Lindsay M. Tedds

The Canadian underground and measured economies: Granger causality results

Using new time-series data for the size of the Canadian underground economy, the relationship between unreported and measured GDP in that country is examined. Granger causality tests are conducted, with a proper allowance for the non-stationarity of the data. It is found that there is clear evidence of such causality from measured GDP to ‘hidden’ output, but only very mild evidence of Granger causality in the reverse direction. This result supports similar evidence for New Zealand reported by the first author, and has several interesting policy implications.

Keeping it Off the Books: An Empirical Investigation of Firms that Engage in Tax Evasion

This article uses a unique dataset that contains detailed information on firms from around the world to investigate factors that affect under-reporting behaviour. The empirical strategy employed exploits the nature of the dependent variable, which is interval coded, and uses interval regression which provides an asymptotically efficient estimator provided that the classical linear model assumptions hold. These assumptions are investigated using standard diagnostic tests that have been modified for the interval regression model. Evidence is presented that shows that the firms in all regions engage in under-reporting. Regression results indicate that government corruption has the single largest causal effect on under-reporting, resulting in the percentage of sales not reported to the tax authority being 51.3% higher. Taxes have the second single largest causal effect on under-reporting, resulting in the percentage of sales not reported to the tax authority being 18.0% higher, followed by access to financing at 8.9% higher and organized crime at 7.6% higher. Inflation, political instability, exchange rates and the fairness of the legal system were found to have no effect on under-reporting. It is also found that there is a significant correlation between under-reporting and the legal organization of the business, size, age, ownership, competition and audit controls.

Work, Rest, and Play: Exploring Trends in Time Allocation in Canada and the United States

We control for demographic changes to document trends in the allocation of time using time diary data for Canada (1986 to 2005) and the United States (1985 to 2005). We find that (1) in 2005, average weekly hours spent on market work is higher in Canada than in the U.S. (37.29 vs. 33.29) , (2) between 1986 and 2005 market work increased by an average of 3.75 hours per week in Canada, but in the U.S it remained relatively stable, and (3) over the sample period, leisure time increased in the U.S., but fell in Canada. In addition, the least educated enjoy more leisure relative to the most highly educated in both countries but this inequality is narrowing for Canadian men.

What Goes Up Must Come Down (But Not Necessarily at the Same Rate): Testing for Asymmetry in New Zealand Time Series

The notion that many macroeconomic variables fluctuate asymmetrically over time is not new to economic theory but it is relatively new to empirical economics. The most common empirical representations of aggregate time series are usually smooth and sluggish. This study employs the test for steepness and deepness to the cyclical component (extracted via the HP filter) of eight New Zealand economic time series. We find that there is no evidence of asymmetry in the cycles of any of the series.

User Fee Design by Canadian Municipalities: Considerations Arising from Case Law

User fees have become increasingly relied upon by municipal governments in Canada to fund municipal services due to the combined pressures from federal and provincial devolution of responsibility and the political costs of raising property taxes. While there is a substantial body of literature regarding the rationale for user fees, little information exists about how to design and implement a user fee such that it satisfies the Canadian legal requirements that have been established for the formal classification of user fees. We provide a detailed review of the existing Canadian case law to highlight key legal, technical, and administrative issues that present design and implementation challenges for user fees for Canadian municipalities. Through this analysis we highlight the key legal tests for user fees and discuss their application in case law. The application and interpretation of these tests in the case law draw attention to several unresolved issues and inconsistencies that need to be navigated and resolved by the courts.