Analysis of Tax Policy and Tax Administration: Evidence from Armenian Firm-Level Data

Analysis of Tax Policy and Tax Administration: Evidence from Armenian Firm-Level Data

Using panel data on the population of corporate tax-returns of Armenian firms, this project studies the behavioral response of firms to three size-dependent regulations: i) a tax-notch created by the value added tax (VAT) registration threshold; ii) an administrative-notch below which the frequency of filing and paying VAT and corporate income taxes declines from monthly to quarterly; and iii) an accounting-notch where International Financial Reporting Standards become mandatory. The evidence points towards strong response to the latter treatment, a moderate response to the administrative-notch, and no response to the VAT-notch. Based on the results of tax-audits -- performed at about every fifth firm each year – the project then provides with evidence suggesting that the bunching-response of firms is almost entirely driven by income under-reporting.

Project members

Zareh Asatryan

Zareh Asatryan

Project Coordinator
Deputy Head

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Andreas Peichl

Andreas Peichl

Research Associate

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Client/Allowance