Working Paper 09-10 - Shifting of red tape? The impact of authority behavior on tax compliance costs

The compliance costs of private taxpayers are not only affected by the tax law itself but also by its implementation through the tax authorities. In the following paper we analyze the effect of administrative actions on the compliance costs of private businesses. We demonstrate in a theoretical model that compliance costs may partially be interpreted as externalities of authority behavior. As a result we expect a ”shifting” of administrative cost burdens from the tax administration to private taxpayers, what implies an economically inefficient outcome. Based on Belgian survey data, we find empirical evidence for the elucidated relationship. We give an quantitative estimate for the accordant effects and demonstrate, which activities of the administration are the most important cost drivers. Furthermore, we find empirical support that the effect of administrative issues is independent from the impact of the tax law itself.Administrative burdens, Compliance costs, Quality of tax administration

Tax compliance costs: a business administration perspective

The paper analyses the relationship of tax compliance costs and business strategy. Due to instruments, like information technology, simplified cash accounting or outsourcing compliance activities to tax advisers, private businesses have a set of strategies to optimize their tax compliance cost burden. Under the assumption of rational choice a private business should choose a cost-optimal administration strategy. In spite of that we find empirical evidence for small German businesses using only insufficiently the support of external tax advisers. Therefore, a considerable number of small businesses in Germany could reduce their compliance cost burden by a higher degree of outsourcing tax processes. In contrast, we find no significant evidence for a cost reduction by an electronic data interchange with the tax and social insurance authorities or by a simplified cash accounting method for tax purposes. --Tax complexity,tax compliance costs,bureaucracy costs,tax administration,administration strategy,business strategy,outsourcing,contracting out,e-filing,electronic data interchange, cash accounting

Horizontal equity in the German tax-benefit system: A simulation approach for employees

We analyze the distributive justice of the combined burden of taxes, social security contributions and public transfers on employee households. In order to investigate whether the treatment of families by the aggregate tax-benefit system can be regarded as 'fair', we compare the equivalent incomes of eight different household types. Using the concepts of system-inherent equivalence scales and horizontal equity we find evidence for a structural discrimination of low income families, while families in the high income brackets tend to be privileged. The equity in the treatment of a household type is not only affected by the amount but also by the distribution of income between the household members. Based on these results we can state a significant contradiction of value judgments within the German tax-benefit system. From the perspective of our paper, there is no convincing justification for this inconsistency. --horizontal equity,family taxation,distributive justice,tax-benefit system,equivalent income

The hidden burden of the income tax: Compliance costs of German individuals

We analyze the compliance costs of individual taxpyers resulting from the German income tax. using survey data that has been raised between December 2008 and April 2009, we find evidence for a considerably higher cost burden of self-employed taxpaxers. Taxable income and the demand for external support are positively correlated with compliance costs, while the time effort of female taxpayers is significantly lower. We also find evidence for a positive correlation of education and tax knowledge with the compliance burden. By contrast, a joint assessment of a married couple seems to reduce the monetized time effort. The aggregated cost burden of German income taxpayers amounts to 6.1-7.2 billion €, respectively 3.2-3.7 % of the income tax revenue in 2007. This estimate is higher than latest projections in a number of other European countries like Spain and Sweden, but significantly lower than results for the United States and Australia. --tax complexity,tax compliance costs,compliance burden,red tape,personal income tax

Ehegattensplitting und ALG II: Nettoeinkommensoptimierung bei Erwerbslosigkeit

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1988 - 1996

The paper is reviewing the foundation of the “Bankgesellschaft Berlin” in 1994 that consisted in a merger of three publicly owned banking institutes in Berlin. The financial crisis of the banking group in 2001 resulted in one of the biggest public scandals in German banking history. The paper is analyzing the case of the “Bankgesellschaft” in relation to possible interdependencies between its foundation and the financial crisis in 2001. In spite of evidence for inefficiencies in the structure of the “Bankgesellschaft” it cannot be stated that the merger in 1994 directly resulted in the financial crisis of the banking group

Die Gründung der Bankgesellschaft Berlin: 1988 - 1996

This paper is reviewing the foundation of the Bankgesellschaft Berlin in 1994 that consisted in a merger of three publicly owned banking institutes in Berlin. The financial crisis of the banking group in 2001 resulted in one of the biggest public scandals in Germanbanking history. The paper is analyzing the case of the Bankgesellschaft in relation to possible interdependencies between its foundation and the financial crisis in 2001. In spite of evidence for inefficiencies in the structure of the Bankgesellschaft it cannot be stated that the merger in 1994 directly resulted in the financial crisis of the banking group. --