Determinants of transfer pricing aggressiveness and the mediation role of tax burdens: Evidence from Indonesia

Authors

  • Febriyadi Tri Hadmoko Department of Accounting, Polytechnic of State Finance STAN, Tangerang Selatan
  • Ferry Irawan Department of Accounting, Polytechnic of State Finance STAN, Tangerang Selatan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31106/jema.v19i1.13901

Keywords:

Transfer Pricing Aggressiveness, Complexity, Foreign Direct Investment, Tax Haven, Taxation

Abstract

Transfer pricing aggressiveness is influenced by various factors, including the complexity of operations, foreign direct investment, and tax haven utilization. This study was conducted to re-examine the factors that affect the transfer pricing aggressiveness by including the tax burden as a mediating variable which is expected to explain the inconsistency of the results of previous studies. This study uses data from manufacturing companies listed on the Indonesian Stock Exchange from 2016 to 2020 with a total observation of 350. The analysis technique uses panel data regression with Fixed Effect Model and Random Effect Model approaches. The results of the study show that the complexity of operations and tax haven utilization has a positive effect on transfer pricing aggressiveness. However, foreign direct investment does not affect transfer pricing aggressiveness. Further analyses indicate the tax variable partially mediates the effect of complexity operation and tax haven utilization on transfer pricing aggressiveness. In addition, the tax variable only has an indirect effect of foreign direct investment on transfer pricing aggressiveness. This means that foreign direct investment is used as a vehicle for transfer pricing.

References

Abbas, D. S., & Eksandy, A. (2020). The effect of effective tax rate, tunneling incentive, and exchange rate on company decisions to transfer pricing: Food and consumption sub-sector companies listed on the Indonesia evidence. PalArch’s Journal of Archaeology of Egypt/ Egyptology, 17(7), 14430–14442. https://archives.palarch.nl/index.php/jae/article/view/5486

Ainiyah, S. K. (2019). Pengaruh Beban Pajak, Nilai Tukar, Tunneling Incentive Pada Transfer Pricing. Jurnal Ilmu Dan Riset Akuntansi, 8.

Amidu, M., Coffie, W., & Acquah, P. (2019). Transfer pricing, earnings management and tax avoidance of firms in Ghana. Journal of Financial Crime, 26(1), 235-259. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFC-10-2017-0091

Antras, P. (2003). Firms, contracts, and trade structure. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 118(4), 1375–1418. https://doi.org/10/d86md4

ASEAN. (2020). ASEAN statistical yearbook 2020. ASEAN. https://www.aseanstats.org/publication/asyb_2020/

Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator–mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51(6), 1173–1182. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.51.6.1173

Choi, J. P., Furusawa, T., & Ishikawa, J. (2017). Foreign direct investment and transfer pricing tax-induced FDI reasons for FDI. 1(1), 1–36

de Mooij, R., & Liu, L. (2020). At a cost: The real effects of transfer pricing regulations. IMF Economic Review, 68(1), 268–306. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41308-019-00105-0

Desai, M. A., Foley, C. F., & Hines, J. R. (2006). Do tax havens divert economic activity? Economics Letters, 90(2), 219–224. https://doi.org/10/cdm9n4

Dharmapala, D. (2008). What problems and opportunities are created by tax havens. Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 24(4), 661–679. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxrep/grn031

Dinca, M. H., & Fitriana, V. E. (2019). Do r&d expenditure, multinationality and corporate governance influence transfer pricing aggressiveness? Jurnal Akuntansi & Bisnis : Jurnal Program Studi Akuntansi, 5(2), 102–114. https://doi.org/10.31289/jab.v5i2.2633

Ghozali, I. (2016). Aplikasi analisis multivariete dengan program IBM SPSS 23 (Edisi 8). Badan Penerbit Universitas Diponegoro.

