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The Intergenerational Causal Effect of Tax Evasion: Evidence from the Commuter Tax Allowance in Austria

Author

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  • Wolfgang Frimmel
  • Martin Halla
  • Jörg Paetzold
Abstract
Does tax evasion run in the family? To answer this question, we study the case of the commuter tax allowance in Austria. This allowance is designed as a step function of the distance between the residence and the workplace, creating sharp discontinuities at each bracket threshold. It turns out that the distance to the next higher bracket is a strong determinant of compliance. The match of different administrative data sources allows us to observe actual compliance behavior with little error at the individual level across two generations. To identify the intergenerational causal effect in tax evasion behavior, we use the paternal distance to next higher bracket as an instrumental variable for paternal compliance. We find that paternal noncompliance increases children’s noncompliance by about 23%.

Suggested Citation

  • Wolfgang Frimmel & Martin Halla & Jörg Paetzold, 2019. "The Intergenerational Causal Effect of Tax Evasion: Evidence from the Commuter Tax Allowance in Austria," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 17(6), pages 1843-1880.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:jeurec:v:17:y:2019:i:6:p:1843-1880.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/jeea/jvy033
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    Cited by:

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    2. Joerg Paetzold, 2019. "How do taxpayers respond to a large kink? Evidence on earnings and deduction behavior from Austria," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 26(1), pages 167-197, February.
    3. Cobb-Clark, Deborah A. & Dahmann, Sarah C. & Salamanca, Nicolás & Zhu, Anna, 2022. "Intergenerational disadvantage: Learning about equal opportunity from social assistance receipt," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    4. Bastani, Spencer & Giebe, Thomas & Miao, Chizheng, 2020. "Ethnicity and tax filing behavior," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    5. Ina Blind & Matz Dahlberg & Gustav Engström & John Östh, 2018. "Construction of Register-based Commuting Measures," CESifo Economic Studies, CESifo Group, vol. 64(2), pages 292-326.
    6. Chih-Liang Liu & Junmao Chiu, 2024. "External social networks and tax avoidance," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 62(4), pages 1459-1504, May.
    7. Paetzold, Jörg, 2019. "Do commuting subsidies increase commuting distances? Evidence from a Regression Kink Design," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 136-147.
    8. Eerola, Essi & Kosonen, Tuomas & Kotakorpi, Kaisa & Lyytikäinen, Teemu & Tuimala, Jarno, 2019. "Tax Compliance in the Rental Housing Market: Evidence from a Field Experiment," Working Papers 122, VATT Institute for Economic Research.
    9. Debora Di Gioacchino & Domenico Fichera, 2022. "Tax evasion and social reputation: The role of influencers in a social network," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 73(4), pages 1048-1069, November.
    10. Di Gioacchino, Debora & Fichera, Domenico, 2020. "Tax evasion and tax morale: A social network analysis," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    11. Bethencourt, Carlos & Kunze, Lars, 2022. "The economics of crime and socialization: The role of the family," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 197(C), pages 579-597.
    12. Yunaita Rahmawati & Arik Dwijayanto, 2021. "The Effect of Moral Tax and Tax Compliance on Decision Making Through Gender Perspective: A Case Study of Religious Communities in Magetan District, East Java, Indonesia," Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, Richtmann Publishing Ltd, vol. 10, November.
    13. Martinangeli, Andrea F.M. & Windsteiger, Lisa, 2024. "Inequality shapes the propagation of unethical behaviours: Cheating responses to tax evasion along the income distribution," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 220(C), pages 135-181.
    14. Riedel, Nadine & Strohmaier, Kristina & Lediga, Collen, 2019. "Spatial Tax Enforcement Spillovers: Evidence from South Africa," VfS Annual Conference 2019 (Leipzig): 30 Years after the Fall of the Berlin Wall - Democracy and Market Economy 203500, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • H26 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Tax Evasion and Avoidance
    • A13 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - Relation of Economics to Social Values
    • H24 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Personal Income and Other Nonbusiness Taxes and Subsidies

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