Perception of Tax Morality and Justice

SUMMARY

This section examines public perceptions of tax morality and fairness through various statements:

• I believe paying taxes is a sacred duty.
• To pay less tax, the price of a property can be underreported when buying or selling.
• The taxes we pay are used for the benefit of society.
• I believe my knowledge about taxes is sufficient.
• The minimum wage in Turkey is not low.
• To reduce inequality, the state should tax high-income earners.
• I believe some taxes on alcohol and tobacco products interfere with lifestyle choices.
• Our tax system is a fair system.

A large segment of society believes that the tax system is unfair, and more than half think that the taxes they pay are not used for the benefit of society. On the other hand, the proportion of those who think paying taxes is a sacred duty and those who do not is almost the same. As age increases, the proportion of those agreeing with this statement also increases; a regression analysis also shows a positive relationship between age and agreement with this statement. Furthermore, a large segment of society states that high-income earners should be taxed to reduce inequality. While the total proportion of those declaring agreement with this statement has remained unchanged since February 2018, the proportion of those saying "strongly agree" has risen by 26 points, and the proportion of those saying "agree" has dropped by the same amount. This shift indicates that the societal expectation for fairer tax regulations in the country has increased. Meanwhile, those who believe that taxes imposed on certain products such as alcohol and tobacco constitute an intervention in lifestyles also make up a large segment of society. It is also observed that agreeing with this statement has a positive relationship with conservatism, income level, and the report card score given to Erdoğan.