Social Interaction in Tax Evasion

We analyze the tax evasion problem with social interaction among the taxpayers. If the authority commits to a fixed auditing probability, a positive share of cheating is obtained in equilibrium. This stands in contrast to the existing literature, which yields full compliance of audited taxpayers who are rational and thus do not need to interact. When the authority adjusts the auditing probability every period, cycling in cheating-auditing occurs. Thus, the real life phenomenon of compliance fluctuations is explained within the model rather than by exogenous parameter shifts. Our analysis can also be applied to crime, safety regulations, employment and environmental protection, as well as other compliance problems.tax evasion, learning, social interaction, behavioral rule, compliance

Evolution of Tax Evasion

In this paper we analyze a tax evasion game with taxpayer learning by imitation. If the authority commits to a fixed auditing probability, a positive share of cheating is obtained in equilibrium. This stands in contrast to the existing literature that yields full compliance of audited taxpayer who are rational, have a lot of information and thus do not need to interact. When the authority adjusts auditing probability every period, cycling in cheating-auditing occurs. Thus, the real life phenomenon of compliance fluctuations is explained within the model rather than by exogenous parameter shifts.tax evasion; imitation; learning

Optimal Income Taxation with Tax Competition

We introduce tax competition for mobile labor into an optimal-taxation model with two skill levels. We analyze a symmetric subgame-perfect Nash equilibrium of the game between two governments and two taxpayer populations. Tax competition reduces the distortion from the informational asymmetry and increases employment of the less productive individuals. When countries are heterogeneous, this effect is more pronounced in the smaller country.optimal income tax, migration, unemployment, tax competition, Leviathan government

A Journey from a Corruption Port to a Tax Haven

We sketch a model according to which tax havens attract corporate income generated in corrupted countries. In our framework, tax havens have two opposite effects on welfare. First, tax havens’ services have a positive effect on welfare through encouraging investment by firms fearing expropriation and bribes in corrupt countries. Second, by supporting corruption and the concealment of officials’ bribes, tax havens discourage the provision of public goods and hence have also a negative effect on welfare. The net welfare effect depends on the specified preferences and parameters. One source of this ambiguity is that the presence of multinational firms in corrupted countries is positively associated with demanding tax havens’ operations. Using firm-level data, we provide empirical support for this hypothesis.tax havens, tax avoidance, tax evasion, multinational firms, corruption

Corporate Tax Evasion: the Case for Specialists

We analyze the role of accounting specialists who help corporations evade/avoid taxes in a game of incomplete information played by a tax authority, corporate taxpayers, and an accounting specialist. In addition to a full equilibrium characterization, we establish that (i) marginal changes in enforcement are not effective when evasion/avoidance is pervasive; (ii) fi�nes on fi�rms as opposed to specialists are more effective in such situations; (iii) reducing auditing costs and increasing "creative accounting" costs are effective in curbing evasion when tax compliance is relatively high

Compatibility in Tax Reporting

We consider corporate tax evasion when business partners have different attitudes towards aggressive tax accounting. There are costs of uncoordinated tax reports, both in terms of catching inspectors´ attention and running accounts. If these costs are small, there exist a unique stable Nash equilibrium of the game between the tax authority and a population of heterogeneous firms. In this equilibrium, the relation between compatibility costs and compliance is non-monotonic and depends on the curvature of auditing function. However, compatibility costs reduce non-compliance in low cheating regimes and may enhance it when many �firms are cheating. This provides one rationale for de veloping countries to be cautious with employing refined auditing schemes and for developed countries to promote complicated accounting procedures

Compatibility in tax reporting

Purpose – to describe a compliance-monitoring equilibrium in presence of compatibility costs in a setting when managers and other parties have different attitude towards compliance. Design/Method/Approach. Classical game theory – Nash equilibrium. Findings. If compatibility costs are small, there exist a unique stable Nash equilibrium of the game between the tax authority and a population of heterogeneous firms. In this equilibrium, the relation between compatibility costs and compliance is non-monotonic and depends on the curvature of auditing function. However, compatibility costs reduce non-compliance in low cheating regimes and may enhance it when many firms are cheating. Limitations. The model is at high level of abstraction and neglects many important detail that characterize each field where it could be potentially applied. Theoretical implications. The results provide one rationale for developing countries to be cautious with employing refined auditing schemes and for developed countries to promote complicated accounting procedures. Originality/value. Compatibility costs are not previously considered in economic analysis of compliance.  Paper type – conceptual

Compatibility in Tax Reporting

We consider corporate tax evasion when business partners have different attitudes towards aggressive tax accounting. There are costs of uncoordinated tax reports, both in terms of catching inspectors´ attention and running accounts. If these costs are small, there exist a unique stable Nash equilibrium of the game between the tax authority and a population of heterogeneous firms. In this equilibrium, the relation between compatibility costs and compliance is non-monotonic and depends on the curvature of auditing function. However, compatibility costs reduce non-compliance in low cheating regimes and may enhance it when many �firms are cheating. This provides one rationale for de veloping countries to be cautious with employing refined auditing schemes and for developed countries to promote complicated accounting procedures

Corporate Tax Evasion: the Case for Specialists

Economists agree that accounting specialists are helpful in avoiding taxes. We argue that such help can often be called sophisticated evasion. We analyze it in a game of incomplete information played by tax authority, corporate taxpayers and accounting specialist. When sophisticated evasion is very common, marginal changes in enforcement are not effective, so radical measures are needed for improving compliance. Fines on firms as opposed to specialist are more effective in facilitating such measures. When the evasion is modest, auditing and accounting costs as opposed to fines are more effective in curbing it