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Business and Economics > Budgeting

You are looking at 1 - 10 of 10 items for :

  • Type: Journal Issue x
  • Antigua and Barbuda x
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Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Eastern Caribbean Currency Union: 2022 Article IV Consultation with Member Countries on Common Policies of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union
International Monetary Fund. Western Hemisphere Dept.
This 2022 Article IV Consultation highlights that with Eastern Caribbean Currency Union economies slowly emerging from the pandemic with scars, the impact of the war in Ukraine is a setback to the nascent recovery. Higher food and energy prices, amid ongoing supply disruptions and intra-regional transportation bottlenecks, are raising inflation, eroding income, lowering output growth, worsening fiscal and external positions, and threatening food and energy security. The financial system has remained broadly stable so far, with adequate capital and liquidity buffers, but nonperforming loans remain high and could rise further following the expiration of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank’s loan moratoria program. The outlook is subject to large downside risks, primarily from further increases in commodity prices and new coronavirus disease variants amid vaccine hesitancy, in addition to the ever-present threat of natural disasters. The report recommends that maintaining fiscal prudence while protecting the vulnerable through health spending and temporary targeted transfers and enhanced social safety nets to cope with rising living costs. Adopting well-designed rule-based fiscal frameworks would help achieve fiscal consolidation, enhance resilience to shocks such as natural disasters, and preserve the credibility of the regional debt target.
Keywords:
ECCU economy; ECCU member country; ECCU country; ECCU member states; ECCU region; Natural disasters; COVID-19; Fiscal stance; Caribbean; Global; Climate change; Loans
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
St. Lucia: Climate Change Policy Assessment
International Monetary Fund. Western Hemisphere Dept.
This paper takes stock of St. Lucia’s plans to manage climate change, from the perspective of their macroeconomic implications, and suggests macro-relevant reforms that could strengthen the likelihood of success of the national strategy. To meet its renewable energy plans, St. Lucia will need to mobilize private investment. External assistance will be needed to develop supporting infrastructure. Building capacity for project assessment and investment promotion is a high priority, to shape needed investments into bankable projects. Elsewhere, capacity-building would be most useful to help cost sectoral plans, complete the disaster-preparedness strategy, move toward carbon taxation, and strengthen skills in public investment management and public financial management.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; balance of payments; price cap; capital stock; credit line; interest rate; private sector; risk management strategy; tax system; carbon tax; government program; capital budget; investment priority; government financing; climate change; Climate change; Natural disasters; Carbon tax; Budget planning and preparation; Climate policy; Caribbean; Global
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Antigua and Barbuda: Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) Performance Assessment
International Monetary Fund. Fiscal Affairs Dept.
The purpose of this Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) performance assessment is to provide an objective analysis of the present performance of the public financial management system in Antigua and Barbuda, and identify changes incurred since the last PEFA assessment undertaken in 2010. In the wake of a prolonged economic crisis, fiscal outcomes have not been consistent with the budget as approved. Central government public finances are comprehensively presented in budget documents, but some weaknesses persist. New policy initiatives and their budgetary implications are not sufficiently analyzed; a significant share of extra-budgetary expenditures remains unreported; and oversight and reporting requirements of statutory bodies are not yet fully enforced, impeding a comprehensive assessment of the associated fiscal risks. Although the revenue administration has been strengthened over the last years, the control over budget execution is still weak. There have been improvements in the quality of external audit, but lack of Parliamentary scrutiny undermines the accountability framework.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; internal audit; annual budget; fiscal year; deficit financing; capital budget; central government; reform program; debt management; capital expenditure; collection ratio; Budget planning and preparation; Auditing; Financial statements; Caribbean
Cover Policy Papers
Report on Fiscal Safeguards Pilots
International Monetary Fund
This paper reports on the results of a pilot exercise on fiscal safeguards conducted by the Fiscal Affairs Department (FAD) during FY2013. The exercise was launched following an independent review of the existing safeguards policy in 2010 in which many Directors encouraged staff to highlight fiscal safeguards risks in cases where a substantial portion of the resources provided by the Fund for balance of payments support is channeled to state treasuries for budget purposes. Pilot fiscal safeguards exercises were conducted for five countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Cyprus, Greece, Ireland, and Kyrgyz Republic.
Keywords:
PP; treasury; State treasury; funding; government; country; FAD PFM TA mission; audit institution; banking arrangement; PEFA assessment; fund staff; government bank accounts; TA engagement; Fiscal risks; Budget planning and preparation; Fiscal accounting and reporting; Auditing
Cover IMF Working Papers
Public Debt Targeting An Application to the Caribbean
Mr. Alejandro D Guerson
and
Mr. Giovanni Melina
This paper proposes a fiscal policy framework we call Public Debt Targeting. The framework seeks to smooth primary spending over the business cycle while remaining consistent with public debt sustainability. Under the proposed framework, a government announces a commitment to a public debt band trajectory over the medium term, while sequentially announcing primary expenditures for the next budget cycle, which are determined recursively based on the history of shocks. Public debt targeting differs from a structural balance rule in that it internalizes the effect of the deterioration in creditworthiness from fiscal deficits and public debt accumulation, which tend to affect sovereign spreads, interest rates, exchange rates, and economic activity. The proposed framework is applied to Caribbean economies, which in general show high levels of public debt and procyclical primary expenditure.
