Tax, Technology and Craftsmanship

Crawford Spence*, Vaughan Radcliffe, Mitch Stein

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

32 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

The impacts of technological change and automation are now being explored in audit, yet parallel studies of tax practitioners are more limited in scope. It cannot be assumed that the two practice areas will follow similar paths. The present study reports the results of a multi-method qualitative study of tax lawyers and accountants which suggests that tax work is more resistant to technology than auditing is. Although automation is enthusiastically embraced in the area of tax compliance, this is not the case for tax advisory work. We explain this by reference to the commitment to craftsmanship that prevails in tax advisory work. Craftsmanship is important in understanding how experts respond to technological encroachment, and we suggest has wider applicability to the study of financial occupations.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1
Number of pages52
JournalAccounting Review
Publication statusAccepted/In press - 7 Apr 2025

Keywords

  • Tax
  • Automation
  • Technology
  • Craftsmanship
  • Occupations

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Tax, Technology and Craftsmanship'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this