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Trust in Government Institutions and Tax Morale

Author

Listed:
  • Antonios M. Koumpias

    (Department of Social Sciences, University of Michigan-Dearborn, USA)

  • Gabriel Leonardo

    (International Center for Public Policy, Georgia State University, USA)

  • Jorge Martinez-Vazquez

    (International Center for Public Policy, Georgia State University, USA)

Abstract

What actions do governments around the world take that may affect individuals’ trust in the government that positively influence tax morale (or a positive attitude toward tax compliance)? This paper researches which are the most salient government institutions that breed individual trust and the extent to which this trust ends up increasing citizens’ tax morale. We use cross-country survey information from the World Values Survey and the Freedom House spanning 92 countries and six survey waves during the period 1981-2014. Conditional on the level of political rights and civil liberties, we confirm prior evidence that trust in government organizations positively influences tax morale. More importantly, our findings show that it is trust in output government organizations that implement and deliver public goods and services to the citizenry that has a significantly larger impact on tax morale as compared to citizens’ trust in input-side organizations, such as the legislative and the executive branches of the government that design policy. We also exploit periods of democratic transitions, when large variations in trust may be present, to assess the role of trust in government organizations for tax morale using a treatment effects model. Our results reveal a robust, positive impact of negative democratic transitions on tax morale.

Suggested Citation

  • Antonios M. Koumpias & Gabriel Leonardo & Jorge Martinez-Vazquez, 2020. "Trust in Government Institutions and Tax Morale," International Center for Public Policy Working Paper Series, at AYSPS, GSU paper2001, International Center for Public Policy, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University.
    • Handle: RePEc:ays:ispwps:paper2001
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    File URL: https://icepp.gsu.edu/files/2020/02/paper2001.pdf
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    Cited by:

    1. von Haldenwang, Christian, 2020. "Digitalising the fiscal contract: An interdisciplinary framework for empirical inquiry," IDOS Discussion Papers 20/2020, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS).
    2. Amakoe D. Alognon & Antonios M. Koumpias & Jorge Martínez-Vázquez, 2021. "The Impact of Plastic Money Use on VAT Compliance: Evidence from EU Countries," Hacienda Pública Española / Review of Public Economics, IEF, vol. 239(4), pages 5-26, November.
    3. Hana Paleka & Vanja Vitezić, 2023. "Tax Compliance Challenge through Taxpayers’ Typology," Economies, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-17, August.
    4. Korgaonkar, Chinmay N, 2022. "The Determinants of Tax Morale in India," Working Papers 22/381, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy.
    5. Larissa M. Batrancea & Anca Nichita & Ruggero Agostini & Fabricio Batista Narcizo & Denis Forte & Samuel Paiva Neves Mamede & Ana Maria Roux-Cesar & Bozhidar Nedev & Leoš Vitek & József Pántya & Aidin, 2022. "A self-employed taxpayer experimental study on trust, power, and tax compliance in eleven countries," Financial Innovation, Springer;Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, vol. 8(1), pages 1-23, December.
    6. Williams Colin C. & Gashi Ardiana, 2022. "Formal Institutional Failings and Informal Employment: Evidence from the Western Balkans," South East European Journal of Economics and Business, Sciendo, vol. 17(2), pages 83-95, December.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • H26 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Tax Evasion and Avoidance
    • K42 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law

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