This paper examines the impact of e-invoicing on firm tax compliance and performance using administrative tax data and quasi-experimental variation in the rollout of VAT electronic invoicing in Peru. We find that e-invoicing increases reported firm sales, purchases and value-added by over 5 percent in the first year after adoption. The impact is concentrated among smaller firms and sectors with higher rates of non-compliance, suggesting that e-invoicing enhances compliance by lowering compliance costs and strengthening deterrence. The reform’s positive effects on tax collection are hindered by shortcomings in the VAT refund mechanism in Peru, suggesting that digital tools such as e-invoicing should be complemented by other reforms to improve revenue mobilization.
This paper examines the impact of e-invoicing on firm tax compliance and performance using administrative tax data and quasi-experimental variation in the rollout of VAT electronic invoicing in Peru. We find that e-invoicing increases reported firm sales, purchases and value-added by over 5 percent in the first year after adoption. The impact is concentrated among smaller firms and sectors with higher rates of non-compliance, suggesting that e-invoicing enhances compliance by lowering compliance costs and strengthening deterrence. The reform’s positive effects on tax collection are hindered by shortcomings in the VAT refund mechanism in Peru, suggesting that digital tools such as e-invoicing should be complemented by other reforms to improve revenue mobilization.
Our study uses administrative data on firm-to-firm transactions and quasi- experimental variation in the rollout of electronic invoicing reforms in Peru to study the diffusion of e-invoicing through firm networks and its effect on tax compliance. We find that voluntary e-invoicing adoption is higher amongst firms with partners who are mandated to adopt e-invoicing, implying positive technology adoption spillovers. Spillovers are stronger from downstream partners and from export-oriented firms. Firms are less likely to continue transacting with a partner who has been mandated into e-invoicing, with the effect only partially reversed if both firms adopt e-invoicing, suggesting that network segmentation may occur. Smaller firms who transact with partners mandated into e-invoicing report 11 percent more sales and pay 17 more VAT in the year that their partner is mandated to adopt e-invoicing, suggesting positive spillovers in tax compliance behavior for this subset of firms.
Invoices document economic transactions and are thus critical to assess tax liabilities. We study a reform in the Dominican Republic that aimed to integrate invoice management into a broader, more comprehensive, risk-based compliance strategy. By rationing authorized invoices based on an extra scrutiny of each taxpayer’s compliance history, the reform led to significant and persistent improvements on filing, payment, and information reporting obligations and a modest increase in reported tax liabilities. Our study shows that deterrence effects over compliance behaviors are strengthened when the tax administration makes explicit and active use of taxpayers’ information, no matter if the invoicing framework is paper-based or electronic.
Using cross-country data, this note explores the potential impact of selected digital technologies on tax collection and compliance. The analysis makes use of multi-dimensional International Survey on Revenue Administration, Tax Administration Diagnostic Assessment Tool, and Revenue Administration-Gap Analysis Program (RA-GAP) data with results indicating that digital technologies could help enhance tax collection, but with effects that vary by the type of specific digital service or tools introduced. While the results demonstrate a strong association between digital tax administration operations and improved performance outcomes, the realization of revenue gains is heavily contingent on accompanying policy, legislative, and administrative reforms, as well as the availability of adequate digital connectivity and capable tax administration staff. The cross-country approach provides reasonable upper-bound estimates on revenue gains, which, however, need to be carefully validated with country-specific case studies. The note reviews single country case studies from selected micro-economic literature that complement the cross-country results and reveal key enabling factors necessary to reap and sustain the benefits of new digital investments.
