Once Bitten, Twice Shy? The Lasting Impact of Enforcement on Tax Compliance

B-Tier
Journal: Journal of Law and Economics
Year: 2018
Volume: 61
Issue: 1
Pages: 1 - 35

Authors (4)

Jason DeBacker (not in RePEc) Bradley T. Heim (Indiana University) Anh Tran (not in RePEc) Alexander Yuskavage (not in RePEc)

Score contribution per author:

0.503 = (α=2.01 / 4 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

We examine the impact of enforcement on subsequent compliance behavior by taxpayers. Exploiting waves of randomized audits by the Internal Revenue Service from 2006 to 2009, we find three long-run responses by taxpayers. First, audits increase tax payments substantially in following years, but this effect is short-lived when third-party reporting is not available. Second, taxpayers with high income volatility revert to their preaudit behavior quickly. Third, sophisticated taxpayers are affected less by enforcement. These responses reveal how taxpayers perceive the enforcement risk and change their noncompliance according to the dynamics of the information barrier between them and the enforcement agency.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:ucp:jlawec:doi:10.1086/697683
Journal Field
Industrial Organization
Author Count
4
Added to Database
2026-01-25