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Productivity of Tax Offices in Norway

Author

Listed:
  • Førsund, Finn R.

    (Dept. of Economics, University of Oslo)

  • Edvardsen, Dag Fjeld

    (SINTEF Building and Infrastructure,)

  • Kittelsen, Sverre A. C,

    (Ragnar Frisch Centre for Economic Research)

  • Lindseth, Frode

    (The Norwegian Directorate of Taxes)

Abstract

The performance of local tax offices of Norway is studied over a three-year period using Data Envelopment Efficiency analysis and calculating Malmquist productivity indices. One input, labour, is used, and six output categories of the main service activities carried out by tax offices are specified. A bootstrap approach recently developed for DEA models is applied to establish confidence intervals for the individual indices enabling an identification of units that have either significant productivity decline or growth, or no change. A specially developed graphic display gives a visual test and grouping into the three possible categories. Looking at change in labour use and productivity change together the productivity development of individual offices is classified into the four categories efficient labour increase, efficient labour savings, inefficient labour savings and inefficient labour increase.

Suggested Citation

  • Førsund, Finn R. & Edvardsen, Dag Fjeld & Kittelsen, Sverre A. C, & Lindseth, Frode, 2009. "Productivity of Tax Offices in Norway," Memorandum 14/2009, Oslo University, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:osloec:2009_014
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Torbjørn, Hanson, 2012. "Efficiency and Productivity in the Operational Units of the Armed Forces," Memorandum 07/2012, Oslo University, Department of Economics.
    2. Pontus Mattsson & Jonas Månsson & Christian Andersson & Fredrik Bonander, 2018. "A bootstrapped Malmquist index applied to Swedish district courts," European Journal of Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 46(1), pages 109-139, August.
    3. 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.
    4. Nguyen, Trang T.T. & Prior, Diego & Van Hemmen, Stefan, 2020. "Stochastic semi-nonparametric frontier approach for tax administration efficiency measure: Evidence from a cross-country study," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 137-153.
    5. Elena Villar Rubio & Pedro Enrique Barrilao González & Juan Delgado Alaminos, 2017. "Relative efficiency within a tax administration: The effects of result improvement," Revista Finanzas y Politica Economica, Universidad Católica de Colombia, vol. 9(1), pages 135-149, February.
    6. Finn Førsund & Dag Edvardsen & Sverre Kittelsen, 2015. "Productivity of tax offices in Norway," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 43(3), pages 269-279, June.
    7. José Manuel Cordero & Carlos Díaz Caro & Francisco Pedraja Chaparro & Cristina Polo Fernández, 2020. "Tributos cedidos y eficiencia en la gestión tributaria de las Comunidades Autónomas," Hacienda Pública Española / Review of Public Economics, IEF, vol. 232(1), pages 75-112, March.
    8. Day‐Yang Liu & Hsin‐Hsin Yao & Wen‐Min Lu & Cheng‐Hsien Lin, 2020. "Impulse response function analysis of the impacts of land value‐added tax policy on government performance," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 41(6), pages 1020-1032, September.
    9. Dag Fjeld Edvardsen & Finn R. Førsund & Sverre A. C. Kittelsen, 2017. "Productivity development of Norwegian institutions of higher education 2004–2013," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 68(4), pages 399-415, April.
    10. Ann Veiderpass, 2015. "Foreign aid and productivity," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 43(3), pages 249-258, June.
    11. Avellón Naranjo, Blanca & Prieto Jano, María José, 2017. "Los factores determinantes de la eficiencia en la gestión de las Administraciones Tributarias Autonómicas españolas/The Determinants of Efficiency in the Tax Management of the Spanish Regional Tax Adm," Estudios de Economia Aplicada, Estudios de Economia Aplicada, vol. 35, pages 749-776, Agosto.
    12. Feyyaz Cengiz Dikmen, 2016. "Productivity Change: An Empirical Study on Turkish State Universities," Alphanumeric Journal, Bahadir Fatih Yildirim, vol. 4(1), pages 27-34, June.
    13. Longjin Chen, 2021. "Tax enforcement interactions among Chinese provinces: A frontier and spatial analysis," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(1), pages 332-348, March.
    14. Juan Aparicio & Jose Manuel Cordero & Carlos Díaz-Caro, 2020. "Efficiency and productivity change of regional tax offices in Spain: an empirical study using Malmquist–Luenberger and Luenberger indices," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 59(3), pages 1403-1434, September.
    15. Belmonte-Martin, Irene & Ortiz, Lidia & Polo, Cristina, 2021. "Local tax management in Spain: A study of the conditional efficiency of provincial tax agencies," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Tax office; Malmquist productivity index; DEA; bootstrap;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C60 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Mathematical Methods; Programming Models; Mathematical and Simulation Modeling - - - General
    • D24 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Production; Cost; Capital; Capital, Total Factor, and Multifactor Productivity; Capacity
    • L89 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Other

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