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dc.titleLeveraging Data to Improve Tax Compliance for Micro and Small Firms: Evidence from Brazil
dc.contributor.authorMotta Café, Renata
dc.contributor.authorYarygina, Anastasiya
dc.contributor.authorEscalante, Lisseth
dc.contributor.orgunitFiscal Management Division
dc.contributor.orgunitInstitutions for Development Sector
dc.coverageBrazil
dc.coverageLatin America and the Caribbean
dc.coverageSouth America
dc.date.available2024-06-17T00:06:00
dc.date.issue2024-06-17T00:06:00
dc.description.abstractA large body of research has estimated the effects on tax collection of informing taxpayers of their obligations. This paper examines the effects on voluntary tax payments of providing taxpayers with information on their obligations that is collected through massive information cross-checking rather than traditional auditing. This information is inexpensive to collect, but may not be sufficiently accurate to promote taxpayer compliance. We conducted a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of self-regularization interventions on tax compliance among simplified tax regime firms. We examine the treatments that use this information in three different ways: messaging, providing tax compliance manuals, and assisted regularization, in which tax auditors assist taxpayers in the self-regularization process. We find that assisted regularization increased the reported monthly income by 20 percent (US$1,160), which also nearly closed the tax evasion gap and reduced inconsistencies in tax declarations by 67 percent (37-point reduction). The manual and message interventions had positive, albeit smaller, effects. While the assisted regularization intervention had the largest effects, a cost-effectiveness analysis reveals that this intervention is not optimal for smaller firms because of the costs incurred by the tax authority. No effects were observed on firms' tax compliance in declarations filed in the post- intervention periods.
dc.format.extent47
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.18235/0013027
dc.identifier.urlhttps://publications.iadb.org/publications/english/document/Leveraging-Data-to-Improve-Tax-Compliance-for-Micro-and-Small-Firms-Evidence-from-Brazil-.pdf
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherInter-American Development Bank
dc.subjectPublic Finance
dc.subjectTaxpayer
dc.subjectTaxation
dc.subjectTax Evasion
dc.subjectSmall Business
dc.subjectTax Auditing
dc.subjectAuditing
dc.subjectTax Compliance
dc.subjectFiscal Policy
dc.subject.jelcodeH26 - Tax Evasion and Avoidance
dc.subject.jelcodeH32 - Firm
dc.subject.jelcodeH71 - State and Local Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue
dc.subject.jelcodeH83 - Public Administration • Public Sector Accounting and Audits
dc.subject.keywordspublic finance;State capacity;Tax evasion;electronic tax audit;tax self-regularization;Simples Nacional
dc.typeWorking Papers
idb.identifier.pubnumberIDB-WP-01609
idb.operationRG-E1908
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