Global Witness. (n.d.). Pengalihan uang batu bara indonesia, bagian 3: Jaringan luar negeri milik Adaro. Globalwitness

Hiemann, M., & Reichelstein, S. (2012). Transfer pricing in multinational corporations: An integrated management-and tax perspective. Fundamentals of international transfer pricing in law and economics, 1, 3-18. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-25980-7_1

Holtzman, Y. & Nagel, P. (2014). An introduction to transfer pricing. Journal of Management Development, 33(1), 57-61. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMD-11-2013-0139

Hope, O. K., Thomas, W. B., & Vyas, D. (2013). Financial reporting quality of US private and public firms. The Accounting Review, 88(5), 1715-1742. https://doi.org/10.2308/accr-50494

Jacob, J. (1996). Taxes and transfer pricing: Income shifting and the volume of intrafirm transfers. Journal of Accounting Research, 34(2), 301–312. https://doi.org/10.2307/2491504

Jafri, H. E., & Mustikasari, E. (2018). Pengaruh perencaan pajak, tunnneling incentive dan aset tidak berwujud terhadap perilaku transfer pricing pada perusahaan manufaktur yang memiliki hubungan istimewa yang terdaftar di Bursa Efek Indonesia periode 2014-2016. Berkala Akuntansi & Keuangan Indonesia, 3(2), 63. https://doi.org/10.20473/baki.v3i2.9969

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. https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-405X(76)90026-X

Johnson, S., La Porta, R., Lopez-de-Silanes, F., & Shleifer, A. (2000). Tunneling. American Economic Review, 90(2), 22–27. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.90.2.22

Lanis, R., & Richardson, G. (2013). Corporate social responsibility and tax aggressiveness: a test of legitimacy theory. Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, 26(1), 75-100. https://doi.org/10.1108/09513571311285621

Liana, S., Poulus, S., & Pratama, A. (2020). The effect of share ownership concentration and company operation complexity towards transfer pricing decisions. Journal of Accounting Auditing and Business, 3(1), 52–61. https://doi.org/10.24198/jaab.v3i1.25686

Lo, A. W. Y., Wong, R. M. K., & Firth, M. (2010). Tax, financial reporting, and tunneling incentives for income shifting: An empirical analysis of the transfer pricing behavior of Chinese-listed companies. Journal of the American Taxation Association, 32(2), 1–26. https://doi.org/10.2308/jata.2010.32.2.1

Mispiyanti, M. (2015). Pengaruh pajak, tunneling incentive dan mekanisme bonus terhadap keputusan transfer pricing. Journal of Accounting and Investment, 16(1), 62–74.

Mowen, M. M., Hansen, D. R., & Heitger, D. L. (2015). Cornerstones of managerial accounting. Cengage Learning.

Mulyani, H. S., Prihartini, E., & Sudirno, D. (2020). Analisis keputusan transfer pricing berdasarkan pajak, tunneling dan exchange rate. Jurnal Akuntansi Dan Pajak, 20(2), 171–181. https://doi.org/10.29040/jap.v20i2.756

Nguyen, H. N., Tham, J., Khatibi, A., & Azam, S. M. F. (2019). Enhancing the capacity of tax authorities and its impact on transfer pricing activities of FDI en-terprises in Ha Noi, Ho Chi Minh, Dong Nai, and Binh Duong province of Vietnam. Management Science Letters, 9(8), 1299–1310. https://doi.org/10.5267/j.msl.2019.4.011

Park, S. J., Park, W. J., Sun, E. J., & Woo, S. (2016). Is foreign direct investment effective from the perspective of tax avoidance? An analysis of tax avoidance through the international transfer pricing behaviors of Korean corporations. Journal of Applied Business Research, 32(3), 917–934. https://doi.org/10.19030/jabr.v32i3.9664

Puspita, E. R., Nurlaela, S., & Masitoh, E. (2018). Pengaruh size, debts, intangible assets, profitability, multinationality dan sales growth terhadap tax avoidance. Manajemen, Akuntansi Dan Perbankkan, 794–807

Quint, A. F., & Rudsinske, J. F. (2020). International trade and tax-motivated transfer pricing. Cege Discussion Papers, 406, 1–42

Ramadhan, M. R., & Kustiani, N. A. (2017). Faktor-faktor penentu agresivitas transfer pricing. Jurnal Akuntansi, Keuangan, Dan Perbankan, 4(1), 549–564

