (2007). The promise of a managerial values approach to corporate philanthropy. Journal of Business Ethics, 75(4), 345–359.

Col, B., & Patel, S. (2019). Going to heaven? Corporate social responsibility and tax avoidance. Journal of Business Ethics, 154(4), 1033–1050. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-016-3393-2

Cooper, M., & Nguyen, Q. T. K. (2020). Multinational enterprises and corporate tax planning: A review of literature and suggestions for a future research agenda. International Business Review, 29(3), 101692. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2020.101692

Costa, R., & Menichini, T. (2013). A multidimensional approach for CSR assessment: The importance of the stakeholder perception. Expert Systems with Applications, 40(1), 150–161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2012.07.028

Dattani, P., Still, A., & Pota, V. (2015). Business backs education: Creating a baseline for corporate CSR spend on global education initiatives. Business Backs Education. http://businessbackseducation.org/research/

Davis, A. K., Guenther, D. A., Krull, L. K., & Williams, B. M. (2016). Do socially responsible firms pay more taxes? The Accounting Review, 91(1), 47–68. https://doi.org/10.2308/accr-51224

De Colle, S., & Bennett, A. M. (2014). State-induced, strategic, or toxic? An ethical analysis of tax avoidance practices. Business and Professional Ethics Journal, 33(1), 53–82.

De Gilder, D., Schuyt, T., & Breedijk, M. (2005). Effects of an employee volunteering program on the workforce: The ABN-AMRO case. Journal of Business Ethics, 61(2), 143–152.

De la Cuesta-Gonzalez, M., & Pardo, E. (2019). Corporate tax disclosure on a CSR basis: A new reporting framework in the post-BEPS era. Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, 32(7), 2167–2192.

Dean, D. H. (2003). Consumer perception of corporate donations: Effects of company reputation for social responsibility and type of donation. Journal of Advertising, 32(4), 91–102.

Dowling, J., & Pfeffer, J. (1975). Organizational legitimacy: Social values and organizational behavior. Pacific Sociological Review, 18(1), 122–136.

European Fundraising Association (EFA). (2018). Tax incentives for charitable giving in Europe. https://efa-net.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/EFA-Tax-Survey-Report-Dec-2018.pdf

Enders, B. (n.d.). Tax incentives: An economic basis for charitable giving. https://www.learningtogive.org/resources/tax-incentives-economic-basis-charitable-giving

European Parliament. (2013). European Parliament resolution of February 6, 2013, on corporate social responsibility: Accountable, transparent and responsible business behaviour and sustainable growth. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv:OJ.C_.2016.024.01.0028.01.ENG

Fack, G., & Landais, C. (2010). Are tax incentives for charitable giving efficient? Evidence from France. American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 2(2), 117–141.

Freeman, R. E. (1984). Strategic management: A stakeholder approach. Pitman.

Freeman, R. E. (2009). Managing for stakeholders. In T. L. Beauchamp, N. E. Bowie, & D. G. Arnold (Eds.), Ethical theory and business (8th ed., pp. 56–68). Pearson Prentice Hall.

Freeman, R. E. (2017). The new story of business: Towards a more responsible capitalism. Business and Society Review, 122(4), 449–465.

Friedman, M. (1970, September 13). The social responsibility of business is to increase its profits. The New York Times Magazine.

Ftouhi, K., & Ghardallou, W. (2020). International tax planning techniques: A review of the literature. Journal of Accounting and Applied Research, 21(2), 329–343.

Gladden, W. (1895). Tainted money. Outlook, 52, 886–887.

Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). (2019). GRI 207: Tax. https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/gri-207-tax-2019/

Godfrey, P. C. (2005). The relationship between corporate philanthropy and shareholder wealth: A risk management perspective. Academy of Management Review, 30(4), 777–798.

Guo, Z. (2019). Research on the differences between Chinese and Western charitable cultures. Economic Research Guide, 7, 82. (In Chinese).

Haataja, D. (2020). Stakeholder theory: The new story of business [Bachelor’s thesis, Uppsala University].

Hemingway, C. A., & Maclagan, P. W. (2004). Managers’ personal values as drivers of corporate social responsibility. Journal of Business Ethics, 50(1), 33–44.

