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Tax Compliance: An Investigation Using Individual TCMP Data

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Author Info
Helen V. Tauchen
Ann Dryden Witte
Kurt J. Beron
Abstract

In this paper, we analyze the tax compliance behavior of US taxpayers by using a 1979 data set that combines information from a random sample of individual tax returns each of which has been thoroughly audited, IRS administrative records, and sociodemographic data from the Census. We find evidence that both audits and tax code provisions affect compliance. However, the effects are significant for only the low and high income groups. Interestingly, previous research has shown that these groups also participate most actively in underground economic activities, the income from which is not reported on any tax returns. Our results for audits suggest that the "ripple" or general deterrent effect of audits may be many times larger than the direct revenue yield of audits for high income taxpayers. Our results for allowable subtractions from income imply that the 1986 Tax Reform Act changes to lower allowable subtractions nay have procompliance effects.

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Paper provided by National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc in its series NBER Working Papers with number 3078.

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Date of creation: Aug 1989
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Publication status: published as Journal of Quantitative Criminology, vol. 9, no. 2, 1993, p. 177-202
Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:3078

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Please 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.:

  1. Pencavel, John H., 1979. "A note on income tax evasion, labor supply, and nonlinear tax schedules," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 12(1), pages 115-124, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Allingham, Michael G. & Sandmo, Agnar, 1972. "Income tax evasion: a theoretical analysis," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 1(3-4), pages 323-338, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Clotfelter, Charles T, 1983. "Tax Evasion and Tax Rates: An Analysis of Individual Returns," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 65(3), pages 363-73, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  1. Marisa Ratto & Richard Thomas & David Ulph, 2005. "Tax Compliance as a Social Norm and the Deterrent Effect of Investigations," The Centre for Market and Public Organisation 05/127, Department of Economics, University of Bristol, UK. [Downloadable!]
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