Abstract:
Voluntary tax compliance plays a critical role in ensuring fiscal sustainability and
reducing dependence on external borrowing. Despite numerous policy reforms and
legal amendments, Sri Lanka continues to experience persistently low tax
compliance, highlighting the need to identify and understand the underlying
factors that influence voluntary tax compliance among individual taxpayers.
Therefore, this study is conducted to explore the factors affecting voluntary tax
compliance of individual taxpayers in Sri Lanka. This study is exploratory in
nature and employed secondary data obtained from empirical research literature
and theoretical foundations. A comprehensive review of 642 peer-reviewed
articles on tax compliance was conducted using VOSviewer software; while four
main theories namely the slippery slope framework, theory of planned behaviour,
tax fairness theory, and economic deterrence theory were analysed in depth.
Bibliometrics mapping was used to identify thematic patterns, research gaps, and
underexplored variables in the existing literature while the content analysis
investigated the fundamental propositions of selected theories. Both analyses were
triangulated to arrive at the factors affecting voluntary tax compliance. It was
found that there is a significant gap in literature concerning the role of personal
values. In response, this study categorizes influencing factors into tax system
related, government related, and personal value related dimensions. It positions
personal values such as ethical responsibility, trust, and civic norms as an essential
variable influencing tax behaviour, a perspective that remains underexplored in
the Sri Lankan context. This offers strategic insights to policymakers for designing
value-aligned, trust-enhancing tax policies that promote long-term tax compliance.
Hence, this study contributes to advancing both academic understanding and
practical frameworks for voluntary tax compliance.
