This paper examines the issue of the ethics of tax evasion. It begins with a review of the literature and proceeds to discuss the three main views on the issue that have emerged over the last 500 years. The paper then reports on the results of a series of surveys taken of various populations in...

We find experimental evidence that the decision problem of tax compliance changes if subjects ́declarations are not randomly assessed, but is based on their appearance as captured by pictures of their faces, even if the aggregate audit probability does not change. Some subjects may fear that...

The ethics of tax evasion has been discussed sporadically in the theological and philosophical literature for at least 500 years. Martin Crowe wrote a doctoral thesis that reviewed much of that literature in 1944. The debate revolved around about 15 issues. Over the centuries, three main views...

This paper revisits earlier studies on the determinants of tax amnesties. The novel findings are (i) amnesties are more likely to be declared during fiscal stress periods, and (ii) political factors significantly affect the introduction and timing of amnesties. In particular, the paper...

I leverage a Pakistani tax reform that cuts the tax rate on the supply chains of five major industries of the country from 15% to 0% to cast light on the extent of, and mechanisms driving, VAT noncompliance in a representative emerging economy. I find that firms overclaim refunds by 22% and...

This paper studies how cultural norms and enforcement policies influence illicit corporate activities. Using confidential IRS audit data, we show that corporations with owners from countries with higher corruption norms engage in higher amounts of tax evasion in the U.S. This effect is strong...

This paper uses data collected from three surveys regarding attitudes on tax evasion to determine whether any trends can be identified. Comparisons are also made by gender, age, religious practice and marital status to determine whether attitudes toward tax evasion differ based on these categories

Tax evasion is defined as the illegal nonpayment of a tax. Various arguments have been made over the centuries to justify tax evasion. Historically, the strongest arguments to justify tax evasion have been in cases where the people perceive the tax system to be unfair, where the government is...

The authors distributed a survey instrument to university students in Colombia, Ecuador, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and the United States to determine their views on the ethics of tax evasion. Participants were asked to indicate the extent of their agreement or disagreement with each...

Tax evasion has existed historically. The present study lists rationalizations for tax evasion in a survey consisting of 18 questions. This survey has been used in the past including a survey of business students in China by McGee, Yoon and Li (2015). The present study surveys Chinese business...