The Effect of Corporate ESG Management on Tax Benefits and Corporate Performance—Findings from South Korea

As Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles become increasingly integrated into corporate strategy and operations, many countries have implemented tax benefits to encourage companies to engage in ESG-oriented initiatives. Therefore, it is essential to manage tax benefits in parallel with ESG practices. This study aims to empirically assess the effect of corporate ESG management on tax benefits, and both financial and non-financial corporate performance through the mediating factor of tax benefits. ESG management is divided into three components—ESG—which are set as independent variables. Tax benefits are treated as a mediating variable, while financial and non-financial performance are used as dependent variables. The research model was constructed and hypotheses were formulated for structural equation analysis. A total of 262 questionnaires were collected and analyzed from tax leaders in large South Korean companies. The analysis showed that ESG components—environmental, social contribution, and governance—had a positive effect not only tax benefits but also both financial and non-financial corporate performance. The governance factor had the most significant impact on tax benefits, which were shown to have a stronger positive effect on non-financial performance than financial performance. These results confirm that companies implementing ESG strategies to enhance corporate performance should prioritize reinforcing ESG related tax benefit initiatives within their finance and tax teams.