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Tax Compliance in the Rental Housing Market: Evidence from a Field Experiment

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  • Eerola, Essi
  • Kosonen, Tuomas
  • Kotakorpi, Kaisa
  • Lyytikäinen, Teemu
  • Tuimala, Jarno

Abstract

We study rental income tax compliance using a large-scale randomized fild experiment and register data with third-party information on the ownership of apartments. We analyze the responses of potential landlords to treatment letters notifying them of stricter tax enforcement, or providing simplifying information on filing practices for the rental income tax. We find that both types of letters caused an increase in the propensity to report rental income, with letters notifying landlords of the use of third-party information in tax enforcement having the strongest effect. Our research design also allows us to analyze different types of spillover effects in tax enforcement. We find an indication of positive reporting spillovers within the household, but do not find clear evidence of spillovers between landlords in local rental markets.

Suggested Citation

  • Eerola, Essi & Kosonen, Tuomas & Kotakorpi, Kaisa & Lyytikäinen, Teemu & Tuimala, Jarno, 2019. "Tax Compliance in the Rental Housing Market: Evidence from a Field Experiment," Working Papers 122, VATT Institute for Economic Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:fer:wpaper:122
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    Cited by:

    1. Antinyan, Armenak & Asatryan, Zareh, 2019. "Nudging for tax compliance: A meta-analysis," ZEW Discussion Papers 19-055, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    2. Kotakorpi, Kaisa & Nurminen, Tuomas & Miettinen, Topi & Metsälampi, Satu, 2024. "Bearing the burden — Implications of tax reporting institutions on evasion and incidence," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 220(C), pages 81-134.
    3. Jana Cahlikova & Lubomir Cingl & Katerina Chadimova & Miroslav Zajicek, 2021. "Carrots, Sticks, or Simplicity? Field Evidence on What Makes People Pay TV Fees," Working Papers tax-mpg-rps-2021-12, Max Planck Institute for Tax Law and Public Finance.
    4. Kaisa Kotakorpiⓡ & Tuomas Nurminenⓡ & Topi Miettinen ⓡ & Satu Metsälampiⓡ & Kaisa Kotakorpi, 2022. "Bearing the Burden - Implications of Tax Reporting Institutions and Image Concerns on Evasion and Incidence," CESifo Working Paper Series 9791, CESifo.
    5. Blesse, Sebastian, 2021. "Are your tax problems an opportunity not to pay taxes? Evidence from a randomized survey experiment," ZEW Discussion Papers 21-040, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    6. Kaisa Kotakorpi & Tuomas Nurminen & Topi Miettinen & Satu Metsälampi, 2022. "Bearing the burden – Implications of tax reporting institutions and image concerns on evasion and incidence," Working Papers 3, Finnish Centre of Excellence in Tax Systems Research.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    tax compliance; field experiment; rental market; Social security; taxation and inequality; H26; H31; Asuntopolitiikka; Verotus;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H26 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Tax Evasion and Avoidance
    • H31 - Public Economics - - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents - - - Household

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