The Interplay between Risk Management and Internal Control Towards Corporate Tax Aggressiveness
Abstract
Corporate tax aggressiveness has become a major issue in the international business environment as they exploit the loopholes of legitimate tax avoidance. Although these techniques have the potential to increase revenues, they are viewed critically by regulators and society. Due to the reputational and financial impact associated with aggressive tax planning, effective measures are required to manage the risks and ensure compliance with tax laws. In addressing the issue of corporate tax aggressiveness, this paper examines the role played by risk management and the effectiveness of internal controls. Based on agency theory, tax aggressiveness often represents an agency problem between agent and principal. Therefore, effective risk management provides a systematic approach to recognizing and mitigating the potential pitfalls of aggressive tax strategies, while robust internal controls ensure compliance and align tax practices with governance standards. This study underscores the critical need for companies to view tax aggressiveness not just as a financial strategy, but as a governance challenge that requires robust risk mitigation and control systems. Although it can bring financial benefits and competitive advantages, it also carries financial, reputational and regulatory risks that jeopardize long-term value. Hence, companies should pursue a balanced approach to tax planning that harmonizes profitability targets with social expectations and regulatory standards.
Downloads
References
Aljughaiman, A. A., Nguyen, T. H., Trinh, V. Q., & Du, A. (2023). The COVID-19 outbreak, corporate financial distress and earnings management. International Review of Financial Analysis, 88, 102675.
Amri, K., Ben Mrad Douagi, F. W., & Guedrib, M. (2023). The impact of internal and external corporate governance mechanisms on tax aggressiveness: evidence from Tunisia. Journal of Accounting in Emerging Economies, 13(1), 43-68.
Aronmwan, E. J., & Ogbaisi, S. A. (2022). The nexus between standalone risk committees and tax aggressiveness: evidence from Nigeria. Future Business Journal, 8(1), 9.
Bauer, A. M. (2016). Tax avoidance and the implications of weak internal controls. Contemporary Accounting Research, 33(2), 449-486.
Beasley, M. S., N. C. Goldman, C. Lewellen, and M. McAllister. 2021. Board risk oversight and corporate tax-planning practices. Journal of Management Accounting Research 33 (1), 7-32.
Chen, S., Chen, X., Cheng, Q., & Shevlin, T. (2010). Are family firms more tax-aggressive than non-family firms? Journal of Financial Economics, 95(1), 41-61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfineco.2009.02.003
Chen, X., Cheng, Q., Chow, T., & Liu, Y. (2020). Corporate in?house tax departments*. Contemporary Accounting Research, 38(1), 443-482. https://doi.org/10.1111/1911-3846.12637
Chen, J. Z., Chen, M.-H., Chin, C.-L., & Lobo, G. J. (2020). Do firms that have a common signing auditor exhibit higher earnings comparability? The Accounting Review, 95(3), 115–143.
Deslandes, M., Fortin, A., & Landry, S. (2019). Audit committee characteristics and tax aggressiveness. Managerial Auditing Journal, 35(2), 272-293. https://doi.org/10.1108/maj-12-2018-2109
Frank, M. M., Lynch, L. J., & Rego, S. O. (2009). Tax reporting aggressiveness and its relation to aggressive financial reporting. The Accounting Review, 84(2), 467–496. https://doi.org/10.2308/accr.2009.84.2.467
Ftouhi, K., & Ghardallou, W. (2020). International tax planning techniques: A review of the literature. Journal of Applied Accounting Research, 21(2), 329–343. https://doi.org/10.1108/JAAR-05-2019- 0080
Gallemore, J., and E. Labro. 2015. The importance of the internal information environment for tax avoidance. Journal of Accounting and Economics, 60 (1): 149-167
Halim, M. A., & Rahman, M. M. (2022). The effect of taxation on sustainable development goals: Evidence from emerging countries. Heliyon, 8(12). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e10512
Hanlon, M., & Heitzman, S. (2010). A review of tax research. Journal of Accounting and Economics, 50(2-3), 127-178. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1476561
Hsu, C. C., Chiu, Y. C., & Chiu, H. C. (2018). The impact of corporate governance on tax avoidance: Evidence from Taiwan. Journal of Business Research, 88, 1-10.
Jaffar, R., Derashid, C., & Taha, R. (2021). Determinants of tax aggressiveness: Empirical evidence from Malaysia. The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business, 8(5), 179-188.
Jensen, M. C., & Meckling, W. H. (1976). Theory of the firm: Managerial behavior, agency costs and ownership structure. Journal of Financial Economics, 3(4), 305–360.
Jemaa, F. (2022). Recoupling work beyond COSO: A longitudinal case study of enterprise-wide risk management. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 103, 101369.
Jia, J., & Bradbury, M. E. (2020). Risk Management Committees and Firm Performance. Australian Journal of Management, 1-20. doi:10.1177/0312896220959124
Khatun, A., Ghosh, R., & Kabir, S. (2022). Earnings manipulation behavior in the banking industry of Bangladesh: the strategical implication of Beneish M-score model. Arab Gulf Journal of Scientific Research, 40(3), 302-328. https://doi.org/10.1108/AGJSR-03-2022-0001
Klassen, K. J., & Ruiz, J. (2022). Tax risk management and corporate tax aggressiveness: Evidence from the United States. Journal of Accounting Research, 60(1), 1-30. doi:10.1111/1475-679X.12445.
