The Influence of Information Asymmetry on Tax Planning Decision-Making in Czech Small Enterprises

This thesis examines managerial decision-making on legal tax planning in Czech small enterprises, with particular attention to information asymmetry in relation to external tax advisers. It seeks to understand how management without deep tax expertise perceives this asymmetry and how it shapes tax-planning decisions. Drawing on Agency Theory and Upper Echelons Theory, the study answers one main and three sub-questions concerning the perception of the asymmetry, the substitution of control over the adviser, and the degree to which planning is proactive (ex ante) or reactive (ex post). Data from nine semi-structured interviews with senior and financial managers were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Five themes were generated: the asymmetry is accepted as a managed condition rather than an obstacle; the lack of control is substituted by trust and verifiability; the adviser is positioned on an executor–partner continuum, with a demand for output intelligible to managers; decision-making is governed by defensibility and the balance of benefit, risk and time rather than by maximum saving; and planning remains reactive, conditioned by the firm's capacity. The thesis contributes to understanding the behavioural aspects of tax decision-making in small enterprises and formulates practical recommendations for both management and advisers.