This study empirically investigates the determinants of aggregate federal personal income tax evasion in the U.S. using the most current IRS data available. In 2010, the IRS released a new series on personal income tax evasion data running through the year 2005. Using this new data, the present...

This paper formulates a simple mathematical framework for the selection of an optimum "relative unanimity” collective decision rule. The approach is first to identify the benefits of moving from a rule of simple majority towards a rule of full unanimity. Then, the costs of moving from simple...

This note empirically investigates the impact of various factors on income tax evasion in the U.S. over the 1973-1997 period. The estimate indicates that income tax evasion is an increasing function of the average effective federal personal income tax rate and the public's dissatisfaction with...

Unaccounted for currency in the U.S. has been argued to reflect the presence of widespread income tax evasion. In turn, income tax evasion is especially problematic in this era of large government budget deficits and growing national debts which have led to debt crises. This empirical study...

This empirical note reformulates a model for testing the hypothesis that migration of the poor and welfare levels are bi-directionally related. After correcting for co-linearity in a previous model, the new model yields two-stage least squares estimates that affirm the hypothesis once again.

This study empirically investigates the impact of a variety of factors on income tax evasion in the United States over the period 1973 to 1997. The aggregate estimates indicate that federal income tax evasion may be an increasing function of the federal personal income tax rate and the...

This theoretical note argues that although both gross costs and possible gross benefits from the Electoral College can be identified, they cannot be compared in such a way as to generate a case that the Electoral College yields net benefits to society. In other words, the Electoral College...

This study seeks to expand the scope of that portion of Public Choice courses that involves voting behavior. The study broadens the interpretation of the "rational voter model" so as to include the potential effects of "direct democracy" on the voter participation rate. Direct democracy is...

In 2013, federal personal income tax increases were implemented in the U.S. under provisions of two federal statutes: the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. Based on our analysis of data for the time period 1970-2008, we argue that...

This study investigates the hypothesis that higher federal budget deficits act to increase the degree of federal personal income tax evasion in the U.S. Using annual data on aggregate personal income tax evasion for the period 1961-1997, 1997 being the most recent year for which all of the...