Kwak, Y. H., & Stoddard, J. (2004). Project risk management: Lessons learned from the software development environment. Technovation, 24(11), 915-920.
Lanis, R., & Richardson, G. (2012). Corporate social responsibility and tax aggressiveness: An empirical analysis. Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, 31(1), 86-108.
Li, C., K. Stack, L. Sun, and J. Xu. 2023. Enterprise Risk Management and Management Earnings Forecasts. Working Paper. University of Kansas and the University of North Texas.
Lymer, A., & Oats, L. (2009). Taxation: Policy and practice (16th Revised edition). Lancaster: Fiscal Publications
Menchaoui, I., & Hssouna, C. (2024). Impact of internal governance mechanisms on tax aggressiveness: Evidence from French firms listed on the CAC 40. EuroMed Journal of Business, 19(3), 503-517.
Mikes, A. (2009). Risk management and calculative cultures. Management Accounting Research, 20(1), 18-40.
Muhmad, S. N., Haat, M. H. C., Taha, R., Rashid, N., & Muhmad, S. N. (2020). The influence of the financial indicators towards the changes of the corporate tax avoidance. Journal of Advance Research in Dynamical & Control Systems, 12(1).
Nasir, N. E., Rashid, N., Muhmad, S. N., Yaacob, N. M., & Kamarudin, S. N. (2024). Corporate tax aggressiveness and firm-specific influences in the industrial sector in Malaysia. Asia-Pacific Management Accounting Journal (APMAJ), 19(2), 179-192.
Niniek, A., Riandoko, R., & Ramadhan, M. R. (2018). The impact of supervision characteristics of the board of commissioners on tax aggressiveness. Proceedings of the 1st Economics and Business International Conference 2017 (EBIC 2017). https://doi.org/10.2991/ebic-17.2018.25
Oppong, C., Atchulo, A. S., Dargaud Fofack, A., & Afonope, D. E. (2024). Internal control mechanisms and financial performance of Ghanaian banks: The moderating role of corporate governance. African Journal of Economic and Management Studies, 15(1), 88-103.
Rae, K., Sands, J., & Subramaniam, N. (2017). Associations among the five components within the COSO Internal Control-Integrated Framework as the underpinning of quality corporate governance. Australasian Accounting Business and Finance Journal, 11(1).
Rakhmayani, A., Aresteria, M., & Sulestiyono, D. (2024). Internal control and tax avoidance: A possible mitigation effort. In Proceeding International Conference on Accounting and Finance, 354-358.
Richardson, G., Taylor, G., & Lanis, R. (2013). The impact of board of director oversight characteristics on corporate tax aggressiveness: An empirical analysis. Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, 32, 68-88. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JACCPUBPOL.2013.02.004.
Septiawan, K., Ahmar, N., & Darminto, D. P. (2021). Detection of tax avoidance due to the COVID-19 Pandemic with the tax aggressiveness model. Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Business and Management of Technology (ICONBMT 2020), 170–174.
Speitmann, R. (2021). Reputational Risk and Corporate Tax Planning. WU Vienna University of Economics and Business. WU International Taxation Research Paper Series No. 2021-11 https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3966319
Shen, Y. (2023). Contingency information disclosure and corporate tax avoidance. Frontiers in Business, Economics and Management, 7(2), 112-119. https://doi.org/10.54097/fbem.v7i2.4853
Shamil, M. M., Gooneratne, D. W., Gunathilaka, D., & Shaikh, J. M. (2024). The effect of board characteristics on tax aggressiveness: the case of listed entities in Sri Lanka. Journal of Accounting in Emerging Economies, 14(4), 747-770.
Wei, J. (2023). The construction and application of the "three linkages" tax management system. Advances in Economics and Management Research, 9(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.56028/aemr.9.1.1.2024
Younas, N., Ud Din , S., Awan, T., & Yar Khan, M. (2020). Corporate Governance and Financial Distress: Asian Emerging Market Perspective. Journal of Corporate Governance, 1-14.
Zainazor, Z., Nasir, N. E. M., Rashid, N., & Awang, Y. (2023). Financial Determinants of Corporate Tax Planning among Malaysian Listed Companies in Trading and Services. Indonesian Journal of Sustainability Accounting and Management, 7(S1), 80-88.
Zeng, T. (2018). Relationship between corporate social responsibility and tax avoidance: International evidence. Social Responsibility Journal, 15(2), 244–257. https://doi.org/10.1108/SRJ-03-2018- 0056
Copyright (c) 2025 Siti Nasuha Muhmad, Noor Emilina Mohd Nasir, Siti Nurain Muhmad, Norfadzilah Rashid

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Author (s) should affirm that the material has not been published previously. It has not been submitted and it is not under consideration by any other journal. At the same time author (s) need to execute a publication permission agreement to assume the responsibility of the submitted content and any omissions and errors therein. After submission of revised paper in the light of suggestions of the reviewers, the editorial team edits and formats manuscripts to bring uniformity and standardization in published material.
This work will be licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) and under condition of the license, users are free to read, copy, remix, transform, redistribute, download, print, search or link to the full texts of articles and even build upon their work as long as they credit the author for the original work. Moreover, as per journal policy author (s) hold and retain copyrights without any restrictions.