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On the relationship between information and individuals' perception in affecting income tax evasion

Author

Listed:
  • Ludovica Spinola

    (Department of Economics, Ca' Foscari University of Venice)

Abstract

We experimentally test how information about the number of caught tax evaders, by interacting with individuals' prior beliefs, affect the decision to underreport taxes. Specifically, our results indicate that when individuals receive the information about the number of people caught evading taxes and perceive this as higher than prior beliefs, they evade less. When, instead, individuals consider the number of caught evaders as low with respect to their beliefs, they evade more. These findings suggest that when subjects are informed on how many people have been found evading taxes they infer the audit probability, rather than the tax evasion rate. Finally, we observe no salience bias effect when considering individuals to whom we highlighted information about others' norm violation nor when looking at those to whom we emphasised the probability of being audited.

Suggested Citation

  • Ludovica Spinola, 2023. "On the relationship between information and individuals' perception in affecting income tax evasion," Working Papers 2023:04, Department of Economics, University of Venice "Ca' Foscari".
    • Handle: RePEc:ven:wpaper:2023:04
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    tax evasion; social information; audit probability; salience bias; laboratory experiment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • D9 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics
    • H2 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue
    • H26 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Tax Evasion and Avoidance

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