Mukhtar M. Ali

The effects of tax rates and enforcement policies on taxpayer compliance: A study of self-employed taxpayers

This paper presents an econometric analysis of taxpayer compliance, exploring its relationship with audit rates, penalties if detected, tax rate schedule, income level, and sources of self-employment income. Using data drawn from theAnnual Report of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue Service [IRS, various] and theData Book [IRS, various] for 1980 to 1995, the audit rate and penalty rate are both effective deterrents to noncompliance. The effectiveness of these two policy instruments depends upon the individuals level of income. It seems the higher the income level, the more effective these instruments are. In general, compliance increases with the level of income but at a decreasing rate. It is also found that individuals tend to comply less as the marginal tax rate rises. Again, such tendency is more pronounced for high-income taxpayers than for low-income taxpayers.

The demand for casino gaming

In this study an econometric model is developed to examine the determinants of the demand for casino gaming, specifically the demand for slot machine wagering at riverboats and racinos. In addition to examining the effects of traditional demand variables, the effect on wagering of variables such as location of a wagering facility and of government restrictions, is examined. A unique measure of accessibility of market area customers to a facility and to competing facilities was developed. The demand for wagering at a facility was found to increase as access by customers in its market area increases and to decrease as access by its customers to competing riverboats, racinos or Indian casinos increases. Government restrictions were found to have an adverse effect on wagering at a riverboat. On the other hand, wagering at a riverboat was found to increase when such restrictions were imposed on competing riverboats. The presence of total loss limits and restrictions on boarding times at a riverboat were found to have reduced wagering by 36% and 35%, respectively. With respect to traditional demand variables, slot machine wagering demand was found to be price elastic at the beginning of the sample period declining to slightly below unit elasticity by the end of the period. Table games offered at a gaming facility were found to be substitutes for slot machines. Demand was found to be negatively related to per capita income at lower income levels and positively related at higher income levels. The proportion of income wagered was found to be greater at upper and lower income levels relative to middle income levels. Demand was found to be positively related to days of operation and number of slot machines.

A study of several new and existing tests for heteroscedasticity in the general linear model

Abstract Several optimum non-parametric tests for heteroscedasticity are proposed and studied along with the tests introduced in the literature in terms of power and robustness properties. It is found that all tests are reasonably robust to the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) residual estimates, number and character of the regressors. Only a few are robust to both the distributional and independence assumptions about the errors. The power of tests can be improved with the OLS residual estimates, the increased sample size and the variability of the regressors. It can be substantially reduced if the observations are not normally distributed, and may increase or decrease if the errors are dependent. Each test is optimum to detect a specific form of heteroscedasticity and a serious power loss may occur if the underlying heteroscedasticity assumption in the data generation deviates from it.

The Identical Distribution Hypothesis for Stock Market Prices—Location- and Scale-Shift Alternatives

Abstract This article explores the identical distribution hypothesis for stock-price changes through a set of optimum non-parametric tests for randomness against location- and scale-shift alternatives. An application of these tests to the daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly rates of return from 1966 through 1976 for each of the first 15 stocks in the Dow Jones Industrial Average reveals that these series may have constant location parameters throughout the sample period, but the stability of their scale parameters is questionable.

Stochastic Ordering and Kurtosis Measure

Abstract The concept of stochastic ordering is generalized and the usual kurtosis measure reinterpreted. An alternative proof is given for a theorem on the fourth moment of a distribution.

Stochastic dominance and portfolio analysis

Abstract The principle of stochastic dominance is used to characterize the optimal efficient sets when the distributions of the random prospects belong to a family. Most of the well-known distributions are considered. In each case, the optimal efficient sets are characterized by easily verifiable conditions on the parameters of the distributions. These optimal efficient sets are then compared with the corresponding mean-variance (MV) efficient set. It is often found that the optimal efficient sets are proper subsets of the MV efficient set. Thus, the MV criterion is a proper efficiency criterion, but the MV efficient set can be excessively large compared to the optimal efficient set.

Exotic betting opportunities, pricing policies and the demand for parimutuel horse race wagering

Parimutuel horse race wagering has been declining steadily for the past several decades. This has resulted in lower revenues to state governments, recetracks adn horseman. To retard or reverse this trend, attempts have been made to implement a number of pricing and marketing strategies. Among these has been the introduction of a variety of exotic wagering opportunities. Over the years the number and type of exotic wagers offered has been increased. Furthermore, the prices of both straight and exotic wagers have been increased and, in addition, the price of exotic wagers has generally been set at a higher rate than that for straight wagers. The paper examines the effectiveness of these policies.

Robustness to nonnormality of regression F-tests

Abstract This study investigates the robustness to nonnormality of the null distribution of the standard F-tests for regression coefficients in linear regression models. Assuming the errors to be nonnormal with finite moments, the null distribution of the F-statistic is derived. This differs from its normal theory F-distribution. Besides the sample size and the degrees of freedom of error sum of squares, the major determinant of the sensitivity to nonnormality is the extent of the ‘nonnormality’ of the regressors or the extent of presence of ‘leveraged’ (influential) observations. The small effect in one direction when all observations are equally influential and the much larger effect in the opposite direction when the observations are extremely heterogeneous in their influences provide extremes of sensitivity within which the sensitivity of the tests will be found. We have identified several specific functions of regressors that can be used to judge the extent of nonnormality of the regressors or the extent of presence of leveraged observations.

Demand for parimutuel horse race wagering with special reference to telephone betting

Parimutuel horse race wagering (handle), measured in real terms, has been steadily declining for the past several decades. In an attempt to reverse this trend, a number of racetracks in the United States have instituted telephone betting systems which allow wagering from an ‘off-track’ location. The present study investigates the demand for parimutuel horse race wagering when a telephone betting system is implemented. Two demand equations are estimated for a racetrack, one for on-track (live race) handle and another for total (on-track plus telephone betting) handle. As expected, it is found that the telephone betting system has led to a decline in on-track wagering but surprisingly, it has also led to decline in total wagering, although not to the same extent as in on-track wagering. Thus, off-track wagering generated through the telephone betting system has not been sufficient to offset the loss in on-track handle. In addition to the effect of the telephone betting system, it is found that the takeout r...

Distributions of the Sample Autocorrelations When Observations Are From a Stationary Autoregressive-Moving-Average Process

This article examines the adequacy of approximations to the distributions of the sample autocorrelations by normal distributions, Edgeworth-type expansions, and four-parameter Pearson distributions. The accuracy of these approximations is found to depend critically on the data-generating process and sample size and to improve with sample size. Only the Pearson approximations seem to be reliable in relatively small samples. The utility of these approximations is illustrated with applications. A major obstacle to using these approximations is the necessity of obtaining the exact moments of the sample autocorrelations. Convenient expressions are developed from which the moments can be computed rather easily.