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Bypassing progressive taxation: fraud and base erosion in the Spanish income tax (1970-2001)

Author

Listed:
  • Sara Torregrosa

    (Universitat de Barcelona)

Abstract
In this paper I estimate under-assessment of incomes in the Personal Income Tax during the years following its introduction in Spain. The methodology combines an analysis of discrepancy with National Accounts and an econometric exercise, which follows and slightly modifies the Feldman and Slemrod (2007) procedure, based on the relation of reported charitable donations with the composition of income in tax micro-data. Both calculations show that concealment of income differed substantially across sources and levels, with better compliance at the bottom of the distribution of taxpayers. Because of this, fraud made the tax less progressive than it was on paper. Compliance improved over the next decades, but the overall levels were still far from those attained in developed countries, because of lack of administrative capacity or political will to enforce the new regulation. In this way, general, comprehensive income taxation was hardly a reality 20 years after its introduction.

Suggested Citation

  • Sara Torregrosa, 2015. "Bypassing progressive taxation: fraud and base erosion in the Spanish income tax (1970-2001)," Working Papers 2015/31, Institut d'Economia de Barcelona (IEB).
    • Handle: RePEc:ieb:wpaper:doc2015-31
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Félix Domínguez-Barrero & Julio López-Laborda & Fernando Rodrigo-Sauco, 2017. "Tax evasion in Spanish Personal Income Tax by income sources, 2005–2008: from the synthetic to the dual tax," European Journal of Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 44(1), pages 47-65, August.
    2. Clara Martínez Toledano, 2020. "House Price Cycles, Wealth Inequality and Portfolio Reshuffling," World Inequality Lab Working Papers hal-02876979, HAL.
    3. Fauser, Hannes, 2019. "On income tax avoidance - the case of Germany revisited," VfS Annual Conference 2019 (Leipzig): 30 Years after the Fall of the Berlin Wall - Democracy and Market Economy 203550, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    4. Torregrosa Hetland, Sara, 2017. "The political economy of peripheral tax reform : the Spanish fiscal transition," Lund Papers in Economic History 156, Lund University, Department of Economic History.
    5. Jeroen C.J.M. van den Bergh & Arild Angelsen & Andrea Baranzini & W.J. Wouter Botzen & Stefano Carattini & Stefan Drews & Tessa Dunlop & Eric Galbraith & Elisabeth Gsottbauer & Richard B. Howarth & Em, 2018. "Parallel tracks towards a global treaty on carbon pricing," Working Papers 2018/12, Institut d'Economia de Barcelona (IEB).
    6. Clara Martínez Toledano, 2020. "House Price Cycles, Wealth Inequality and Portfolio Reshuffling," Working Papers hal-02876979, HAL.
    7. Camino González Vasco & María Jesús Delgado Rodríguez & Sonia de Lucas Santos, 2021. "Segmentation of Potential Fraud Taxpayers and Characterization in Personal Income Tax Using Data Mining Techniques," Hacienda Pública Española / Review of Public Economics, IEF, vol. 239(4), pages 127-157, November.
    8. Clara Martínez Toledano, 2020. "House Price Cycles, Wealth Inequality and Portfolio Reshuffling," PSE Working Papers hal-02876979, HAL.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Tax evasion; base erosion; under-reporting; progressivity; personal income tax;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H23 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Externalities; Redistributive Effects; Environmental Taxes and Subsidies
    • H24 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Personal Income and Other Nonbusiness Taxes and Subsidies
    • H26 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Tax Evasion and Avoidance
    • N44 - Economic History - - Government, War, Law, International Relations, and Regulation - - - Europe: 1913-

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