E-ztax
Subtitle: tax salience and tax rates
By: Amy Finkelstein.
Contributors: National Bureau of Economic Research.
Series: NBER working paper series -- working paper 12924; Working paper series (National Bureau of Economic Research : Online) -- working paper no. 12924.
Publisher: National Bureau of Economic Research
Published: 2007
Place of publication: Cambridge, MA
Language: eng
Format: Electronic resource
Description: "This paper tests the hypothesis that the salience of a tax system affects equilibrium tax rates.  To do this, I analyze how toll rates change after toll facilities adopt electronic toll collection.  Unlike manual toll collection, in which the driver must hand over cash at the toll collection plaza, electronic toll collection automatically debits the toll amount as the car drives through the toll plaza, thereby plausibly decreasing the salience of the toll.  I find robust evidence that toll rates increase following the adoption of electronic toll collection.  My estimates suggest that, in steady state, toll rates are 20 to 40 percent higher than they would have been without electronic toll collection.  Consistent with the hypothesis that decreased tax salience is responsible for the increase in toll rates, I also find evidence that the short run elasticity of driving with respect to the actual toll declines (in absolute value) following the adoption of electronic toll collection.  I consider a variety of alternative explanations for these results and conclude that these are unlikely to be able to explain the findings"--National Bureau of Economic Research web site.
Notes: Title from PDF file as viewed on 6/5/2007.

Includes bibliographical references.

Also available in print.

System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Mode of access: World Wide Web.