Effect of Religiosity, Tax Knowledge and Public Governance Quality on Taxpayers' Compliance in Southwest, Nigeria

This study examined the effect of religiosity, tax knowledge and public governance quality on taxpayers’ compliance in Southwest, Nigeria. Descriptive research of a survey type was adopted and the study covered all the registered 23,289 SMEs across all the states in the Southwest region of Nigeria; out of which, 393 was sampled using proportionate and convenience sampling techniques. A close ended questionnaire was used to elicit the needed information from the sampled respondents across the study location. Pearson correlation and simple linear regression were used to analysis the responses of the respondents. However, before the administration of the instrument, validity and reliability of the instrument were carried out. It was discovered that religiosity, tax knowledge and public governance quality have a positive and significant effect on tax compliance among SMEs in Southwest, Nigeria. Based on the discoveries made, it was concluded that there is a statistically significant effect of religiosity, tax knowledge and public governance quality on taxpayers’ compliance in Southwest, Nigeria. Thus, it was recommended that effort must be made by governments at all levels to engage in activities that indicates their sense of accountability to Nigerians. The perception of quality of governance should be improved by imbibing the tenets of representative democracy which will encourage tax payers to comply with tax laws and regulations.