To the best of both worlds: Firm's nationalism and corporate tax

Abstract

With the increasing uncertainty and instability on the international landscape, nationalism is reawakening over the world. Using the listed firms from 2009 to 2019 in China as the sample, this study investigates the relation between firm-level nationalism and tax outcomes and provides robust evidence that pro-nation firms (expressing greater nationalistic sentiments) would bear less tax burden. The tax alleviation mainly comes from the reciprocal favor accorded by tax authorities for nationalism endorsed by firms. Our study evaluates the tax implications of firms’ nationalism and highlights the essentiality of social factors in business management.