Education, Digitalization and Tax Evasion: International Evidence

ABSTRACT

We provide a worldwide investigation of the role of education in combatting tax evasion with the moderation effect of digitalization. The analysis is based on a data set for 142 countries. We find robust evidence that education quality significantly contributes to mitigating tax evasion. More specifically, quality of overall education, quality of math and science education, and quality of management schools are all influential in curbing tax evasion. This effect is particularly striking for countries showing a high level of digitalization in education. The results are robust to endogeneity concerns. In the end, the study suggests policymaking and educational implications.

KEYWORDS:

• Quality of education
• digitalization
• math and science education
• management schools
• taxation
• tax evasion

JEL CODE:

• H26
• I20
• I23
• L86

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

^1. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.

^2. International Accounting Standards.

^3. International Financial Reporting Standards.

^4. The multiple indicators and multiple causes.

^5. When the used database does not contain distinct variables that could satisfy these requirements which is the case for our study, a common method in applied economics to deal with this issue as mentioned by Reed (2015), is to use the one-year lagged independent variables as instruments.