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Tax Collection Costs, Tax Evasion and Optimal Interest Rates

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  • Pinar Yesin

    (Studienzentrum Gerzensee and Swiss National Bank)

Abstract

In this paper, I investigate to what extent the cross-country variation in nominal interest rates can be explained as being due to governments' optimal response to economic conditions such as tax collection costs, tax evasion and government consumption needs. In particular, I study the effects of costly income taxes in the presence of an informal sector on the solution to a Ramsey problem in a general equilibrium framework. Unlike most of the previous analyses of optimal inflationary finance, the model postulates that conventional taxes carry collection costs whereas fiat money can be printed costlessly. For some countries, I measure tax collection costs, use the tax evasion estimates reported in the literature, and then calculate the optimal interest rate based on the model. Comparison of the actual and optimal interest rates demonstrates that the model can in fact partly explain the observed deviations from the Friedman Rule. I also show that allowing cross-country differences in the elasticity of substitution between formal and informal sectors can increase the model's explanatory power.

Suggested Citation

  • Pinar Yesin, 2004. "Tax Collection Costs, Tax Evasion and Optimal Interest Rates," Working Papers 04.02, Swiss National Bank, Study Center Gerzensee.
    • Handle: RePEc:szg:worpap:0402
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Zouhair Ait Benhamou, 2018. "A Steeper slope: the Laffer Tax Curve in Developing and Emerging Economies," Post-Print hal-02977714, HAL.
    2. Arbex, Marcelo & Turdaliev, Nurlan, 2011. "Optimal monetary and audit policy with imperfect taxation," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 33(2), pages 327-340, June.
    3. Bernardino Adão, 2019. "Why is price stability a key goal of central banks?," Economic Bulletin and Financial Stability Report Articles and Banco de Portugal Economic Studies, Banco de Portugal, Economics and Research Department.
    4. Pinar Ayse Yesin, 2006. "Financing Government Expenditures Optimally," Working Papers 06.01, Swiss National Bank, Study Center Gerzensee.
    5. Satya P. Das, 2011. "The political economy of revenue pressure and tax collection efficiency," Indian Growth and Development Review, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 4(1), pages 38-52, April.
    6. Zouhair Aït Benhamou, 2018. "A Steeper slope: the Laffer Tax Curve in Developing and Emerging Economies," Working Papers hal-04141686, HAL.

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