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How different are the Spanish self-employed workers by underreporting their incomes?

Author

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  • Diego Martínez López

    (Dpto. Economía, Mét. Cuantitativos e H.ª Econ.)

Abstract

This paper offers estimates of the underreporting of income by self-employed workers using the Spanishhousehold surveys over the period 2006-2009. We use the well-known model by Pissarides and Weber (1989)but extending its interpretation for admitting also the (lower) concealment of income by salary workers. Ourresults show that the reported income by self-employed has to be increased by about 25-30 percent to obtainthe level of income which would equal the level of underreporting by employees. Our estimates are robust tochanges in specification, endogeneity and non-linearities. Este artículo ofrece estimaciones de la ocultación de rentas por parte de los trabajadores autónomosespañoles usando Encuestas de Presupuestos Familiares en el periodo 2006-2009. Para ello empleamos elconocido modelo de Pissarides y Weber (1989), cuya interpretación extendemos para admitir también la(menor) ocultación de renta por parte de los trabajadores asalariados. Nuestros resultados muestran que larenta reconocida por los trabajadores autónomos españoles debe incrementarse entre un 25 y 30 por cientopara obtener el nivel de renta que igualaría el grado de ocultación de los empleados. Dichas estimacionesson robustas a cambios en la especificación, endogeneidad y no linealidades.

Suggested Citation

  • Diego Martínez López, 2011. "How different are the Spanish self-employed workers by underreporting their incomes?," Working Papers. Serie EC 2011-09, Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Económicas, S.A. (Ivie).
    • Handle: RePEc:ivi:wpasec:2011-09
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    ocultación; encuestas familiares; consumo de comida; evasión fiscal. underreporting; household surveys; food consumption; tax evasion;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D12 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
    • H26 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Tax Evasion and Avoidance
    • O17 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Formal and Informal Sectors; Shadow Economy; Institutional Arrangements

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