Italian statistics in respect of tax returns suggest that Italians on average declared income of around EUR19,750 (USD27,200) in the 2012 fiscal year. Although the government has been encouraging more tax compliance, the number of taxpayers sending in a return rose by only 0.5% in 2012, based on figures for returns submitted by September 2013. A regional analysis of the statistics reveals that the lowest rate of tax declaration was in Calabria in the south. Declared pensions and employment income rose slightly by comparison to previous years, while the income declared by the self-employed decreased y 14.7 percent.