Abstract
As voters increasingly favour sound public finances, solid budgets serve as an important quality signal. National tax revenue forecasts are a core element of national budget plans. Therefore, politicians might be tempted to influence them strategically. Examining 18 OECD countries from 1996 to 2012, the authors explore whether national tax revenue forecasts are manipulated by politicians. Their evidence points to partisan politics and the influence of fragmentation. Surprisingly and in contradiction to the theoretical conclusions from the ‘common pool’ problem, more fragmented governments or parliaments seem to underestimate tax revenues. There is no empirical evidence to support opportunistic behaviour, i.e. that tax revenue forecasts lead to political business cycles.
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