Hoeffler, S., Bloom, P. N., & Keller, K. L. (2010). Understanding stakeholder responses to corporate citizenship initiatives: Managerial guidelines and research directions. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 29(1), 78–88.

Heykal, M., Prasetya, S., & Harsanti, P. S. (2024). Pengaruh Kualitas Pelayanan terhadap Kepuasan Pelanggan pada Jasa Wisata (Open Trip) CV Tidung Island. Jurnal Ekonomi Manajemen Akuntansi, 30(1), 250-265. https://doi.org/10.59725/ema.v30i1.226

Hoi, C. K., Wu, Q., & Zhang, H. (2013). Is corporate social responsibility (CSR) associated with tax avoidance? Evidence from irresponsible CSR activities. The Accounting Review, 88(6), 2025–2059. https://doi.org/10.2308/accr-50544

Hopkins, M. (2014). What is corporate social responsibility all about? Journal of Public Affairs, 6(3–4), 298–306. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/27283275_What_is_CSR_all_about

Ibanga, D. A. (2018). Is there a social contract between the firm and the community? Revisiting the philosophy of corporate social responsibility. International Journal of Development and Sustainability, 7(1), 355–380.

Jallai, A. G. (2017). Restoring stakeholders’ trust in multinationals’ tax planning practices with corporate social responsibility (CSR). In B. Peeters, H. Gribnau, & J. Badisco (Eds.), Building trust in taxation (pp. 173–201). Intersentia.

Jin, Z., & Huang, C. (2021). Tax enforcement and corporate donations: Evidence from Chinese 'Golden Tax Phase III. China Journal of Accounting Studies, 9(4), 526–548. https://doi.org/10.1080/21697213.2022.2053375

John, R., Chia, A., & Ito, K. (2017). Corporate philanthropy in Asia: Innovations that unlock the resources of business for the common good (Entrepreneurial Social Finance in Asia Working Paper No. 5). Asia Centre for Social Entrepreneurship & Philanthropy, NUS. https://bschool.nus.edu.sg/Portals/0/images/ACSEP/Publications/acsep-working-paper-no5-ebook.pdf

Kale, S. H., & Sudhir, K. (1987). Corporate donations: An empirical analysis. Journal of Business Ethics, 6(5), 387–393.

Kelly, K. S. (1998). Effective fund-raising management. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Khan, M., Serafeim, G., & Yoon, A. (2016). Corporate sustainability: First evidence on materiality. The Accounting Review, 91(6), 1697–1724. https://doi.org/10.2308/accr-51383

Kivisto, J. (2011). The government–higher education institution relationship: Theoretical considerations from the perspective of agency theory. Tertiary Education and Management, 11(1), 1–17.

Kuo, L., Yeh, C. C., & Yu, H. C. (2012). Disclosure of corporate social responsibility and environmental management: Evidence from China. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 19(5), 273–287.

Li, H., & Zhang, Y. (2010). Corporate philanthropy in China: A case study. Journal of Business Ethics, 93(2), 213–228.

Lim, S., & Tsutsui, K. (2012). Globalization and commitment in corporate social responsibility: Cross-national analyses of institutional and political-economy effects. American Sociological Review, 77(1), 69–98.

Lin-Hi, N., & Blumberg, I. (2018). The link between (not) practicing CSR and corporate reputation: Psychological foundations and managerial implications. Journal of Business Ethics, 150(1), 185–198.

Liu, Z., & Lu, H. (2015). Philanthropy in China: Historical and contemporary perspectives. Asian Journal of Social Science, 43(1–2), 1–25.

Margolis, J. D., Elfenbein, H. A., & Walsh, J. P. (2009). Does it pay to be good... and does it matter? A meta-analysis of the relationship between corporate social and financial performance. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1866371

Matten, D., & Crane, A. (2005). Corporate social responsibility: The corporate governance of business. Business Ethics Quarterly, 15(4), 709–729.

Moon, J., & Shen, X. (2010). CSR in China research: Salience, focus, and nature. Journal of Business Ethics, 94(4), 613–629.

Mullerat, R. (2010). International corporate social responsibility: The role of corporations in the economic order of the 21st century. Kluwer Law International.

Muller, A., & Kräussl, R. (2011). Do corporate donations enhance shareholder wealth? Evidence from the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Review of Finance, 15(1), 1–38.

