Abstract:
The overarching aim of this study was to find out the various factors that influence
rent income tax compliance decisions of landlords/landladies in the Gomoa West,
Gomoa East Districts and Ga-South Municipality. A sample of 360
landlords/landladies with a response rate of 342 (95%) was drawn from Gomoa East,
Gomoa West Districts and Ga-South Municipality using a stratified random sampling
technique. The study employed a descriptive and inferential research designs and a
quantitative approach premised on the positivists paradigm to achieve its objectives.
The results indicated that majority of the landlords/landladies do not have knowledge
about the existence of rent income tax laws as majority of them indicated that there
was no difference between the rent income tax and property tax. Institutional
mechanisms laid down to encourage compliance was also assessed and it was
revealed that a number of measures have been put in place to encourage compliance
except that they yielded no positive results. It was also found that there is a culture of
high non-compliance of rent income tax in the Gomoa West, Gomoa East Districts
and Ga-South Municipality. It was further revealed that factors such as fairness in tax
administration, deterrence sanctions, cost of living, peer influence and rent income tax
knowledge are the major factors influencing rent income tax compliance. This is
therefore a clarion call on government and tax authorities to intensify their game by
embarking on massive rent income tax awareness and education campaigns, reviving
confidence and trust in government, enforcing much harsher non-compliance punitive
measures, and ensuring conscientization of the taxpayers to increase their intrinsic
motivation to be able to honour their tax obligations.
Description:
A Dissertation in the Department of Accounting,
School of Business, submitted to the School of
Graduate Studies, in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for award of the degree of
Master of Business Administration
(Accounting)
in the University of Education, Winneba