Can Electronic Tax Invoicing Improve Tax Compliance? : A Case Study of the Republic of Korea's Electronic Tax Invoicing for Value-Added Tax
This paper reviews the Republic of Korea's experience with electronic tax invoices for its value-added tax regime from the perspectives of tax policy makers and administrators. The paper evaluates Korea's implementation of electronic tax...
Main Author: | |
---|---|
Format: | Working Paper |
Language: | English en_US |
Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2016
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2016/03/26031845/can-electronic-tax-invoicing-improve-tax-compliance-case-study-republic-koreas-electronic-tax-invoicing-value-added-tax http://hdl.handle.net/10986/23931 |
Summary: | This paper reviews the Republic of
Korea's experience with electronic tax invoices for its
value-added tax regime from the perspectives of tax policy
makers and administrators. The paper evaluates Korea's
implementation of electronic tax invoicing and analyzes its
effect on tax compliance through enhanced transparency of
business transactions and taxpayer services. First
implemented in 2011, mandatory electronic tax invoicing has
been credited with lowering tax compliance costs and raising
the transparency of business transactions. Effective policy
design and implementation have contributed to the
country's success with electronic tax invoicing.
Measured in transaction value, the electronic tax invoice
adoption rate reached 99.8 percent in the first year and
rose to 99.9 percent by 2013, compared with 15 percent
before electronic tax invoicing became mandatory. According
to a survey of taxpayers and tax practitioners in Korea that
was conducted as part of this research study, 69.4 percent
of the respondents agreed or strongly agreed that mandatory
electronic tax invoicing has contributed to curbing
value-added tax evasion by raising transaction transparency,
and 72.9 percent agreed or strongly agreed that it has
improved taxpayer service by facilitating the convenience of
tax filing or automating the issuance of invoices. The
review of Korea's experiences gives credence to the
contention that well-planned and well-executed compulsory
electronic tax invoices can materially enhance tax
compliance through significant institutional and perceptual
changes in tax administration. |
---|