OECD. (2013). Action plan on base erosion and profit shifting. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264202719-en

OECD. (2015). G20/OECD principles of corporate governance. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264236882-en

OECD. (2020). Corporate tax statistics: Second edition. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264236882-en

Ormiston, M. E., & Wong, E. M. (2013). License to ill: The effects of corporate social responsibility and CEO moral identity on corporate social irresponsibility. Personnel Psychology, 66(4), 861–893.

Peloza, J., & Shang, J. (2011). How can corporate social responsibility activities create value for stakeholders? A systematic review. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 39(1), 117–135.

Porter, M. E., & Kramer, M. R. (2002). The competitive advantage of corporate philanthropy. Harvard Business Review, 80(12), 56–68.

Porter, M. E., & Kramer, M. R. (2006). Strategy and society: The link between competitive advantage and corporate social responsibility. Harvard Business Review, 84(12), 78–92.

Porter, M. E., & Kramer, M. R. (2011). Creating shared value. Harvard Business Review, 89(1–2), 62–77.

Preuss, L. (2012). Responsibility in paradise? The adoption of CSR tools by companies domiciled in tax havens. Journal of Business Ethics, 110(1), 1–14.

Reich, R. (2007). Supercapitalism: The transformation of business, democracy, and everyday life. Knopf.

Saiia, D. H., Carroll, A. B., & Buchholtz, A. K. (2003). Philanthropy as strategy: When corporate charity begins at home. Business & Society, 42(2), 169–201.

Schons, L. M., & Steinmeier, M. (2016). Walk the talk? How symbolic and substantive CSR actions affect firm performance depending on stakeholder proximity. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 23(5), 358–372.

Schuyt, T. N. M., Smit, J. H., & Bekkers, R. H. F. P. (2004). Constructing a philanthropy scale: Social responsibility and philanthropy. Social Indicators Research, 66(2), 181–201.

Seifert, B., Morris, S. A., & Bartkus, B. R. (2003). Comparing big givers and small givers: Financial correlates of corporate philanthropy. Journal of Business Ethics, 45(3), 195–211.

Sharfman, M. P. (1994). Changing institutional rules: The evolution of corporate philanthropy, 1883–1953. Business & Society, 33(3), 236–269.

Shuili, D., & Bhattacharya, C. B. (2009). CSR communication and consumer perceptions. International Journal of Management Reviews, 11(1), 8–25.

Sikka, P. (2010). Smoke and mirrors: Corporate social responsibility and tax avoidance. Accounting Forum, 34(3–4), 153–168.

Skouloudis, A., & Evangelinos, K. (2014). CSR and disclosure in Greece: An assessment. Corporate Governance: The International Journal of Business in Society, 14(2), 131–148.

Suchman, M. C. (1995). Managing legitimacy: Strategic and institutional approaches. Academy of Management Review, 20(3), 571–610.

Turker, D. (2009). Measuring corporate social responsibility: A scale development study. Journal of Business Ethics, 85(4), 411–427.

Vaaland, T. I., Heide, M., & Grønhaug, K. (2008). Corporate social responsibility: Investigating theory and research in the marketing context. European Journal of Marketing, 42(9–10), 927–953.

Vogel, D. (2005). The market for virtue: The potential and limits of corporate social responsibility. Brookings Institution Press.

Wang, H., & Qian, C. (2011). Corporate philanthropy and corporate financial performance: The roles of stakeholder response and political access. Academy of Management Journal, 54(6), 1159–1181.

Werther, W. B., & Chandler, D. (2006). Strategic corporate social responsibility: Stakeholders in a global environment. Sage Publications.

Wood, D. J. (1991). Corporate social performance revisited. Academy of Management Review, 16(4), 691–718.

Wood, D. J., & Jones, R. E. (1995). Stakeholder mismatching: A theoretical problem in empirical research on corporate social performance. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 3(3), 229–267.

Yin, J., & Zhang, Y. (2012). Institutional dynamics and corporate social responsibility in China. Journal of Business Ethics, 111(2), 301–316.

Zhang, F. (2021). The influence of corporate social responsibility on corporate tax avoidance: Evidence from China. Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, 57(3), 845–857.

Downloads

Published

2025-10-17