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Pecunia olet. Cash usage and the underground economy

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  • Michele Giammatteo

    (Bank of Italy)

  • Stefano Iezzi

    (Bank of Italy)

  • Roberta Zizza

    (Bank of Italy)

Abstract

This paper explores the role of cash usage in feeding the underground economy by using a unique dataset that combines, at province level, official estimates of Italian firms’ underreporting with data on cash transactions drawn from the aggregate anti-money laundering reports filed to the Italian Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF) by banks. In order to derive causal evidence, we apply two different econometric strategies: an instrumental variable approach and a difference-in-difference approach, which exploits the change in the maximum threshold for cash transactions introduced in 2016, thereby providing a measure of the effect of such policy on tax evasion. We find that an increase in cash usage translates, other things being equal, into a higher level of underreporting by firms, and that raising the cash threshold in 2016 – a measure motivated by the objective of boosting spending – had the side effect of leading to a larger underground economy.

Suggested Citation

  • Michele Giammatteo & Stefano Iezzi & Roberta Zizza, 2021. "Pecunia olet. Cash usage and the underground economy," Questioni di Economia e Finanza (Occasional Papers) 649, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    • Handle: RePEc:bdi:opques:qef_649_21
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    Cited by:

    1. Francesco Flaviano Russo, 2022. "Cash thresholds, cash expenditure and tax evasion," Fiscal Studies, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 43(4), pages 387-403, December.
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    3. Rainone, Edoardo, 2023. "Tax evasion policies and the demand for cash," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    shadow economy; tax evasion; cash threshold; bank branches; ATM; cashless payments;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O17 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Formal and Informal Sectors; Shadow Economy; Institutional Arrangements
    • H26 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Tax Evasion and Avoidance
    • E26 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Informal Economy; Underground Economy
    • E42 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Monetary Sytsems; Standards; Regimes; Government and the Monetary System

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