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Tax administration and compliance: evidence from medieval Paris

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  • Sussman, Nathan
  • Slivinski, Al

Abstract

We analyze the Parisian taille of the late 13th century - a taxation mechanism used to finance periodic major expenditures by the French Crown, including wars. Our major finding is that this system was remarkably successful along a number of dimensions, in an environment without the administrative structures used by contemporary governments. The taille’s essential features were; an agreement between the king and city government to collect a fixed amount of revenue, and a collection process that made use of information about taxpayers held by their fellow artisans and/or neighbors. We show that it collected considerable sums without social unrest, with high levels of compliance, and administrative costs that were low even by modern standards. We also argue that its success may have lessons for improved tax collection and compliance in contemporary less-developed economies.

Suggested Citation

  • Sussman, Nathan & Slivinski, Al, 2019. "Tax administration and compliance: evidence from medieval Paris," CEPR Discussion Papers 13512, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:13512
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    Cited by:

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    2. Timothy Besley, 2020. "State Capacity, Reciprocity, and the Social Contract," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 88(4), pages 1307-1335, July.
    3. Elena Korchmina, 2022. "Peer pressure: The puzzle of aristocrats’ tax compliance in early nineteenth‐century Moscow," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 75(3), pages 779-800, August.
    4. Degrave, Anne, 2024. "The Limits of Informational Capacity: Evidence from the French Napoleonic Cadaster," TSE Working Papers 24-1530, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE).

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • N13 - Economic History - - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics; Industrial Structure; Growth; Fluctuations - - - Europe: Pre-1913
    • N43 - Economic History - - Government, War, Law, International Relations, and Regulation - - - Europe: Pre-1913
    • H2 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue
    • H21 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Efficiency; Optimal Taxation
    • H26 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Tax Evasion and Avoidance

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