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On income tax avoidance: the case of Germany

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  • Lang, Oliver
  • Nohrba[ss], Karl-Heinz
  • Stahl, Konrad

Abstract

In this paper, we present a micro estimate determining taxable income as a function of gross income and all major deduction options depending on household and asset categories. It is shown that tax savings strongly increase with increasing income, resulting in a decreasing effective marginal tax rate for the highest income groups. We compute a lower bound on 1983 aggregate income tax losses to the German fiscal authorities of DM 72b, or of 45 % of wage and income taxes paid in 1983. The estimate of tax loss exceeds estimates for other countries by orders of magnitude.
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Suggested Citation

  • Lang, Oliver & Nohrba[ss], Karl-Heinz & Stahl, Konrad, 1997. "On income tax avoidance: the case of Germany," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 66(2), pages 327-347, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:pubeco:v:66:y:1997:i:2:p:327-347
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    1. Borsch-Supan, Axel & Stahl, Konrad, 1991. "Do savings programs dedicated to home-ownership increase personal savings? : An analysis of the West German Bausparkassen system," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 44(3), pages 265-297, April.
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    9. Dubin, Jeffrey A. & Graetz, Michael J. & Wilde, Louis L., 1990. "The Effect of Audit Rates on the Federal Individual Income Tax, 1977-1986," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 43(4), pages 395-409, December.
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