Supriyati

This study investigates the factors influencing taxpayer compliance, using tax morale as a mediating variable. A quantitative approach was employed, utilizing primary data gathered through questionnaires. The sample consisted of 280 small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) taxpayers from Surabaya, Sidoarjo, and Mojokerto, Indonesia, who were interviewed either in person or via online surveys. Multiple linear regression and path analysis were conducted to evaluate the data. The findings reveal that perceived fairness and trust in the government significantly enhance tax morale, which, in turn, positively influences taxpayer compliance. Furthermore, tax morale was found to mediate the relationship between both perceived fairness and government trust with taxpayer compliance, demonstrating the importance of psychological factors in fostering tax adherence. However, the study found that the taxpayer environment and religiosity, when considered as control variables, did not have a significant impact on compliance. This indicates that while personal perceptions and trust are influential, external social factors and religious beliefs are less critical. These insights emphasize that when the issue of equity and trust in government prevails, compliance will increase among SME taxpayers. These findings suggest that by prioritizing taxpayer trust and fairness, policymakers can enhance budget predictability and efficiency in public resource distribution.

Type of the article: Research Article

Abstract
This study examines the impact of budget planning, participation, and internal control on preventing fraud in the budget and testing the mediating role of effective budgetary policy. A quantitative research approach was carried out in which a structured survey was administered to 178 heads of work units in local government agencies of 14 districts in East Java Province, Indonesia. These respondents were purposively sampled, considering their active role in the budget preparation, to enhance data relevance and reliability. The data collection period was from February to March 2025. The study adheres to rigorous ethical standards to protect human participants and the integrity of the research process. The study found that budget participation is the most significant variable for fraud prevention (β = .747, p < 0.001), followed by budget planning (β = 0.147, p = .017). Internal control and budget policy had no direct effect on fraud prevention. Notably, budget policy had a significant mediation effect between each predictor and fraud prevention, particularly for budget planning (indirect effect β = .352, p < 0.001). The results indicate that fraud prevention can best occur using participatory practices and planning that are contained within a strong, enforceable budgetary policy. It is suggested that there should be institutionalized budget systems with integrated governance systems to facilitate financial integrity.