Tackling tax evasion: how an obscure statistical law can help
Benford’s law – which suggests that the leading digits in various types of numerical data are not uniformly distributed – can be used to detect tax evasion in international trade. This column reports an application to imports data and an unexpected trade policy change in Turkey, the results of which reveal an increase in evasion after a doubling of the tax on imports that use external financing. Based on such analysis, tax authorities could decide where to channel resources in their fight against evasion.
Gaining competitiveness through trade credit: evidence from Turkey
The removal of the Multi-Fibre Arrangement quotas that governed global trade in textiles and clothing until the end of 2004 led to a big rise in competition from China for some Turkish exporters to the European Union. This VoxEU column reports evidence that Turkish exporters affected by an increase in competitive pressures responded both by lowering their prices and by extending the trade credit they offered to importers.
Foreign investment and domestic production complexity in Turkey
Inflows of foreign direct investment can act as a catalyst for domestic firms to develop sophisticated manufacturing products, according to evidence from Turkey presented in this column. The authors conclude that investment promotion policies can play a key role in facilitating upgrading of the national production structure.