IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jpolmo/v46y2024i6p1165-1185.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

European VAT collection under the stress: Best to use few reduced rates

Author

Listed:
  • Dytrychová, Alžběta
  • Zídková, Hana
  • Arltová, Markéta

Abstract

The article analyses the effectiveness of the VAT system in European countries. Higher values of the effective VAT rate reduce the Policy gap but increase the Compliance gap. A higher effective VAT rate consisting of a relatively low standard rate and few reduced rates improves overall efficiency by reducing the Policy Gap more than increasing the Compliance Gap. Our recommendation is to use as few reduced rates as possible. As for the effect of the standard rate itself, we have found that it does not increase tax evasion in the new Member States, unlike the number of VAT rates.

Suggested Citation

  • Dytrychová, Alžběta & Zídková, Hana & Arltová, Markéta, 2024. "European VAT collection under the stress: Best to use few reduced rates," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 46(6), pages 1165-1185.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jpolmo:v:46:y:2024:i:6:p:1165-1185
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jpolmod.2024.07.007
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0161893824001212
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jpolmod.2024.07.007?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Grzegorz Poniatowski & Adam Åšmietanka & Mikhail Bonch-Osmolovskiy, 2020. "Study and Reports on the VAT Gap in the EU-28 Member States: 2020 Final Report," CASE Reports 0503, CASE-Center for Social and Economic Research.
    2. Pesaran, M. Hashem, 2015. "Time Series and Panel Data Econometrics," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780198759980, Decembrie.
    3. Alžběta Holá & Markéta Arltová & Hana Zídková, 2022. "VAT Listings within the EU Member States and Their Impact on Tax Evasion [Designing VAT Systems: Some Efficiency Considerations]," CESifo Economic Studies, CESifo Group, vol. 68(3), pages 297-318.
    4. Boryana Madzharova, 2020. "Traceable Payments and VAT Design: Effects on VAT Performance," CESifo Economic Studies, CESifo, vol. 66(3), pages 221-247.
    5. Grzegorz Poniatowski & Mikhail Bonch-Osmolovskiy & José María Durán-Cabré & Alejandro Esteller-Moré & Adam Œmietanka, 2018. "Study and Reports on the VAT Gap in the EU-28 Member States: 2018 Final Report," CASE Reports 0496, CASE-Center for Social and Economic Research.
    6. Martínez, Yolanda Ubago & Arzoz, Pedro Pascual & Arregui, Idoia Zabaleta, 2022. "Tax collection efficiency in OECD countries improves via decentralization, simplification, digitalization and education," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 44(2), pages 298-318.
    7. Grzegorz Poniatowski & Mikhail Bonch-Osmolovskiy & Misha Belkindas, 2016. "Study to Quantify and Analyse the VAT Gap in the EU Member States: 2016 Final Report," CASE Network Studies and Analyses 0483, CASE-Center for Social and Economic Research.
    8. Lapinskas, Arunas & Makhova, Larisa & Haikin, Mark & Troyanskaya, Marija & Mutalimov, Verdi, 2023. "Longevity of EU membership and VAT practices: Dependencies, Contradictions And Implications," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 45(3), pages 630-643.
    9. Mr. Junji Ueda, 2017. "The Evolution of Potential VAT Revenues and C-Efficiency in Advanced Economies," IMF Working Papers 2017/158, International Monetary Fund.
    10. Levin, Andrew & Lin, Chien-Fu & James Chu, Chia-Shang, 2002. "Unit root tests in panel data: asymptotic and finite-sample properties," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 108(1), pages 1-24, May.
    11. Luca Barbone & Richard Bird & Jaime Vázquez Caro, 2012. "The Costs of VAT: A Review of the Literature," CASE Network Reports 0106, CASE-Center for Social and Economic Research.
    12. Agha, Ali & Haughton, Jonathan, 1996. "Designing VAT Systems: Some Efficiency Considerations," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 78(2), pages 303-308, May.
    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. Emmanuel Anyigbah & Yusheng Kong & Bless Kofi Edziah & Ahotovi Thomas Ahoto & Wilhelmina Seyome Ahiaku, 2023. "Board Characteristics and Corporate Sustainability Reporting: Evidence from Chinese Listed Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-26, February.
    2. Chakraborty, Saptorshee Kanto & Mazzanti, Massimiliano, 2021. "Renewable electricity and economic growth relationship in the long run: Panel data econometric evidence from the OECD," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 330-341.
    3. 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.
