Trying to Make a Good First Impression: A Natural Field Experiment to Engage New Entrants to the Tax System

•We conduct a field experiment on tax compliance with the Australia Tax Office with a sample size of over 18,000•We look at tax compliance behaviour of new entrants to the tax system•We find that a conventional letter that emphasizes on penalties and a newly designed letter that emphasizes on creating a welcoming message to the tax system have very similar effects on compliance•The results suggest that providing information is the most important way to increase tax compliance of new entrants to the tax system•We also find that both of our treatments are most effective for young Australian citizens, as compared to older Australian citizens and visa holders