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Dodging the Taxman: Firm Misreporting and Limits to Tax Enforcement

Author

Listed:
  • Paul Carrillo

    (George Washington University)

  • Dina Pomeranz

    (Harvard Business School, Entrepreneurial Management Unit)

  • Monica Singhal

    (Harvard University)

Abstract

Reducing tax evasion is a key priority for many governments, particularly in developing countries. A growing literature has argued that the ability to verify taxpayer self-reports against reports from third parties is critical for modern tax enforcement and the growth of state capacity. However, there may be limits to the effectiveness of third-party information if taxpayers can make offsetting adjustments on less verifiable margins. We present a simple framework to demonstrate the conditions under which this will occur and provide strong empirical evidence for such behavior by exploiting a natural experiment in Ecuador. We find that when firms are notified by the tax authority about detected revenue discrepancies on previously filed corporate income tax returns, they increase reported revenues, matching the third-party estimate when provided. Firms also increase reported costs by 96 cents for every dollar of revenue adjustment, resulting in minor increases in total tax collection.

Suggested Citation

  • Paul Carrillo & Dina Pomeranz & Monica Singhal, 2014. "Dodging the Taxman: Firm Misreporting and Limits to Tax Enforcement," Harvard Business School Working Papers 15-026, Harvard Business School.
  • Handle: RePEc:hbs:wpaper:15-026
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • H25 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Business Taxes and Subsidies
    • H26 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Tax Evasion and Avoidance
    • O23 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Development Planning and Policy - - - Fiscal and Monetary Policy in Development
    • O38 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Government Policy

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