IMPACT OF FIRM SPECIFIC ATTRIBUTES ON CORPORATE TAX AGGRESSIVENESS OF LISTED MANUFACTURING FIRMS IN NIGERIA

This study investigates the impact of firm specific attributes on corporate tax aggressiveness by listed manufacturing companies in Nigeria. Firm attributes in this study were measured by firm profitability, firm leverage, capital intensity, firm growth and firm size. While corporate tax aggressiveness was proxy using effective tax rate (ETR). Hypothesis was tested using data obtained from annual report of 48 listed manufacturing companies on Nigeria Stock Exchange from 2015 to 2019. The study was anchored on agency theory and political cost theory. Diagonistic tests such as multicollinearity, heteroskedatiscity, hausman test and woodbridge test for auto correlation were conducted. Applying robust fixed effect regression, the result shows that leverage and capital intensity has a significant positive influence on corporate tax aggressiveness while profitability has a significant negative influence on corporate tax aggressiveness. However, firm size and firm growth were found to have insignificant relationship withcorporate tax aggressiveness.