Publication Seasonal adjustment of the monthly cash tax revenue

In the context of the coronavirus pandemic, the Federal Statistical Office published the new calendar and seasonally adjusted monthly cash tax revenue for the first time in August 2020. They are important indicators for fiscal policy and short-term economic monitoring in Germany and enable early assessment of current developments in cash tax revenue. On average, the results are available as early as 26 days after the end of the reporting month. This article explains the structure of the underlying data and presents the challenges involved in the seasonal adjustment of cash tax revenue as well as the approaches used to address them. The article concludes by discussing the evolution in the adjusted cash tax revenue during the course of the coronavirus pandemic to date.

Authors: Luis Federico Flores, Christiane Loos

Article published in "WISTA – Scientific Journal", 6-2020