Exploring the influence of carbon credits on accounting and taxation research through bibliometric analysis
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Purpose: This study aims to provide a bibliometric analysis of current literature to investigate how carbon credits affect accounting and taxation. This paper intends to find important trends, notable writers, main issues, and knowledge gaps on the accounting treatment and tax consequences of carbon credits by means of a methodical assessment of published studies. The results will offer analysis of the changing conversation on carbon credit systems, their financial reporting issues, and their regulatory tax regimes, thereby supporting future policy creation and research in sustainable finance. Design/methodology/approach: This paper maps the intellectual terrain of research on carbon credits in accounting and taxation using a methodical bibliometric approach. Keywords such as "carbon credit accounting," "emission trading taxation," and "financial reporting of carbon offsets" (1997-2024) 162 documents help Scopus to extract data. VOS viewer and Bibliometrix (R-tool) examine: 1. Performance Metrics: Annual publications, notable authors, journals, and national contributions. 2. Research trends are identified by means of co-authorship networks, keyword co-occurrence, and clusters. 3. Analysis of Content Focusing on: A qualitative analysis of top-cited publications adds to bibliometric results by means of - Accounting Practices: Recognition, measurement, and disclosure of carbon credits under IFRS/GAAP. - Treatment of carbon trading revenues/liabilities between jurisdictions under Taxation Policies. - Regulatory Gaps: Differences in tax incentives and reporting criteria. Strong Check - Manual inspection of important documents provides data validity. Changing keyword combinations and periods for sensitivity analysis. Research limitations/implications: Although this bibliometric analysis identifies important trends in carbon credit accounting and tax research, its focus is on indexed publications, which may leave out pertinent policy papers and industrial practices. A quantitative method might miss subtle regulatory and implementation issues. Future research should include qualitative analysis to investigate tax consequences and relevant accounting approaches. The results underline the necessity of uniform reporting systems and more empirical studies to help legislators and practitioners handle financial and regulatory concerns connected to carbon credits. Originality: This article offers a first bibliometric examination of the changing interaction between tax systems, accounting practices, and carbon credit methods. Although carbon credits have been the subject of much research in environmental and economic settings, their effects on tax compliance and financial reporting are still underexplored in organized academic literature. Using bibliometric tools—co-citation analysis, keyword co-occurrence networks—this article systematically maps research trends, prominent contributions, and thematic changes to fill up this gap. The results show hidden multidisciplinary links, draw attention to new regulatory issues, and point out important knowledge gaps—especially in reconciling carbon-related disclosures with financial and tax reporting criteria. This paper provides a unified basis for academics and legislators to promote sustainable accounting and tax policies in the carbon market age by combining scattered views into a logical analytical framework.
Source: Discover Sustainability
Authors: Monu Bhardwaj, Namrata Prakash, Madhusmita Mohanty, Rupa Khanna Malhotra, Rakesh Kumar, Amar Johri
Language: English
Subfield: Accounting
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Climate action
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,390
OpenAlex ID: W4414530937