Determinants of tax evasion in Ghana : 1970-2010

Part of : International Journal of Business and Economic Sciences Applied Research ; Vol.6, No.3, 2013, pages 97-121

Issue:
Pages:
97-121
Author:
Abstract:
This paper investigates the factors that determine tax evasion in Ghana using time series data covering the period 1970-2010. Employing the currency demand approach, we obtained the estimates of the shadow economy and the level of tax evasion for the entire period. Using the bounds test technique of cointegration we found that the variables included in our ARDL model are bounded together. The short-run model indicates that per capita income, the average tax rate, age and inflation were positively and significantly associated with tax evasion while gender showed an inverse and significant relationship with tax evasion. The error correction term was negative, statistically significant and suggests that 45 per cent of the deviation from equilibrium tax evasion is corrected each year. In addition, the Granger causality test indicates that tax and inflation rates aid in predicting future levels of tax evasion in Ghana. The paper further discusses the policy implications of the findings.
Subject:
Subject (LC):
Keywords:
tax evasion, bounds testing, error correction, granger causality, Ghana
Notes:
Περιέχει διαγράμματα, πίνακες και βιβλιογραφία
References (1):
  1. Adamopoulos, A., 2010, ‘Financial Development and Economic Growth. An EmpiricalAnalysis for Ireland’, International Journal of Economic Sciences and AppliedResearch, 3, 1, pp. 75-88.Adriana AnaMaria, D. and Ion, D., 2010, ‘Revisiting the Relationship between U.S.Shadow Economy and the Level of Unemployment Rate Using Bounds Test Approachfor Cointegration and Causality’, The Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies.Ahumada, H., Alvaredo, F. and Canavese, A., 2007, ‘The Monetary Method and the Sizeofthe Underground Economy: A Critical Assessment’, Review of Income and Wealth,53,2,pp. 363-71.Ahumada, H., Alvaredo, F. and Canavese, A., 2008, ‘The Monetary Method to Measure theUnderground Economy: The Forgotten Problem of the Initial Conditions’, EconomicsLetters, 101, pp. 97-99.Allingham, M.G. and Sandmo, A., 1972, ‘Income Tax Evasion: A Theoretical Analysis’,Journal of Public Economics, 1, pp. 323-338.Alm, J., 2005, ‘The Encyclopedia of Taxation and Tax Policy (second ed.). Andrew YoungSchool of Policy Studies, Georgia State University: Urban Institute Press.Aim, J., Bahl, R., and Murray, M.N., 1990, ‘Tax Structure and Tax Evasion’, Review ofEconomics and Statistics, 72, 4, pp. 603-613.Andreoni, J., Erard, B. and Feinstein, J., 1998, ‘Tax Compliance’, Journal of EconomicLiterature, 36, pp. 818-860.Arby, M. F., Malik, M.J. and Hanif, M.N., 2010, ‘The Size of Informal Economy inPakistan’, SBP Working Paper Series, No. 33Bekoe, W., 2010, ‘Tax Evasion and Economic Growth among selected African Countries(1975-2006)’, PhD Thesis, Department of Economics, University of Ibadan, Nigeria.Brown, R.L., Durbin, J. and Evans, J.M., 1975, ‘Techniques for Testing the ConsistencyofRegression Relations over Time ’, Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, 37, 2, pp.149-192.Clotfelter, C., 1983, ‘Tax Evasion and Tax Rates: An Analysis of Individual Tax Returns’,Review of Economics and Statistics, 65, 3, pp. 363-373.Dell’Anno, R. and Halicioglu, F., 2010, ‘An ARDL Model of the Unrecorded and RecordedEconomies in Turkey’, Journal of Economic Studies, 36. 6, pp. 627-646Diakomihalis, Μ. N., 2012, ‘Maritime Tourism Tax Revenues in Greece: ANew Framework for Collection’, International Journal of Economic Sciences and Applied Research, 5,1,pp. 109-127Dritsakis, N. and Gkanas, A., 2009, ‘The Effect of Socio-economic Determinants on Crimerates: An Empirical Research in the Case of Greece with Cointegration Analysis ’,International Journal of Economic Sciences and Applied Research, 2, 2, pp. 51-64Elyasi, Y. and Rahimi, M, 2012, ‘The Causality between Government Revenue andGovernment Expenditure in Iran’, International Journal of Economic Sciences andAppliedResearch, 5, 1, pp. 129-145Faal, E., 2003, ‘Currency Demand, the Underground Economy and Tax Evasion. The CaseofGuyana’, International Monetary Fund. IMF Working Papers, 03/7.Farajova, K., 2011,‘Budget Deficit and Macroeconomics Fundamentals: The Case ofAzerbaijan’,International Journal of Economic Sciences and Applied Research, 4, 2,pp. 143-158Feinstein, J. S., 1991, ‘An Econometric Analysis of Income Tax Evasion and its Detection ’,RAND Journal of Economics, 22, 1, pp. 14-35.Feridun, M. and Sissoko, Y., 2011, ‘Impact of FDI on Economic Development: A CausalityAnalysis for Singapore, 1976-2002’, International Journal of Economic Sciences andApplied Research, 4, 1, pp. 7-17.Frey, B.S. and Weck-Hanneman, H., 1984, ‘The Hidden Economy as an UnobservedVariable’, European Economic Review, 26, pp. 33-53.Fuest, C. and Riedel, N., 2009, ‘Tax Evasion, Tax Avoidance and The Tax Expenditurein Developing