Sustainability gets higher on the policy agenda of many countries in terms of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Unethical tax behaviour diminishes the tax system’s sustainability, but paying taxes is necessary if we want to contribute to society. There is a deeper need to understand the factors that influence taxpayers’ perceptions, personal values and personal tax culture. Previous research by the OECD (2013, 2019) using the World Values Survey (WVS) did not provide a sufficient explanation of all the socio-economic factors associated with personal tax culture. As the behaviour of an individual is shaped by a set of values, and values can provide predictive and explanatory power in the analysis of attitudes, opinions and actions by policymakers, it is necessary for them to understand such when proposing tax morale incentives within the institutional pillar. A literature review showed that the research topics on personal tax culture present specific assumptions and gaps. To contribute to this topic, a conceptual model was developed, and the relationship between personal values (conservation/self-enhancement), measured by the widely accepted and recognised Schwartz’s circular model, and personal tax culture was analysed with the aim of formulating recommendations for policymakers. The survey conducted in Slovenia involved 202 respondents. Based on exploratory factor analysis and the performed correlation analysis, empirical research suggests that a relationship between personal values and personal tax culture as the cornerstones of an individual’s tax-compliant behaviour and their attitude towards the ethics of tax evasion is significant. The correlation between personal values and an individual’s attitude towards the tax system is insignificant. By understanding the relationships between individuals’ personal and tax culture values, policymakers can achieve a greater sustainable tax system.

The OECD has called for a stronger and more dynamic sustainable tax-paying culture that countries must cultivate and a more robust ethical profile for individual taxpayers. The individual tax culture might vary in the significance attributed to values influencing taxpayers’ perceptions toward taxation. As the hierarchy of values can be influenced through manipulation, policymakers can leverage knowledge of the relationship between higher-order personal values and individual tax culture to enhance tax revenue collection. This study aims to measure the relationship between Schwartz’s higher-order personal values and taxpayers’ culture, assessed through attitudes toward tax evasion, tax compliance, and the tax system. A survey was administered to the Slovene taxpayers (69 accountants and 130 non-accountants). The assumption was that the personal values system of accountants ought to underpin their ethical tax decision-making because of the professional accountants’ ethical codes. As professional accountants play a crucial role in maintaining stability for businesses, they hold a significant position in ensuring the effective operation of taxation systems. Exploratory factor analysis was used, and the analysis was carried out using the principal component method. The findings indicate that some higher-order personal values, particularly self-transcendence (r = 0.244) and self-enhancement (r = –0.403), are significant in explaining ethical behavior. Within the self-enhancement value, power and achievement strongly influence the ethical behavior of accountants. The perception of power associated with their expertise makes accountants less tax-compliant. Conservation values are of greater importance for non-accountants (r = 0.280). The results enhance comprehension of values’ influence on ethical decision processes.

In the pursuit of constructing a highly ethical taxpayer profile to achieve a more sustainable tax system, universal values, as per Schwartz’s bipolar model, and taxpayers’ personal tax culture have been studied independently, rather than in relation to each other. This research addresses this gap by exploring the relationship between self-transcendence, openness to change values, and taxpayers’ personal tax culture. Slovenian employed taxpayers (N=202) were examined during the second half of 2018, using exploratory factor analysis and correlation analysis. The results reveal a positive relationship between self-transcendence values (universalism, benevolence) and taxpayers’ personal tax culture, while no relationship was found between openness to change values (stimulation, self-direction, hedonism) and taxpayers’ personal tax culture. The findings can be beneficial to tax authorities, as they highlight the importance of strengthening self-transcendence values among taxpayers to positively influence their personal tax culture. Where the relationship has not been confirmed (openness to change values), tax authorities should implement communication strategies and tools to build trust with taxpayers, while ensuring their individual freedom, in order to achieve a sustainable tax system.