    4. Elena Sidorova & Ekaterina Sebechenko & Yury Kostyukhin & Diana Boboshko & Alexey Kostin & Olga Kostina & Natalia Vikhrova, 2021. "Formation of a Sustainable Mechanism of Preferential VAT Taxation of Exports as Evidenced by the Russian Federation Practice," Economies, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-21, December.
    5. Cortés, David & Soriano, Pilar, 2024. "Analysis of macroeconomic determinants of non-performance in consumer and mortgage loans," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    6. Robert Kelm, 2022. "Determinants of the VAT Gap in EU Member States from 2000 to 2016," Central European Journal of Economic Modelling and Econometrics, Central European Journal of Economic Modelling and Econometrics, vol. 14(4), pages 225-262, December.
    7. Xu Zhao & Qi‐an Chen & Haitao Zhang, 2023. "Firm investment and financial autonomy: A transaction cost economics and firm lifecycle approach," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 44(5), pages 2540-2567, July.
    8. Sakshi Aggarwal & Debashis Chakraborty, 2022. "Which Factors Influence India’s Bilateral Intra-Industry Trade? Cross-Country Empirical Estimates," Working Papers 2260, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade.
    9. Iva Hasikova & Jan Hanousek, 2025. "VAT (non)compliance in the EU: Damaging corruption and shadow economy spillovers vs. government effectiveness and efficiency," MENDELU Working Papers in Business and Economics 2025-100, Mendel University in Brno, Faculty of Business and Economics.
    10. Eman Elish, 2022. "Political and productive capacity characteristics as outward foreign direct investment push factors from BRICS countries," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 9(1), pages 1-10, December.
    11. Bohne, Albrecht & Koumpias, Antonios M. & Tassi, Annalisa, 2023. "Cashless payments and tax evasion: Evidence from VAT gaps in the EU," ZEW Discussion Papers 23-060, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    12. Rosnawintang Rosnawintang & Tajuddin Tajuddin & Pasrun Adam & Yuwanda Purnamasari Pasrun & La Ode Saidi, 2021. "Effects of Crude Oil Prices Volatility, the Internet and Inflation on Economic Growth in ASEAN-5 Countries: A Panel Autoregressive Distributed Lag Approach," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 11(1), pages 15-21.
    13. Sakshi Aggarwal & Debashis Chakraborty, 2021. "Which Factors influence Vertical Intra-Industry Trade in India? Empirical Results from Panel Data Analysis," Working Papers 2154, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade.
    14. R. Golinelli & I. Mammi & A. Musolesi, 2018. "Parameter heterogeneity, persistence and cross-sectional dependence: new insights on fiscal policy reaction functions for the Euro area," Working Papers wp1120, Dipartimento Scienze Economiche, Universita' di Bologna.
    15. Hana Zídková & Spyros Papadakis & Markéta Arltová & Ioannis Lomis & Anna Christou, 2025. "How Important is the Structure of the EU Economy to the VAT Collection?," Prague Economic Papers, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 2025(1), pages 1-25.
    16. Marie Ligocká, 2020. "Gender Diversity in Boardrooms and on Supervisory Boards and its Relation to Stock Prices," Scientific Annals of Economics and Business (continues Analele Stiintifice), Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, vol. 67(2), pages 177-192, June.
    17. Sagnik Bagchi & Surajit Bhattacharyya, 2019. "Country-Specific Determinants of Intra-Industry Trade in India," Foreign Trade Review, , vol. 54(3), pages 129-158, August.
    18. Chakraborty, Saptorshee Kanto & Mazzanti, Massimiliano, 2020. "Energy intensity and green energy innovation: Checking heterogeneous country effects in the OECD," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 328-343.
    19. Bo Zhang & Jiti Gao & Guangming Pan, 2020. "Estimation and Testing for High-Dimensional Near Unit Root Time Series," Monash Econometrics and Business Statistics Working Papers 12/20, Monash University, Department of Econometrics and Business Statistics.
    20. Hana Zídková, 2014. "Determinants of VAT Gap in EU," Prague Economic Papers, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 2014(4), pages 514-530.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    C-efficiency; Policy gap; Compliance gap; VAT; ARDL model;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H21 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Efficiency; Optimal Taxation
    • H26 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Tax Evasion and Avoidance
    • K34 - Law and Economics - - Other Substantive Areas of Law - - - Tax Law

    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:eee:jpolmo:v:46:y:2024:i:6:p:1165-1185. 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: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/505735 .

    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.