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Ghosting the Tax Authority: Fake Firms and Tax Fraud in Ecuador

Author

Listed:
  • Paul Carrillo
  • Dave Donaldson
  • Dina Pomeranz
  • Monica Singhal

Abstract

An important but poorly understood form of firm tax evasion arises from "ghost firms"—fake firms that issue fraudulent receipts so that their clients can claim false deductions. We provide a unique window into this global phenomenon using transaction-level tax data from Ecuador. Five percent of firms use ghost invoices annually. Among these firms, ghost transactions comprise 14 percent of purchases. Ghost transactions are prevalent among large firms and firms with high-income owners and exhibit suspicious patterns, such as bunching below financial system thresholds. An innovative enforcement intervention targeting ghost clients rather than ghosts themselves led to substantial tax recovery.

Suggested Citation

  • Paul Carrillo & Dave Donaldson & Dina Pomeranz & Monica Singhal, 2023. "Ghosting the Tax Authority: Fake Firms and Tax Fraud in Ecuador," American Economic Review: Insights, American Economic Association, vol. 5(4), pages 427-444, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aerins:v:5:y:2023:i:4:p:427-44
    DOI: 10.1257/aeri.20220321
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D22 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Empirical Analysis
    • H25 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Business Taxes and Subsidies
    • H26 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Tax Evasion and Avoidance
    • K34 - Law and Economics - - Other Substantive Areas of Law - - - Tax Law
    • L25 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Performance
    • O14 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Industrialization; Manufacturing and Service Industries; Choice of Technology

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