hero working papers

"Indeterminacy, Underground Activities and Tax Evasion"

Number: 289
Year: 2005
Author(s): Francesco Busato (University of Aarhus), Bruno Chiarini (University of Naples, Parthenope)and Enrico Marchetti (La Sapienza, Rome)

This paper introduces underground activities and tax evasion into a one sector dynamic general equilibrium model with external effects. The model presents a novel mechanism driving the self-fulfilling prophecies, which is triggered by the reallocation of resources to the underground sector to avoid the excess tax burden. This mechanism differs from the customary one, and it is complementary to it. In addition, the explicit introduction of an (even tiny) underground sector allows to reduce aggregate degree of increasing returns required for indeterminacy, and for having well behaved input demand schedules (in the sense they slope down).

Journal of Economic Literature Classification Numbers: O40, E260

Keywords: Indeterminacy and Sunspots, Tax Evasion and Underground Activities