IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/qed/dpaper/4609.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

A Cost-Benefit Analysis Methodology for Administrative Prefilling of Value-Added Tax Returns: An Application for Chile

Author

Listed:
  • Glenn P. Jenkins

    (Department of Economics, Queens University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada and Cyprus International University, North Cyprus)

  • Siamand Hesami

    (Department of Finance Bournemouth University, UK, and Cambridge Resources International Inc.)

  • Osaid Alshamleh

    (Vienna University of Economics and Business, Cyprus International University, North Cyprus, and Cambridge Resources International Inc.)

  • Anastasiya Yarygina

    (Inter-American Development Bank (IDB))

  • Carola Pessino

    (Inter-American Development Bank (IDB))

Abstract

Tax administrations (TAs) worldwide have increasingly been moving toward digitalization to increase process efficiency and service delivery. This technical note presents a methodology, and its application for the case of Chile, for evaluating the benefits and costs of a particular component of the TA’s digital transformation: prefilling of value-added tax (VAT) returns. The analysis identifies and allocates the net benefits from both the financial and the economic perspectives considering two major stakeholders: the government and taxpayers. The results show that prefilled VAT returns could benefit TAs and taxpayers, with a reduction in taxpayers’ compliance costs being a primary benefit. The application of the model to the Chilean case shows the economic net present value of the prefilling of VAT returns is US$5.66 billion, with a net benefit to the private sector of US$1.729 billion and a public sector or budgetary impact of US$3.391 billion. Sensitivity analyses show that the results are robust to changes in assumptions, except for the impact on government revenues from the change in taxpayer compliance. Overall, the results show that prefilling tax returns is an effective solution to high taxpayer compliance costs, the associated tax gap, and the risk of burdensome inspections, and tax evasion.

