Moral Suasion and Taxpayer Compliance

TLDR: The moral grounds for voluntary cooperation with the tax collection agency turn out, on close scrutiny, to be surprisingly narrow as discussed by the authors, and these moral grounds also contain one important exception. But would such appeals be justified in some philosophical, as opposed to economic or psychological, sense?

Abstract: Some evidence suggests that certain taxpayers might increase their “voluntary” compliance with the tax laws if presented with the right “moral appeals.” If such appeals were relatively inexpensive, compared to hiring more auditors, say, even small improvements in compliance would justify such efforts. However, would such appeals be “justified” in some philosophical, as opposed to economic or psychological, sense? The moral grounds for voluntary cooperation with the tax collection agency turn out, on close scrutiny, to be surprisingly narrow. Though firm, these moral grounds also contain– arguably, at least–one important exception.