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Evidences from survey data and fiscal data: nonresponse and measurement errors in annual incomes

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Abstract

A (local) survey on income carried out in the city of Modena in 2002, with income reference year 2001, generated four categories of units: interviewees, refusals, noncontacts, and unused reserves . In this study, all units were matched with their corresponding records in the Ministry of Finance 2001 database and the 2001 Census database. Considering all four categories, participation increased by education level and activity status, while it decreased among low or high incomes. Considering interviewees only, over- and under-reporting, as well as measurement errors, were investigated by comparing the surveyed income with fiscal income. Age and level of income were the main covariates affecting the behaviours of taxpayers.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Professors Kapteyn and Ypma for sharing useful information regarding codes. Furthermore, the authors owe special thanks to Professor Massimo Baldini, who made surveyed income data available to us, and to MA Giovanni Bigi of the statistics department of Commune of Modena, who contributed to building up the final data set using administrative archives.

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Correspondence to Maddalena Cavicchioli.

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Cavicchioli is also associated with RECent (Center for Economic Research) and Lalla is also associated with CAPP (Centre for the Analyses of Public Policies), both in the Department of Economics “Marco Biagi” at the same following address.

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Cavicchioli, M., Lalla, M. Evidences from survey data and fiscal data: nonresponse and measurement errors in annual incomes. Stat Methods Appl 31, 587–615 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10260-021-00593-3

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