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The Impact of Tax Morale and Institutional Quality on the Shadow Economy

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  • Benno Torgler
  • Friedrich Schneider

Abstract

This paper analyses how tax morale and countries' institutional quality affect the shadow economy, controlling in a multivariate analysis for a variety of potential factors. The literature strongly emphasizes the quantitative importance of these factors to understand the size and development of the shadow economy. Relatively new data sources that have become available offer an exceptional opportunity to shed more light on a topic that is attracting increasing attention. We find strong support for the assertion that a higher tax morale and a higher institutional quality lead to a smaller shadow economy.

Suggested Citation

  • Benno Torgler & Friedrich Schneider, 2007. "The Impact of Tax Morale and Institutional Quality on the Shadow Economy," CESifo Working Paper Series 1899, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_1899
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    shadow economy; tax morale; institutional quality; government intervention; corruption;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D73 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Bureaucracy; Administrative Processes in Public Organizations; Corruption
    • D78 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Positive Analysis of Policy Formulation and Implementation
    • H2 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue
    • H26 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Tax Evasion and Avoidance
    • O17 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Formal and Informal Sectors; Shadow Economy; Institutional Arrangements
    • O5 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies

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