Latin America needs to increase its rate of tax collection. With budgets tight and capital spending meager, the region can't tolerate rates of evasion for personal and corporate income taxes of up to 50% in many countries. Moreover, in a region already very unequal, tax evasion tends to increase inequality. But the challenges of improving tax collection are immense. Apart … [Read more...] about The Pros and Cons of Simplified Tax Notices and Amnesties
About Carlos Scartascini
Can Government Commitments Win Back Citizens' Trust in Latin America?
Trust is rare in Latin America, and only getting rarer. Economic and financial mismanagement, corruption scandals, and inequality have taken their toll. According to Latinóbarometro, an annual public opinion survey of 18 countries from the region, trust in government dropped from 45% in 2009 to 22% in 2018, and the share of people who are discontent with democracy soared from … [Read more...] about Can Government Commitments Win Back Citizens’ Trust in Latin America?
When Anti-Crime Strategies Reflect Ignorance Rather than Knowledge
When it comes to crime, we are easily swayed by false perceptions and information. We lose our wallet to a pickpocket or hear about a mugging in our generally safe neighborhood and immediately assume that we are in the midst of a crime epidemic. We are pushed to anxiety by politicians who peddle exaggerated homicide statistics to prove they are tough on crime; by the … [Read more...] about When Anti-Crime Strategies Reflect Ignorance Rather than Knowledge
Behavioral Interventions on One Tax Can Boost Compliance Across the Board
Can interventions from behavioral economics get people to pay their taxes? It is a question of the greatest urgency in Latin America and the Caribbean where evasion of personal and corporate income taxes reaches as high as 50% in many countries, with significant impact on their scope of options. The short answer is that behavioral interventions can be crucial. As has been … [Read more...] about Behavioral Interventions on One Tax Can Boost Compliance Across the Board
A Walk on the Dark Side: Learning from Corporate Use of Behavioral Economics
I recently attended the IlleXBehavior Meeting in Chicago, a gathering of behavioral and tech consultancies and some of the largest companies in the United States. The meeting focuses on the latest insights from behavioral economics and neuroscience, and I must admit I was a bit skeptical at first. I half-expected the meeting to be a festival of manipulation, in which … [Read more...] about A Walk on the Dark Side: Learning from Corporate Use of Behavioral Economics