Profitability, Sales Growth, Leverage, and Tax Avoidance: The Moderating Role of Firm Size
##plugins.themes.EpsilonTheme.article.main##
Alya Budiantini*
Flora Septiani
Rima Anjalani
Tito Sumarsono
Corporate tax avoidance constitutes a persistent challenge in financial management, especially within emerging economies characterized by inconsistent regulatory frameworks and enforcement mechanisms. Within the Indonesian context, food and beverage enterprises listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) occupy a strategically significant position in the national economy; however, the tax compliance behavior of firms within this sector remains insufficiently examined in the existing literature. Accordingly, this study seeks to investigate the influence of profitability, sales growth, and leverage on tax avoidance, while simultaneously exploring the extent to which firm size moderates these relationships. The research is delimited to food and beverage companies listed on the IDX over the 2020-2024 observation period, employing a quantitative research design grounded in agency theory as the primary theoretical lens through which the relationships between the independent variables and tax avoidance are interpreted, with firm size serving as the moderating variable. Secondary data were collected from the audited financial statements of the sampled companies, with a total of 70 observations selected through purposive sampling. Moderated Regression Analysis (MRA) was employed as the primary analytical technique, executed using Eviews 12 software. The findings show that profitability and sales growth have a meaningful impact on tax avoidance. However, leverage does not produce a statistically significant effect. Moreover, the findings confirm that firm size acts as an important moderator, influencing how profitability, sales growth, and leverage each relate to tax avoidance.
Azizah, A. N. (2025). Pengaruh Leverage, Struktur Modal, Likuiditas Terhadap Tax Avoidance Pada Perusahaan Pertambangan Di Industri Minyak Dan Gas Yang Terdaftar Di Bursa Efek Indonesia. J-CEKI : Jurnal Cendekia Ilmiah, 4(4), 1156–1166. https://doi.org/10.56799/jceki.v4i4.9851
Brigham, E. F., & Houston, J. F. (2022). Fundamentals of financial management (16th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Christy, J., & Subagyo, S. (2019). Pengaruh Firm Size, Sales Growth, dan ROA terhadap Penghindaran Pajak dengan Komite Audit sebagai Variabel Moderasi. Jurnal Akuntansi, 19(2), 139–150. https://doi.org/10.36452/akunukd.v19i2.1805
Dewi, N., & Noviari, N. (2017). Pengaruh Ukuran Perusahaan, Leverage, Profitabilitas, dan Corporate Responsibility Terhadap Penghindaran Pajak (Tax Avoidance). E-Jurnal Akuntansi Universitas Udayana, 21(2), 882–911.
Dewinta, I. A. R., & Setiawan, P. E. (2016). Pengaruh ukuran perusahaan, umur perusahaan, profitabilitas, leverage, dan pertumbuhan penjualan terhadap tax avoidance. E-Jurnal Akuntansi Universitas Udayana, 14(3), 1584–1615.
Graham, J. R. (2000). How big are the tax benefits of debt? The Journal of Finance, 55(5), 1901–1941. https://doi.org/10.1111/0022-1082.00277
Hidayat, W. W. (2018). Pengaruh Profitabilitas, Leverage dan Pertumbuhan Penjualan Terhadap Penghindaran Pajak. Jurnal Riset Manajemen Dan Bisnis (JRMB) Fakultas Ekonomi UNIAT, 3(1), 19–26. https://doi.org/10.36226/jrmb.v3i1.82
Hutapea, I. V. R., & Herawaty, V. (2020). Pengaruh Manajemen Laba, Leverage dan Profitabilitas terhadap Tax Avoidance dengan Ukuran Perusahaan sebagai Variabel Moderasi (Studi Empiris pada Perusahaan Sektor Manufaktur yang terdaftar di Bursa Efek Indonesia 2016-2018). Prosiding Seminar Nasional Pakar. https://doi.org/10.25105/pakar.v0i0.6840
Indira Yuni, N. P. A., & Setiawan, P. E. (2019). Pengaruh Corporate Governance dan Profitabilitas terhadap Penghindaran Pajak dengan Ukuran Perusahaan Sebagai Variabel Pemoderasi. E-Jurnal Akuntansi Universitas Udayana, 29(1), 128–144. https://doi.org/10.24843/EJA.2019.v29.i01.p09
Jensen, M. C., & Meckling, W. H. (1998). Theory of the Firm: Managerial Behavior, Agency Costs and Ownership Structure. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.94043
Mardiasmo. (2016). Akuntansi Sektor Publik. Andi.