Suggested Citation

  • Glenn P. Jenkins & Siamand Hesami & Osaid Alshamleh & Anastasiya Yarygina & Carola Pessino, 2023. "A Cost-Benefit Analysis Methodology for Administrative Prefilling of Value-Added Tax Returns: An Application for Chile," Development Discussion Papers 2023-10, JDI Executive Programs.
    • Handle: RePEc:qed:dpaper:4609
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://cri-world.com/publications/qed_dp_4609.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Harju, Jarkko & Matikka, Tuomas & Rauhanen, Timo, 2019. "Compliance costs vs. tax incentives: Why do entrepreneurs respond to size-based regulations?," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 173(C), pages 139-164.
    2. Bellon, Matthieu & Dabla-Norris, Era & Khalid, Salma & Lima, Frederico, 2022. "Digitalization to improve tax compliance: Evidence from VAT e-Invoicing in Peru," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 210(C).
    3. Richard M. Bird & Oliver Oldman, 2000. "Improving Taxpayer Service and Facilitating Compliance in Singapore," World Bank Publications - Reports 11406, The World Bank Group.
    4. Martin Fochmann & Frank Hechtner & Tobias Kölle & Michael Overesch, 2021. "Combating overreporting of deductions in tax returns: prefilling and restricting the deductibility of expenditures," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 91(7), pages 935-964, September.
    5. Kotakorpi Kaisa & Laamanen Jani-Petri, 2016. "Prefilled Income Tax Returns and Tax Compliance: Evidence from a Natural Experiment," Working Papers 1604, Tampere University, Faculty of Management and Business, Economics.
    6. Mr. Matthieu Bellon & Ms. Era Dabla-Norris & Salma Khalid & Juan Carlos Paliza & Jillie Chang & Pilar Villena, 2022. "Digitalization and Tax Compliance Spillovers: Evidence from a VAT e-Invoicing Reform in Peru," IMF Working Papers 2022/057, International Monetary Fund.
    7. Dina Pomeranz, 2015. "No Taxation without Information: Deterrence and Self-Enforcement in the Value Added Tax," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 105(8), pages 2539-2569, August.
    8. Fochmann, Martin & Müller, Nadja & Overesch, Michael, 2021. "Less cheating? The effects of prefilled forms on compliance behavior," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    9. Christian Gillitzer & Peer Ebbesen Skov, 2018. "The use of third-party information reporting for tax deductions: evidence and implications from charitable deductions in Denmark," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 70(3), pages 892-916.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Youssef Benzarti, 2021. "Estimating the Costs of Filing Tax Returns and the Potential Savings from Policies Aimed at Reducing These Costs," Tax Policy and the Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 35(1), pages 55-85.
    2. Antinyan, Armenak & Asatryan, Zareh, 2019. "Nudging for tax compliance: A meta-analysis," ZEW Discussion Papers 19-055, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    3. Bellon, Matthieu & Dabla-Norris, Era & Khalid, Salma, 2023. "Technology and tax compliance spillovers: Evidence from a VAT e-invoicing reform in Peru," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 212(C), pages 756-777.
    4. William G. Morrison & Bradley J. Ruffle, 2020. "Insurable losses, pre-filled claims forms and honesty in reporting," Working Paper series 20-18, Rimini Centre for Economic Analysis.
    5. Goupille-Lebret, Jonathan & Garbinti, Bertrand & Munoz, Mathilde & Stantcheva, Stefanie & Zucman, Gabriel, 2023. "Tax Design, Information, and Elasticities: Evidence From the French Wealth Tax," CEPR Discussion Papers 18206, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    6. Paul Carrillo & Dina Pomeranz & Monica Singhal, 2017. "Dodging the Taxman: Firm Misreporting and Limits to Tax Enforcement," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 9(2), pages 144-164, April.
    7. Nazila Alinaghi & John Creedy & Norman Gemmell, 2023. "Do couples bunch more? Evidence from partnered and single taxpayers," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 30(4), pages 1137-1184, August.
    8. Clifford, Sarah & Mavrokonstantis, Panos, 2021. "Tax enforcement using a hybrid between self- and third-party reporting," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 203(C).
    9. Das, Satadru & Gadenne, Lucie & Nandi, Tushar & Warwick, Ross, 2022. "Does going cashless make you tax-rich? Evidence from India's demonetization experiment," The Warwick Economics Research Paper Series (TWERPS) 1393, University of Warwick, Department of Economics.
    10. Asatryan, Zareh & Gomtsyan, David, 2020. "The incidence of VAT evasion," ZEW Discussion Papers 20-027, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    11. Mascagni, Giulia & Mengistu, Andualem T. & Woldeyes, Firew B., 2021. "Can ICTs increase tax compliance? Evidence on taxpayer responses to technological innovation in Ethiopia," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 189(C), pages 172-193.
    12. Fochmann, Martin & Müller, Nadja & Overesch, Michael, 2018. "Less cheating? The effects of prefilled forms on compliance behavior," arqus Discussion Papers in Quantitative Tax Research 227, arqus - Arbeitskreis Quantitative Steuerlehre.
    13. Philippe Aghion & Ufuk Akcigit & Maxime Gravoueille & Matthieu Lequien & Stefanie Stantcheva, 2023. "Tax simplicity or simplicity of evasion? Evidence from self-employment taxes in France," POID Working Papers 050, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    14. Engström, Per & Nordblom, Katarina & Stefánsson, Arnaldur, 2022. "Loss aversion and indifference to tax rates: Evidence from tax filing data," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 200(C), pages 287-311.
    15. Das, Satadru & Gadenne, Lucie & Nandi, Tushar & Warwick, Ross, 2023. "Does going cashless make you tax-rich? Evidence from India’s demonetization experiment," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 224(C).
    16. K. V. Ramaswamy, 2021. "Do Size-dependent Tax Incentives Discourage Plant Size Expansion? Evidence from Panel Data in Indian Manufacturing," Margin: The Journal of Applied Economic Research, National Council of Applied Economic Research, vol. 15(4), pages 395-417, November.
    17. Giulia Mascagni & Roel Dom & Fabrizio Santoro & Denis Mukama, 2023. "The VAT in practice: equity, enforcement, and complexity," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 30(2), pages 525-563, April.
    18. Miguel Almunia & Jarkko Harju & Kaisa Kotakorpi & Janne Tukiainen & Jouko Verho, 2019. "Expanding access to administrative data: the case of tax authorities in Finland and the UK," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 26(3), pages 661-676, June.
    19. Tazhitdinova, Alisa, 2015. "Reducing Evasion Through Self-Reporting: Theory and Evidence from Charitable Contributions," MPRA Paper 81612, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 2017.
    20. Garz, Marcel & Schneider, Andrea, 2023. "Data sharing and tax enforcement: Evidence from short-term rentals in Denmark," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    cost-benefit analysis; tax compliance cost; tax administration; digitalization;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D61 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Allocative Efficiency; Cost-Benefit Analysis
    • H21 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Efficiency; Optimal Taxation
    • H26 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Tax Evasion and Avoidance
    • H83 - Public Economics - - Miscellaneous Issues - - - Public Administration

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:qed:dpaper:4609. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Mark Babcock (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/qedquca.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.