Effect of Board Characteristics on Corporate Tax Aggressiveness Among Quoted Financial Services Companies in Nigeria

The study examined the effect of board characteristics on corporate tax aggressiveness among quoted financial services companies in Nigeria. The study specifically examines the influence of board independence, board size, and board financial expertise on corporate tax aggressiveness. Secondary data were collected from the annual reports of listed financial services companies on the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX) covering the period 2014–2023. Panel regression analysis using a fixed effect model was employed to analyze the data. The results reveal that board independence (β = 0.3767, p < 0.05) and board size (β = 0.0285, p < 0.05) significantly increase tax aggressiveness, suggesting that larger boards and higher independence do not necessarily curb aggressive tax practices in the Nigerian context. Conversely, board financial expertise (β = 0.0818, p > 0.05) exhibits no significant effect, implying that specialized financial knowledge does not moderate tax behaviour. The findings highlight weak corporate governance effectiveness in constraining opportunistic tax strategies. It is recommended that regulators strengthen board monitoring mechanisms, enforce stricter corporate governance codes, and encourage ethical tax practices to enhance compliance and fiscal sustainability in Nigeria.