Digital era reporting undergoes a seismic shift as automation takes center stage. The transition from manual reporting to real-time automated systems enhances precision and efficiency and reduces errors, empowering decision-makers. However, this era of digital reporting brings forth a new set of challenges, from data security and privacy concerns to the imperative need for robust cybersecurity measures. Impact of Digitalization on Reporting, Tax Avoidance, Accounting, and Green Finance delves into this transformative wave, comprehensively exploring its consequences on these critical domains. The book meticulously dissects both the positive and negative repercussions, encapsulating the challenges and opportunities that arise in this era of digital metamorphosis. Navigating tax avoidance in a digitalized world unveils a complex dynamic. Digitalization, on the one hand, empowers tax authorities to access and analyze vast datasets, making it challenging for businesses to engage in tax evasion. On the other hand, sophisticated digital tools provide fertile ground for corporations to devise intricate tax avoidance schemes. Striking a balance becomes paramount, necessitating regulatory measures and international cooperation while addressing ethical dimensions in leveraging technology for tax strategies. The book offers a nuanced understanding of the intricate relationship between digitalization and these critical domains, from business professionals and financial analysts to regulatory bodies and sustainability advocates.
This paper studies the effect of digitalization on the perception of corruption and trust in tax officials in Africa. Using individual-level data from Afrobarometer surveys and several indices of digitalization, we find that an increase in digital adoption is associated with a reduction in the perception of corruption and an increase in trust in tax officials. Exploiting the exogeneous deployment of submarine cables at the local level, the paper provides evidence of a negative impact of the use of Internet on the perception of corruption. Yet, the paper shows that the dampening effect of digitalization on corruption is hindered in countries where the government has a pattern of intentionally shutting down the Internet, while countries that successfully promote information and communication technology (ICT) enjoy a more amplified effect.
Since environmental issues entered the global agenda, governments have directing businesses towards sustainability. The term "sustainability" is commonly associated with a firm’s environmental attentiveness, although there are two other areas in which companies should be sustainable: social, to achieve an adequate relationship and fluid communication with their stakeholders, and economic, to accomplish transparent management and correct distribution of the wealth that is generated. The growing demand for corporate transparency encourages the publication of sustainability or corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports, providing information of a non-financial nature concerning the social and environmental dimensions of business activity, namely relations with local communities, the protection of human rights, corporate governance, and adaptation to climate change. Being no exception, and following the European agenda for sustainability development, several governments have implemented tax measures that promote sustainable consumption and production patterns to reduce energy dependence on external sources and efficiently achieve international targets, among others, within a context of neutrality of the tax system. This is where environmental tax incentives come in, underlying a paradigm shift. The relationship between tax policy and environmental policy is seen by governments as an opportunity to adjust the tax system to a more energy-efficient economy in the use of resources. For instance, green tax incentives motivate investors to invest in green properties, encouraging them to opt for greener solutions. That is, tax incentives should be viewed as a tool to empower taxpayers to change actions that may reduce carbon emissions and contribute to sustainability. Taking on Climate Change Through Green Taxation provides applied research on increasing green tax literacy to build the capacity of companies to adopt sustainable practices in favor of environmental protection, to raise companies' awareness of sustainable reporting, and to increase international discussion on the issue of environmental taxation and its impact on more sustainable business decisions. Led by business experts with over 20 years of experience, this book will cover topics such as corporate social responsibility, environmental tax management, and sustainable tax policy. This resource is ideal for policymakers, corporate governance and social responsibility professionals, and researchers interested in taxation, accounting, auditing, finance, corporate governance, and corporate social responsibility.
Throughout human history, technological advancements have been made for the ease of human labor. With our most recent advancements, it has been the work of scholars to discover ways for machines to take over a large part of this labor and reduce human intervention. These advancements may become essential processes to nearly every industry. It is essential to be knowledgeable about automation so that it may be applied. Research Anthology on Cross-Disciplinary Designs and Applications of Automation is a comprehensive resource on the emerging designs and application of automation. This collection features a number of authors spanning multiple disciplines such as home automation, healthcare automation, government automation, and more. Covering topics such as human-machine interaction, trust calibration, and sensors, this research anthology is an excellent resource for technologists, IT specialists, computer engineers, systems and software engineers, manufacturers, engineers, government officials, professors, students, healthcare administration, managers, CEOs, researchers, and academicians.