Relative consumption and tax evasion

B-Tier
Journal: Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization
Year: 2013
Volume: 87
Issue: C
Pages: 52-65

Score contribution per author:

2.011 = (α=2.01 / 1 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

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

Abstract

Relative consumption effects or status concerns that feature jealousy (in the sense of Dupor and Liu, 2003) boost consumption expenditure. If consumption is financed by labour income, such status considerations increase labour supply and, hence, the tax base. A higher taxable income, in turn, can make tax evasion more attractive. We show for various specifications of preferences that the tax base effect generally dominates. Consequently, relative consumption effects tend to reduce tax evasion. This is true, irrespective of whether tax parameters are exogenous, guarantee a balanced budget or are set optimally.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:eee:jeborg:v:87:y:2013:i:c:p:52-65
Journal Field
Theory
Author Count
1
Added to Database
2026-01-25