Niandari, N., & Novelia, F. (2022). Profitabilitas, Leverage, Inventory Intensity Ratio, dan Praktik Penghindaran Pajak. Owner: Riset Dan Jurnal Akuntansi, 6(3), 2304–2314. https://doi.org/10.33395/owner.v6i3.911
Norisa, I., Dewi, R. R., & Wijayanti, A. (2022). Pengaruh Profitabilitas, Leverage, Likuiditas, dan Sales Growth terhadap Tax Avoidance. Transekonomika: Akuntansi, Bisnis Dan Keuangan, 2(4), 107–118. https://doi.org/10.55047/transekonomika.v2i4.146
Nursehah, P., & Yusnita, H. (2019). Analisis Pengaruh Profitabilitas, Ukuran Perusahaan, Dan Kompensasi Rugi Fiskal Terhadap Tax Avoidance (Studi Empiris Pada Perusahaan Manufaktur Sub Sektor Industri Logam Yang Terdaftar Di Bursa Efek Indonesia Periode 2013-2017). Jurnal Akuntansi Dan Bisnis Krisnadwipayana, 6(3), 41–51. https://doi.org/10.35137/jabk.v6i3.456
Okolo, M. N. (2024). Tax Revenues, Government Expenditures, and Economic Development in Nigeria. International Journal of Intellectual Discourse, 7(2), 244–255. https://ijidjournal.org/index.php/ijid/article/view/565
Paramita, A. S., Ardiansah, M. N., Delyuzar, R. A., & Dzulfikar, A. (2023). The Analysis of Leverage, Return on Assets, and Firm Size on Tax Avoidance. Accounting Analysis Journal, 11(3), 186–195. https://doi.org/10.15294/aaj.v11i3.61617
Putra, N. T., & Jati, I. K. (2018). Ukuran Perusahaan Sebagai Variabel Pemoderasi Pengaruh Profitabilitas pada Penghindaran Pajak. E-Jurnal Akuntansi Universitas Udayana, 25(2), 1234–1257. https://doi.org/10.24843/EJA.2018.v25.i02.p16
Saputra, A. W., Suwandi, M., & Suhartono, S. (2020). Pengaruh Leverage dan Capital Intensity terhadap Tax Avoidance dengan Ukuran Perusahaan sebagai Variabel Moderasi (Studi pada Perusahaan Tambang yang Terdaftar di Bursa Efek Indonesia Tahun 2017–2019). ISAFIR: Islamic Accounting and Finance Review, 1(2), 29–47. https://doi.org/10.24252/isafir.v1i2.17587
Swingly, C., & Sukartha, I. M. (2015). Pengaruh karakter eksekutif, komite audit, ukuran perusahaan, leverage dan sales growth pada tax avoidance. E-Jurnal Akuntansi Universitas Udayana, 10(1), 47–62.
Tanjaya, C., & Nazir, N. (2021). Pengaruh Profitabilitas, Leverage, Pertumbuhan Penjualan, dan Ukuran Perusahaan terhadap Penghindaran Pajak pada Perusahaan Manufaktur Sektor Barang Konsumsi yang Terdaftar di BEI Tahun 2015–2019. Jurnal Akuntansi Trisakti, 8(2), 189–208. https://doi.org/10.25105/jat.v8i2.9260
Utomo, A. B., & Fitria, G. N. (2021). Ukuran Perusahaan Memoderasi Pengaruh Capital Intensity dan Profitabilitas Terhadap Agresivitas Pajak. Esensi: Jurnal Bisnis Dan Manajemen, 10(2), 231–246. https://doi.org/10.15408/ess.v10i2.18800
Watts, R. L., & Zimmerman, J. L. (1990). Positive Accounting Theory : A Ten Year Perspective. The Accounting Review, 65(1), 131–158. https://doi.org/10.2308/tar-9603274032
Yasmin, A. O., & Fitriyah, F. (2024). The Effect of Sales Growth, Capital Intensity, and Leverage on Tax Avoidance. Transekonomika: Akuntansi, Bisnis Dan Keuangan, 4(3), 359–373. https://doi.org/10.55047/transekonomika.v4i3.676