Rego, S. O. (2003). Tax-avoidance activities of U.S. multinational corporations. Contemporary Accounting Research, 20(4), 805–833. https://doi.org/10/db323d

Rezky, M. A., & Fachrizal, F. (2018). Pengaruh Mekanisme Bonus, Ukuran Perusahaan, Leverage, dan Multinationality terhadap Keputusan Transfer Pricing pada Perusahaan Manufaktur yang Terdaftar di Bursa Efek Indonesia Tahun 2010-2014. Jurnal Ilmiah Mahasiswa Ekonomi Akuntansi, 3(3), 401-415

Richardson, G., Taylor, G., & Lanis, R. (2013). Determinants of transfer pricing aggressiveness: Empirical evidence from Australian firms. Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, 9(2), 136–150. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcae.2013.06.002

Rugman, A. M., & Eden, L. (2017). Multinationals and transfer pricing. London: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315277554

Saifudin, S., & Putri, S. (2018). Determinasi pajak, mekanisme bonus, dan tunneling incentive terhadap keputusan transfer pricing pada emiten BEI. Agregat, 2(1), 32–43. https://doi.org/10.22236/agregat

Sianipar, N. K., Yahya, I., & Sadalia, I. (2020). The determinants of tax avoidance with firm size as moderating variable at multinational companies. International Journal of Research and Review, 7(7), 237–242. https://bit.ly/3kmKfCG

Slemrod, J., & Wilson, J. D. (2009). Tax competition with parasitic tax havens. Journal of Public Economics, 93(11–12), 1261–1270. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpubeco.2009.08.004

Soesetio, Y., Rudhiningtyas, D. A., Sudarmiatin, S., & Mukhlis, I. (2021). Does internationalization moderate the effect of SMEs size, age, and other financial determinants on investment opportunities set? Evidence from Indonesia. JEMA: Jurnal Ilmiah Bidang Akuntansi dan Manajemen, 18(2), 164-186. https://doi.org/10.31106/jema.v18i2.10393

Sugeng, S., Prasetyo, E., & Zaman, B. (2020). Does capital intensity, inventory intensity, firm size, firm risk, and political connections affect tax aggressiveness? JEMA: Jurnal Ilmiah Bidang Akuntansi dan Manajemen, 17(1), 78-87. https://doi.org/10.31106/jema.v17i1.3609

Sugiyono, D. (2015). Metode penelitian kuantitatif dan R&D. Bandung: Alfabeta.

Susanti, A., & Firmansyah, A. (2018). Determinants of transfer pricing decisions in Indonesia manufacturing companies. Jurnal Akuntansi & Auditing Indonesia, 22(2), 81–93. https://doi.org/10.20885/jaai.vol22.iss2.art1

Taylor, G., Richardson, G., & Lanis, R. (2015). Multinationality, tax havens, intangible assets, and transfer pricing aggressiveness: An empirical analysis. Journal of International Accounting Research, 14(1), 25–57. https://doi.org/10.2308/jiar-51019

Utami, R. D., Cahyaningsih, C., & Kurnia, K. (2021). Pengaruh transfer pricing, thin capitalization, dan tax haven utilization terhadap agresivitas pajak (studi pada sektor industri barang konsumsi yang terdaftar di Bursa Efek Indonesia periode 2015-2018). EProceedings of Management, 7(3)

Waworuntu, S. R., & Hadisaputra, R. (2016). Determinants of transfer pricing aggressiveness in Indonesia. Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum, 24, 95-110

Yulia, A., Hayati, N., & Daud, R. M. (2019). The influence of tax, foreign ownership and company size on the application of transfer pricing in manufacturing companies listed on IDX during 2013-2017. International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, 9(3), 175–181. https://doi.org/10.32479/ijefi.7640

Downloads

Published

2022-03-31

How to Cite

Hadmoko, F. T., & Irawan, F. (2022). Determinants of transfer pricing aggressiveness and the mediation role of tax burdens: Evidence from Indonesia. JEMA: Jurnal Ilmiah Bidang Akuntansi Dan Manajemen, 19(1), 41–59. https://doi.org/10.31106/jema.v19i1.13901