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Western Hemisphere > Argentina

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Cover Technical Notes and Manuals
Understanding Artificial Intelligence in Tax and Customs Administration
Joshua Aslett
,
Stuart Hamilton
,
Ignacio Gonzalez
,
David Hadwick
, and
Michael A Hardy
This technical note provides an overview of current thinking on artificial intelligence (AI) in tax and customs administration. Written primarily for senior officials, the intent of the note is to provide an awareness of AI that can help inform decision making and planning. The note opens with an exploration of historic and ongoing AI developments. It then provides an overview of legal and ethical concerns, AI use cases, guidance on how to promote AI's responsible use, and logic for introducing AI use cases into an operational setting. The note closes by presenting a selection of questions being debated by experts. In its annexes, the note includes (1) an example of an AI policy; (2) references to help develop AI strategy; and (3) methodology to risk assess AI use cases.
Keywords:
tax administration; customs administration; artificial intelligence; generative artificial intelligence; AI regulation; strategy and planning; use case; AI strategy; understanding AI; AI Policy; risk assessment; Tax administration core functions; Customs administration core functions; Training and development in revenue administration; Europe; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
A Primer on Bitcoin Cross-Border Flows: Measurement and Drivers
Eugenio M Cerutti
,
Jiaqian Chen
, and
Martina Hengge
The rapid growth of crypto assets raises important questions about their cross-border usage. To gain a better understanding of cross-border Bitcoin flows, we use raw data covering both on-chain (on the Bitcoin blockchain) and off-chain (outside the Bitcoin blockchain) transactions globally. We provide a detailed description of available methodologies and datasets, and discuss the crucial assumptions behind the quantification of cross-border flows. We then present novel stylized facts about Bitcoin cross-border flows and study their global and domestic drivers. Bitcoin cross-border flows respond differently than capital flows to traditional drivers of capital flows, and differences appear between on-chain and off-chain Bitcoin cross-border flows. Off-chain cross-border flows seem correlated with incentives to avoid capital flow restrictions.
Keywords:
Crypto assets; Bitcoin; Cross-border flows; Capital flows; bitcoin blockchain; capital flow restriction; bitcoin flow; cross-border flow; Bitcoin transaction; Blockchain and DLT; Currencies; Financial activity tax; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
Coming Clean on Your Taxes
Sebastian Beer
and
Ruud A. de Mooij
This paper develops a simple model to explore whether a higher detection probability for offshore tax evaders—e.g. because of improved exchange of information between countries and/or due to digitalization of tax administrations—renders it optimal for governments to introduce a voluntary disclosure program (VDP) and, if so, under what terms. We find that if the VDP is unanticipated, it is likely to be optimal for a revenue-maximizing government to introduce a VDP with relatively generous terms, i.e. a low or even negative penalty. When anticipated, however, the VDP is neither incentive compatible nor optimal, as it induces otherwise compliant taxpayers to evade tax. A VDP can then only be beneficial if tax evasion induces an external social cost beyond the direct revenue foregone, e.g., due to adverse effects on overall tax morale. In contrast to the common view that VDPs should come along with additional enforcement effort, we find that governments should relax enforcement if the VDP itself provides more powerful incentives to come clean.
Keywords:
Tax evasion; Voluntary disclosure program; Tax amnesty; appendix I. Optimal VDP penalty; VDP participation; VDP penalty; detection probability; A. tax evasion; Tax administration core functions; Tax return filing compliance; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
Measuring the Redistributive Capacity of Tax Policies
Charles Vellutini
and
Juan Carlos Benitez
This paper presents a novel technique to measure and compare the redistributive capacity of observed tax (or transfer) policies. The technique is based on income distribution simulations and controls for differences in pre-tax income distributions. It assumes that the only information on the pre-tax distribution available in each country-year is the Gini coefficient and the mean (GDP per capita). We illustrate the technique with an application to the personal income tax, using a dataset of 108 countries over the 2007-2018 period.
Keywords:
Income distribution; redistribution; progressivity; personal income tax; novel technique; PIT redistribution; TRANSPLANT-AND-COMPARE method; PIT Progressive; market income Gini Coefficients; Income distribution; Income; Personal income tax; Progressive taxation; Income inequality; Global
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Paraguay: 2020 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Paraguay
International Monetary Fund. Western Hemisphere Dept.
In the past two decades, Paraguay has seen strong growth and a sharp reduction in poverty. Strong GDP growth was the result of sound macro policies (with low inflation and low fiscal deficits and debt) and an agricultural commodity price boom which spilled over to the non-tradable sector. Growth was not just high but also volatile, as bad weather shocks led to poor harvests, which spill over to the broader economy. In early 2020, Paraguay was rebounding strongly from another weather shock, and full-year growth was forecast at over 4 percent. In 2019, bad weather had reduced the harvest, and GDP growth had come to a near standstill. A recovery started in the second half of 2019 and gathered strength in early 2020—in February economic activity was 7 percent higher than a year earlier. The Covid-19 epidemic halted the recovery. An early lockdown—which kept the death toll among the lowest in the region—led to a sharp contraction in economic activity, with April activity levels at 20 percent below those in February. Women, informal sector workers, and workers in the service sector were particularly hard hit; while children were severely affected by the closing of the schools until the end of 2020.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; investment spending; supply and demand demand shock; emergency spending; compilation method; liquidity provision
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Paraguay: 2020 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Paraguay
International Monetary Fund. Western Hemisphere Dept.
