Nations attempt to attract major enterprises to their territories by implementing lower tax rates while simultaneously enhancing tax collection efficiency within their jurisdictional boundaries. In this study, we scrutinize the correlation between the Baltic countries’ tax systems and the levels of the shadow economy inherent to their respective economic landscapes. Our analysis indicates that tax reform can substantially influence diminishing the corporate shadow economy within a society. More specifically, our research delves into how economic growth can mitigate the corporate shadow economy, primarily driven by shifts in tax collections within Lithuania. Utilizing quarterly data from 2002 to 2022, we use panel regression and causality analyses as the overall analytical approach. The analyses uncover a complex relationship between various effective taxes and the extent of the shadow economy. Notably, we find that while an increase in the effective income tax rate is associated with a growing shadow economy, an uptick in the effective corporate income tax rate has the opposite effect, reducing its scale. Additionally, a rise in the effective VAT rate is linked to an expanded shadow economy. However, the influence of these effective taxes on imports has limited significance in regulating the scope of the shadow economy, likely due to increased tax evasion incentives. Overall, this study contributes to our understanding of how tax reform can impact the shadow economy and underscores the need for more comprehensive strategies to address this issue.

This study examines the relationship between economic indicators and crime rates in six European countries: Lithuania, Germany, Greece, Portugal, Finland and Sweden. By examining macroeconomic factors such as GDP, security spending and per capita consumption, the study aims to understand how these variables affect crime dynamics. Using robust econometric techniques, including panel regression with fixed effects, the study identifies significant correlations and patterns. The findings reveal that the crime rate has a high degree of inertia and is significantly influenced by the previous level. Contrary to expectations, increased per capita consumption is associated with higher crime rates, which may indicate that wealthier societies are experiencing an increase in economic crime. Furthermore, higher spending on security does not necessarily reduce crime, suggesting that types of crime evolve as detection capabilities improve. This study highlights the complexity of the nexus between crime and the economy, highlighting the need for multifaceted, long-term policies to effectively combat crime and increase public safety. The results offer valuable insights for policymakers to develop comprehensive crime prevention and economic development strategies.

Background: Our preliminary research shows that tax reform can have a meaningful impact in reducing the corporate shadow economy of a society. Countries are constantly applying lower tax rates to attract large businesses to their territory. They are also trying to improve tax collection efficiency in their jurisdiction area. We study the relationship between the Baltic countries' tax systems and the shadow economy level within their respective economies. Our research examines how economic growth can reduce the corporate shadow economy due to changes in tax collections. Methods: Based on quarterly data from 2002-2022, a panel regression was chosen for the analysis, which allows for determining the impact of each specific tax on the level of the shadow economy separately, considering all three samples as one synergistic system. Results and Conclusions: Thus far, we find that for all types of taxes, the models have the same structure, which allows for comparing the impact of gross domestic product on tax collections both in the short and long term. Our analysis showed that the effective income tax rate growth increases the shadow economy; that is, the country's citizens attempt to move into the shadows. At the same time, the growth of the effective corporate income tax rate, on the contrary, reduces the level of the shadow economy. A positive increase in the effective VAT rate also contributes to the growth of the shadow economy. The long-term effect for general taxes is almost 19% higher than the growth of the tax base. Thus, as to the Lithuanian economy, for example, it has a tendency for a reduction of the shadow economy, which means that there are significant opportunities for further improvement.

LLC “CPC “Business Perspectives” - publishing platform for academic journals

The paper examines the transparency of public finances, with a specific focus on the transparency of Ukraine’s defense budget. The relevance of this study arises from the ongoing war and the increasing public demand for accountability. The study aims to identify concrete measures to address existing gaps in defense budget transparency. The paper applies a comparative methodology, analyzing the feasibility of implementing Scandinavian transparency practices, particularly from Sweden and Norway, which are known for their advanced budgetary oversight mechanisms.The study identifies key challenges, including bureaucratic inertia, limited technical capacity, political constraints, and national security concerns. To address these issues, the paper evaluates strategies such as developing digital budget platforms for real-time access to defense expenditures, participatory budgeting, and enhanced institutional accountability. The results indicate that Ukraine could benefit from secure digital platforms for real-time access to defense budget data, targeted legislative amendments to improve oversight, strengthened institutional capacity for in-depth budget reviews, and public consultations on non-sensitive areas of defense spending to foster public trust.The findings suggest that gradual and context-sensitive improvements in defense budget transparency are both feasible and essential for optimizing resource allocation and strengthening public confidence. By providing a structured approach, this study contributes to the broader discourse on public finance transparency, offering practical recommendations tailored to Ukraine’s specific challenges.

More than two decades after the legalisation of gambling and almost three decades after the beginning of the organisation of lotteries in Lithuania (the Gaming Law of the Republic of Lithuania came into force in 2001 and the Law on Lotteries in 2004), it is already possible to discern the trends in the development of this business and the impact of this business on the individual and on society. Gambling and lotteries are seen ambiguously both in the work of researchers and in society: some see the activity as a fun pastime or a form of leisure, while others argue that it is an addiction with negative psychological, social and economic consequences for the individual, the family and society. In Lithuania, there has been very little research on the impact of gambling and lotteries on individuals and society, compared to other countries such as Italy, the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. In these countries, gambling and lotteries have a very long and deep tradition, are a very important area of the economy (business) and a popular way of spending leisure time. This article examines the development trends of the gambling and lotteries market in Lithuania. The study made use of quarterly time series data including from 2004Q1 to 2021Q4. During the research we established, that every year, the income from land-based gambling decreases and the gross income from online gambling increases. In 2021, 53 percent of the gross gambling and lottery revenue structure was from online gambling. Additionally, according to the of Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model, the paper estimated the relationship between the gross domestic product of Lithuania and the tax receipts of gambling and lotteries to the Lithuanian state budget. According to the study, GDP growth influences gambling and lottery tax revenues directly, without postponed effect, but at the same time, there is a fairly strong inertia in budget revenues from gambling and lottery.