Keywords:
WP; primary expenditure; country authorities; expenditure simulation; aggregate demand; political economy; real GDP; Procyclical spending; public debt sustainability; fiscal rules; expenditure consolidation; expenditure impulse; potential GDP; expenditure envelope; expenditure vis-à-vis GDP; vis-à-vis GDP; pro-cyclical bias; interest expenditure; expenditure growth; expenditure stance; Fiscal stance; Budget planning and preparation; Caribbean
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Eastern Caribbean Currency Union: 2010 Discussion on Common Policies of Members Countries—Staff Report; Informational Annex, and the Public Information Notice on the Executive Board Discussion
International Monetary Fund
Real regional gross domestic product (GDP) contracted by 6 percent in 2009, reflecting a collapse in tourist arrivals and foreign direct investment (FDI)-financed construction activity. The global financial and economic crisis has also exposed areas of significant weaknesses, notwithstanding reforms implemented by a number of member countries. Executive Directors concurred that the urgent challenge is fiscal consolidation. They noted IMF staff’s assessment that the real effective exchange rate (REER) appears broadly in line with current fundamentals.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; ECCU country; ECCU region; financial crisis; economic crisis; OECS Financial; ECCU government; ECCU aggregate; ECCU member; Commercial banks; Public sector; Government debt management; Caribbean; Global
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Eastern Caribbean Currency Union: Selected Issues
International Monetary Fund
The objective of this paper is to analyze the growth performance of the ECCU countries since independence and the policy challenges they face to ensure sustained growth in the period ahead. Although tourism specialization may bring about higher growth, it could also increase volatility in growth by amplifying the impact of business cycles in source countries on the tourism sector. Low productivity growth is principally the reason for the slowdown in growth. High debt levels have been a major drag on growth.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; ECCU country; GDP; ECCU Tourism; debt; Tourism competitiveness vis-á-vis; composition analysis; public debt debt ratio; public-debt-to GDP ratio; ECCU group; Tourism; Budget planning and preparation; Civil service; Caribbean; Global
Cover Policy Papers
Technical Assistance Evaluation Program - Findings of Evaluations and Updated Program - Second Mid-Term Review of the Caribbean Regional Technical Assistance Centre
International Monetary Fund
CARTAC, the second of the regional technical assistance centers, was created with singular emphasis on ownership of technical assistance by the beneficiary countries. To this end, it was structured as a UNDP project with the IMF as Executing Agency and with a Steering Committee empowered to give strategic guidance to the program and select its senior staff from short lists provided by the IMF. With the spread of the RTAC modality, the IMF has sought to bring the Centers' activities within the ambit of overall resource planning for technical assistance, ensure consistency with the institution's view on priorities for technical assistance in the countries concerned, and tighten quality control through backstopping. This has created the potential for conflict with the relative independence that CARTAC has enjoyed from its inception. The conclusion in this report, however, is that alignment with the IMF does not necessarily undermine country ownership and that the Steering Committee can play a pivotal role in defusing any tension that may arise.
Keywords:
PP; steering committee; CARTAC program; CARTAC activity; work plan; CARTAC advisers activity analysis; governance practice; cash management; on-the-job training; reform program; budget management CARTAC; Value-added tax; Budget planning and preparation; Caribbean; Middle East; East Africa
Cover Policy Papers
Technical Assistance Evaluation Program - Findings of Evaluations and Updated Program - Mid-Term Evaluation of Middle East Regional Technical Assistance Center
International Monetary Fund
CARTAC, the second of the regional technical assistance centers, was created with singular emphasis on ownership of technical assistance by the beneficiary countries. To this end, it was structured as a UNDP project with the IMF as Executing Agency and with a Steering Committee empowered to give strategic guidance to the program and select its senior staff from short lists provided by the IMF. With the spread of the RTAC modality, the IMF has sought to bring the Centers' activities within the ambit of overall resource planning for technical assistance, ensure consistency with the institution's view on priorities for technical assistance in the countries concerned, and tighten quality control through backstopping. This has created the potential for conflict with the relative independence that CARTAC has enjoyed from its inception. The conclusion in this report, however, is that alignment with the IMF does not necessarily undermine country ownership and that the Steering Committee can play a pivotal role in defusing any tension that may arise.
Keywords:
PP; steering committee; CARTAC program; work plan; CARTAC activity; governance practice; reform program; budget management CARTAC; CARTAC intervention; on-the-job training; CARTAC's work; CARTAC consultant; CARTAC PC; Value-added tax; Budget planning and preparation; Caribbean; Middle East; East Africa
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Antigua and Barbuda: 2006 Article IV Consultation-Staff Report; Staff Statement; Public Information Notice on the Executive Board Discussion; and Statement by the Authorities of Antigua and Barbuda
International Monetary Fund
The staff report for the 2006 Article IV Consultation on Antigua and Barbuda highlights the economic backdrop and outlook for restoring sound public finances. The government of Antigua and Barbuda has adopted an ambitious reform program in its endeavor to pull the economy from decades of fiscal weakness and declining growth rates. The tax reform, including the imminent implementation of the value-added tax, is a major achievement. At the same time, it will be important to strengthen tax administration and tax compliance.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; government; wage bill; expenditure management system; increases in capital spending; spending; government of Antigua and Barbuda; spending ceiling; Fiscal stance; Arrears; Public sector; Caribbean