In the past two decades, Paraguay has seen strong growth and a sharp reduction in poverty. Strong GDP growth was the result of sound macro policies (with low inflation and low fiscal deficits and debt) and an agricultural commodity price boom which spilled over to the non-tradable sector. Growth was not just high but also volatile, as bad weather shocks led to poor harvests, which spill over to the broader economy. In early 2020, Paraguay was rebounding strongly from another weather shock, and full-year growth was forecast at over 4 percent. In 2019, bad weather had reduced the harvest, and GDP growth had come to a near standstill. A recovery started in the second half of 2019 and gathered strength in early 2020—in February economic activity was 7 percent higher than a year earlier. The Covid-19 epidemic halted the recovery. An early lockdown—which kept the death toll among the lowest in the region—led to a sharp contraction in economic activity, with April activity levels at 20 percent below those in February. Women, informal sector workers, and workers in the service sector were particularly hard hit; while children were severely affected by the closing of the schools until the end of 2020.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; investment spending; supply and demand demand shock; emergency spending; compilation method; liquidity provision; financial system regulation; COVID-19; PFM legal and regulatory frameworks; Risk-based supervision; Global; Western Hemisphere
Cover IMF Working Papers
Markups, Quality, and Trade Costs
Natalie Chen
and
Luciana Juvenal
We investigate theoretically and empirically how exporters adjust their markups across destinations depending on bilateral distance, tariffs, and the quality of their exports. Under the assumption that trade costs are both ad valorem and per unit, our model predicts that markups rise with distance and fall with tariffs, but these effects are heterogeneous and are smaller in magnitude for higher quality exports. We find strong support for the predictions of the model using a unique data set of Argentinean firm-level wine exports combined with experts wine ratings as a measure of quality.
Keywords:
WP; trade cost; FOB price; free on board; unit value; export price; wine export; Tariffs; Exports; Public expenditure review; Export prices; Demand elasticity; North America; Distance; export unit values; heterogeneity; markups; quality; trade costs; exports data
Cover IMF Working Papers
Pricing Sovereign Debt in Resource-Rich Economies
Thomas McGregor
How do oil price movements affect sovereign spreads in an oil-dependent economy? I develop a stochastic general equilibrium model of an economy exposed to co-moving oil price and output processes, with endogenous sovereign default risk. The model explains a large proportion of business cycle fluctuations in interest-rate spreads in oil-exporting emerging market economies, particularly the countercyclicallity of interest rate spreads and oil prices. Higher risk-aversion, more impatient governments, larger oil shares and a stronger correlation between domestic output and oil price shocks all lead to stronger co-movements between risk premiums and the oil price.
Keywords:
WP; oil price; open economy; Risk premium; natural resources; sovereign debt; and default; development; cost parameter; policy makers; oil revenue cost; standard deviation terms; equilibrium bond price; oil price volatility; oil revenue cost of default; oil price state; steady-state price; steady state bond price; output volatility; Oil prices; Emerging and frontier financial markets; Asset prices; Consumption; Oil; gas and mining taxes; Global; Sub-Saharan Africa; Asia and Pacific
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Mexico: Selected Issues
International Monetary Fund. Western Hemisphere Dept.
This Selected Issues paper shows that upgrading basic public infrastructure, and road infrastructure, raises productivity among firms, not only for large companies but also for Mexico’s large number of small and micro firms. This finding suggests that greater government spending on road infrastructure will support efforts to raise productivity and growth over the medium term. Mexico’s infrastructure quality has been on a steady decline. World Economic Forum indicators of perceived infrastructure quality show Mexico broadly in line with—or even outperforming—its emerging market and regional peers. Infrastructure quality and access are likely to weaken further at current investment rates. Spending trends compare particularly poorly to investment needs in the case of roads investment. According to the Global Competitiveness Index, the perceived quality of Mexico’s transportation infrastructure is broadly in line with peers. The note provides evidence of the role of infrastructure investment in boosting productivity.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; firm; Mexico; cost; micro firm; cost cap; spending efficiency; firm productivity; firm's locality; physical capital; IMF FAD Expenditure Assessment Tool; Total expenditures; Education spending; Social protection spending; Capital spending; Global
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Argentina: Fourth Review under the Stand-By Arrangement, Request for Waivers of Applicability and Modification of Performance Criteria, and Financing Assurances Review-Press Release; Staff Report; and Staff Supplement
International Monetary Fund. Western Hemisphere Dept.
This paper discusses Argentina’s Fourth Review of the Stand-By Arrangement, Request for a Waivers of Applicability and Modification of Performance Criteria, and Financing Assurances Review. The report highlights that with very high inflation and an increase in gross financing needs in coming months, discussions centered on how best to mitigate risks to the program, bolster market confidence, and calibrate monetary policy to continue bringing down inflation. The authorities have revamped their debt management strategy to support higher rollovers and an extension of average maturity of new issuance to the degree permitted by market conditions. The authorities have maintained a cautious approach to expenditure authorization in order to safeguard their program’s fiscal targets. The Argentine authorities’ efforts to increase rollover rates on public debt and to lengthen the maturity of new debt issuance should help mitigate financing risks in the period ahead. Ongoing efforts to improve the functioning of local sovereign debt markets will help improve market liquidity and lower financing costs.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; effort; Arkansas; authority; expectation; market expectation; executive board discussion; LELIQ rate; authorities' effort; growth potential; end June; Fiscal stance; Monetary base; Public sector; Currencies; Global