This study experimentally examines how tax administration service inefficiencies in the form of tax return processing delays from paper-filed tax returns indirectly affect taxpayer tax evasion intentions through taxpayers’ psychological reactance to the delay. We further consider whether this...

Why do some individuals evade taxes while others do not? We study this question using administrative tax records from Uruguay linked to a tailored survey of taxpayers. Using third-party reports, we measure individual income under-reporting as an indicator of evasion. We then examine how three...

This study evaluates whether low-cost digital nudges delivered via WhatsApp can improve property tax compliance in Gorontalo, Indonesia. In a randomized controlled trial, individuals were as-signed to receive either (i) a soft-tone message emphasizing civic duty and public benefits, (ii) a...

In 2021, the Republic of Georgia established a Large Taxpayer Office (LTO) to strengthen tax administration and improve compliance among firms that contribute a disproportionate share of revenue. This paper draws on that quasi-experiment to estimate the causal impact of intensive oversight, with...

Why do some individuals evade taxes while others do not? We study this question using administrative tax records from Uruguay linked to a tailored survey of taxpayers. Using third-party reports, we measure individual income under-reporting as an indicator of evasion. We then examine how three...

This paper explores whether tax compliance would be affected if the tax payers are "status" seekers. If relative income is a symbol of relative status in a society, status concerned individuals would evade paying taxes more relative to the case where status is not a concern. However, such an...

This study examines the compliance costs of OECD Pillar Two, i.e., the “Global Minimum Tax,” for multinational enterprises headquartered in the European Union. Collecting data from chief financial officers and heads of finance or tax departments, we estimate compliance cost determinants and...

This paper investigates the drivers of Value Added Tax (VAT) compliance among small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana using a multi-dimensional approach. From a sample size of 520 SMEs, data was collected using structured questionnaires, while the dataset was analysed using Partial...

Governments worldwide are mandating e-invoicing and real-time VAT reporting, yet many cash-intensive service SMEs continue to under-report VAT, eroding fiscal revenues. This study investigates whether financial technology (FinTech) adoption can reduce this under-reporting among tourism SMEs in...

EFCA promotes the highest common standards for the control, inspection and surveillance under the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). The purpose of the European Fisheries Control Agency is to ensure a high, uniform and effective level of control, inspection and compliance with the rules of the...

EFCA promotes the highest common standards for the control, inspection and surveillance under the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). The purpose of the European Fisheries Control Agency is to ensure a high, uniform and effective level of control, inspection and compliance with the rules of the...

This paper shows that bargaining over tax payments is an important feature of tax compliance and enforcement in lower income countries. Analyzing the universe of administrative tax filings from Zambia, we document sharp bunching in (i) dominated regions above tax schedule discontinuities,...

Can the exposure to civil war make people more motivated to pay taxes and (re)build the state? Our project examines this question in the context of Africa, a region where civil wars have frequently undermined state capacity. We move from the popular Tillian view of war-making as state-making to...

The objective of this note is to summarize the role of behavioral science in tax compliance and tax administration, elaborating on a previous note outlining the World Bank's past work in this area (Dalton et al., 2021). This note will provide an overview of a behaviorally informed approach to...

This study investigates the factors influencing tax compliance among Greek entrepreneurs functioning within a difficult fiscal landscape. Through a randomized field experiment, we analyze the effects of differing tax rates, audit likelihoods, and legal frameworks on compliance behavior....

This study examines the effect of tax complexity on the market value of publicly traded firms. Using firm-level measures of tax complexity, we find that a one standard deviation increase in tax complexity-comparable in magnitude to the rise following the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act-is associated...

We examine behavioral frictions in entrepreneurs' tax planning when choosing between corporate and partnership taxation under a check-the-box rule. Using German tax return data, we show that only a small fraction of entrepreneurs opt for corporate taxation, despite substantial potential tax...