A recent study looked at tax cheats and found that one of the best indicators of who is likely to try to get around paying their taxes in full is their profession. The study, by University of Chicago doctoral student Oscar Vela, looked at the percent people misrepresented their income and then ranked them by profession. There were of course some industries you would expect at the top of the list – landscapers, electricians and general contractors. Those people where people usually work for themselves and are often paid in cash making misreporting your income easier.
But there where some surprises. Lawyers it turns out are the least likely to cheat. Another group of people most likely to pay their taxes in full: chief executive officers. On the other end of the spectrum are scientists, who were on average likely to understate their income by as much as 35%. Journalists didn’t rank very high in tax integrity either. On average people in the media and arts tended to understate their income by 25%. At the top of the list were bakers and butchers. That group on average understated their income by 40%.
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