RT info:eu-repo/semantics/workingPaper T1 Evasion vs. real production responses to taxation among firms: bunching evidence from Argentina A1 Gamarra Rondinel, Ana K1 Tax evasion K1 SMEs K1 Bunching approach K1 Simplified tax regime K1 Corporate taxation K1 Ciencias económicas K1 Economics K1 Economía K1 Ciencias jurídicas K1 Derecho K1 Law K1 Ciencias sociales K1 Política K1 Political science K1 Sociología K1 Sociology K1 Humanidades K1 Historia K1 History AB A key idea in public economics is that optimal tax policies and tax instruments can ensure production efficiency even in second-best environments. This theoretical prediction has been widely accepted and put into practice in developed and developing countries. Yet, it has been derived from models that ignore tax evasion. Once enforcement constraints are acknowledged, some studies suggest that –contrary to the theoretical prediction – production efficiency is no longer the centerpiece of the model while instead revenue efficiency becomes more relevant. This paper analyzes empirically such trade-off between revenue and production efficiency in the choice of tax instruments in Argentina. We use a production inefficient tax policy, the simplified tax regime, which affects firms’ behavior on compliance and real output. Using the bunching approach and administrative tax data covering all corporate income tax returns for the years 1997-2011, we show that the asymmetric bunching in Argentina represents intensive and extensive margin responses. Incorporating turnover evasion in an optimal tax model, we find that in Argentina the trade-off is not as clear as in Pakistan because bunching could be the result of less compliance PB Universidad de Alcalá. Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Estudios Latinoamericanos (IELAT) SN 1989-8819 YR 2017 FD 2017 LK http://hdl.handle.net/10017/29038 UL http://hdl.handle.net/10017/29038 LA eng NO This paper is part of the master thesis written with a view to obtaining the academic degree of Master 120 en Sciences Économiques, Finalité Approfondie in the Ecole d’économie de Louvain, Université catholique de Louvain and in the Département des Sciencies économiques, Université de Namur DS MINDS@UW RD 28-mar-2024