Countries: A review of the literature ’, Report prepared for the UnitedKingdom Department for International Development (DFID).Oxford University forBusiness Taxation.Georgantopoulos, A.G. and Tsamis, A. D., 2012, ‘The Interrelationship between MoneySupply, Prices and Government Expenditures and Economic Growth: A CausalityAnalysis for the Case of Cyprus’, International Journal of Economic Sciences andApplied Research, 5, 3, pp. 115-128Granger, C.W.J., 1969, ‘Investigating Causal Relationships by Econometric Models andCross Spectral Methods’, Econometrica, 17, 2, pp. 424-438.Hofstede, G., 1980, ‘Culture’s Consequences: International Differences in Work-relatedValues’, London: Sage Publications.Killick, T., 2010, ‘Development Economics in Action. A Study of Economic Policies inGhana’, New York: Routledge.Klovland, T. J., 1984, ‘Tax Evasion and the Demand for Currency in Norway and Sweden.Is there a Hidden Relationship? ’, Scandinavian Journal of Economics, 86, 4, pp. 423-439.Leite, S.P, Pellechio, A., Zanforlin, L., Begashaw, G., Fabrizio, S. and Harnack, J.,2000, ‘Ghana: Economic Development in a Democratic Environment’, Washington,International Monetary Fund, Occasional Paper, 199.Mackinnon, J.G., 1996, ‘Numerical Distribution Functions for Unit Root and CointegrationTests’, Journal of Applied Econometrics, 11, pp. 1601-1618.Mishra, P. K., 2011, ‘The Dynamics of Relationship between Exports and EconomicGrowth in India’, International Journal of Economic Sciences and Applied Research,4, 2, pp. 53-70Narayan, P. K., 2004, ‘Reformulating Critical Values for the Bounds F-statistics Approachto Cointegration: An Application to the Tourism Demand Model for Fiji ’, DepartmentofEconomics.Monash University, Victoria 3800, Australia.Discussion Paper 04/04,available at http://arrow.monash.edu.au, Accessed on March 2012.Nikopour, H., 2003, ‘Measuring the Size of Underground Economy in Iran with Emphasison the Incentives for Evasion of Insurance Premium Payment (1961-2001)’, MPRAPaper No. 13176.Osei, R. and Quartey, R, 2005, ‘Tax Reforms in Ghana’, WIDER Discussion Paper 2005/66,UNU-WIDERPesaran, Μ. H. and Pesaran, B., 1997, ‘Working with Microfit 4.0: Interactive EconometricAnalysis’, Oxford: Oxford University Press.Pesaran, Μ. H. and Shin, Y., 1999, ‘An Autoregressive Distributed Lag Modeling Approachto Cointegration Analysis’, In S. Strom (ed.), Econometrics and Economic Theory inthe 20th Century (Chapter 11). The Ragnar Frisch Centennial Symposium, Cambridge:Cambridge University Press.Pesaran, M.H., Shin, Y. and Smith, R.J., 2001, ‘Bounds Testing Approaches to the AnalysisofLevel Relationships \ Journal of Applied Econometrics, 16, 3, pp. 289-326.Phillips, P.C.B. and Peron, R, 1988, ‘Testing for Unit Root in Time Series Regression’,Biometrica, 75, pp. 335-346.Riahi-Belkaoiu, A., 2004, ‘Relationship between Tax Compliance Internationally andSelected Determinants of Tax Morale’, Journal of International Accounting, AuditingandTaxation, 13, pp. 135-143.Richardson, G., 2006, ‘Determinants of Tax Evasion: A Cross Country Investigation’,JournalofInternational Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, 15, pp. 150-169.Richardson, G., 2008, ‘The Relationship between Culture and Tax Evasion acrossCountries’, Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, 17, pp. 67-78.Schneider, F., 2002, ‘Size and Measurement of the Informal Economy in 110 Countriesaround the World ’, Available at: www. relooney.info/SI_Expeditionary/Shadow-Economy_13.pdfAccessed on November 2011.Schneider, F. and Enste, D.H., 2000, ‘Shadow Economies: Sizes, Causes and Consequences’,Journal of Economic Literature, 38, pp. 77-114.Schneider, F., Marzano, E. and Chiarini, B., 2008, ‘Tax Rates and Tax evasion: An EmpiricalAnalysis of the Structure Aspects and Long-Run Characteristics in Italy’, DiscussionPaperSeries, The institute for the Study of Labor IZA DP, No. 3447. Bonn.Sookram, S., and Watson, P.K., 2005, ‘Tax Evasion, Growth and the Hidden Economyin Trinida and Tobago’, available at:www.cavehill.uwi.edu/salises/conference/2005/TaxEvasion.pdf.Accessed on September 2011.Srinivasan, T.N, 1973, ‘Tax Evasion: A Model’, Journal of Public Economics, 2, pp. 239-46Tanzi V., 1983, ‘The Underground Economy in the United States. Annual Estimates, 1930-1980’, International Monetary Fund, IMF Staff Papers , 30, pp. 283-305.Tanzi, V., 1980, ‘The Underground Economy in the United States: Estimates andImplications’ Banca Nazionale del Lavoro Quartely Review, 135, pp. 427-453.Trehub M.Y. and Kransnikova, 2005, ‘The Empirical Study of Tax Evasion and ItsDeterminants in Russia’, available at: www.nbnv.gov.ua/portal/soc_ gum/.../2005/1 1_trehyb_my.pdf. Accessed on October 2011.Tsakumis, T. C., 2007, ‘The Relation between National Cultural Dimensions and TaxEvasion’, Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, 16, 2, pp. 131-147.Yitzhaki, S., 1974, ‘A Note on Income Tax Evasion: A Theoretical Analysis’, Journal ofPublic Economics, 3, pp. 202-202.