Tax Rates and Tax Evasion: An Empirical Analysis of the Structural Aspects and Long-Run Characteristics in Italy
Abstract
By using official time series of the Italian evaded VAT base (Ministry of Finance) for the period 1980-2004 we investigate empirically the long-run characteristics of tax evasion and the relationship with the tax burden. We focus on three important issues not analyzed so far. First, using different measures of aggregate economic activity as reference variables in estimating the average tax burden, we investigate the size and dynamics of the over-burden traceable back to tax evasion. Second, exploiting cointegration techniques, we quantify the elasticity between tax evasion and the average tax rate in Italy. We then comment on the complex dynamic interaction between tax burden and tax evasion, to ascertain whether in the Italian experience there is evidence for any “vicious circle” between them.Download Info
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Paper provided by Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) in its series IZA Discussion Papers with number 3447.Length: 19 pages
Date of creation: Apr 2008
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp3447
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Related research
Keywords: tax evasion; VAT evasion; effective tax rate; apparent tax rate; VECM;Other versions of this item:
- Bruno Chiarini & Elisabetta Marzano & Friedrich Schneider, . "Tax rates and Tax evasion: an Empirical Analysis of the Structural Aspects and Long-Run Characteristics in Italy," Working Papers wp2009-1, Department of the Treasury, Ministry of the Economy and of Finance.
- H30 - Public Economics - - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents - - - General
- H26 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Tax Evasion
- O17 - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Formal and Informal Sectors; Shadow Economy; Institutional Arrangements
- C32 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Time-Series Models; Dynamic Quantile Regressions; Dynamic Treatment Effect Models
This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:
- NEP-ACC-2008-04-29 (Accounting & Auditing)
- NEP-ALL-2008-04-29 (All new papers)
- NEP-EEC-2008-04-29 (European Economics)
- NEP-PBE-2008-04-29 (Public Economics)
- NEP-PUB-2008-04-29 (Public Finance)
References
References listed on IDEASPlease report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
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Citations
Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.Cited by:
- Francesco Busato & Bruno Chiarini & Pasquale De Angelis & Elisabetta Marzano, 2008. "Firm-oriented policies, tax cheating and perverse outcomes," Discussion Papers 10_2008, D.E.S. (Department of Economic Studies), University of Naples "Parthenope", Italy.
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