Arbeitspapier

Public disclosure of tax information: Compliance tool or social network?

We conduct the first-ever study of actual searches done in a public tax disclosure system, analyzing about one million searches done in 2014 and 2015 in Norway. We characterize the social network these searches comprise, including its degree of homophily and reciprocation, and the demographics of targets and searchers. About one-fourth of searches occur within identifiable household and employment networks. Most searchers target people similar to themselves-homophily in network parlance-but young, low-income searchers also target older, successful people and celebrities. A causal research design based on the timing of searches relative to tax filing uncovers no evidence that, upon discovering they were targeted, targets subsequently increase their reported income. The evidence suggests that social comparisons motivate the bulk of searches rather than tax compliance. However, public disclosure may deter evasion even when compliance-motivated searches are rare in equilibrium.

Sprache
Englisch

Erschienen in
Series: Discussion Papers ; No. 975

Klassifikation
Wirtschaft
Tax Evasion and Avoidance
Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
Network Formation and Analysis: Theory
Thema
Public disclosure
social network
tax compliance

Ereignis
Geistige Schöpfung
(wer)
Reck, Daniel
Slemrod, Joel
Vattø, Trine Engh
Ereignis
Veröffentlichung
(wer)
Statistics Norway, Research Department
(wo)
Oslo
(wann)
2022

Handle
Letzte Aktualisierung
10.03.2025, 11:43 MEZ

Datenpartner

Dieses Objekt wird bereitgestellt von:
ZBW - Deutsche Zentralbibliothek für Wirtschaftswissenschaften - Leibniz-Informationszentrum Wirtschaft. Bei Fragen zum Objekt wenden Sie sich bitte an den Datenpartner.

Objekttyp

  • Arbeitspapier

Beteiligte

  • Reck, Daniel
  • Slemrod, Joel
  • Vattø, Trine Engh
  • Statistics Norway, Research Department

Entstanden

  • 2022

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