BOARD STRUCTURES AND TAX AGGRESIVENESS OF QUOTED DEPOSIT MONEY BANKS IN NIGERIA

Banks are expected to demonstrate their legitimacy by following the regulations, such tax laws that are in place to guide business operations. It is on this note that this study examined the effect of board structure on tax aggressiveness of quoted deposit money banks in Nigeria. The study used an ex-post facto research design, with the population consisting of all fourteen (14) deposit money banks listed on the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX Group) as of December 31, 2024. Thirteen (13) deposit money banks served as the sample size, and filtering sampling was employed. The information utilized came from the 13 deposit money banks included on the Nigerian Exchange Group's yearly reports. After performing a number of diagnostic tests, including the Shapiro-Wilk Normality Test, Pearson Correlation, Variance Inflation Factor (VIF), Heteroscedasticity Test, and Hausman Specification Test, the hypotheses were assessed using a random effect regression model. The results showed that while board independence have a negligible negative impact on the effective tax rate of deposit money banks in Nigeria, board size, and board financial expertise have a significant positive impact. According to the report, directors with experience in accounting, finance, and taxation should be on boards. The report also suggested that deposit money banks keep their boards at the ideal size to provide efficient oversight without creating inefficiencies