Territorial Income Disparities in the Banat Region of Romania
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32976/stratfuz.2025.27Keywords:
income, spatial disparities, spatial statistics, BanatAbstract
The study investigates income differentials within the three western Romanian counties that make up Banat – Arad, Timiș and Caraș‑Severin. Working at the level of local governments (n = 254), we analyse the 2023 per‑capita amounts of personal income tax (PIT) paid and relate this fiscal indicator to a set of demographic and settlement‑geographical variables: population size, population density, distance from the county seat, distance from the regional centre, driving time to the regional centre and the degree of urbanisation. Our aims are twofold: (i) to quantify the influence of these factors on local PIT yields, and (ii) to map the spatial pattern of income disparities across Banat. The empirical framework combines univariate linear regression, analysis of variance (ANOVA), bootstrap resampling and Spearman rank correlation. Because local PIT revenue is a sensitive proxy for household income and a key determinant of municipal fiscal capacity, the findings offer timely insights into the region’s socio‑economic landscape and its development prospects.
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