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Business and Economics > Investments: Stocks

You are looking at 1 - 10 of 26 items for :

  • Type: Journal Issue x
  • Fiscal Policy x
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Cover Selected Issues Papers
Estimating Fiscal Multiplier for Qatar: Qatar
Ken Miyajima
Econometric results suggest that Qatar’s strong capital spending multiplier became less impactful as the stock of capital rose to a high level, likely as the marginal impact declined. This supports Qatar’s strategy to shifts the State’s role to an enabler of private sector-led growth, focusing on expenditure to support build human capital and implementation of broader reform guided by the Third National Development Strategy.
Keywords:
Capital spending; fiscal multiplier; GCC; Qatar; strategy to shift; Qatar's strategy; copyright page; Qatar country dummy; allocation decision; Fiscal multipliers; Current spending; Stocks; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
IMF-Supported Programs in Low-Income Countries: Fragile versus Non-Fragile States
Edouard Martin
and
Felix J Vardy
This paper examines the macroeconomic frameworks of IMF-supported programs with low-income countries from 2009 to 2022, focusing on how macroeconomic targets and their achievement differ between fragile and conflicted-affected states (FCS) and non-FCS. Key findings include similar program targets for FCS and non-FCS, optimism in all dimensions considered other than inflation, and no significant correlation between targets and outcomes. For variables other than inflation, country-independent targets equal to the mean or median outcomes of other programs outperform program projections as predictors of actual outcomes. This underscores the challenges in setting realistic, country and program-specific targets in IMF-supported programs with low-income countries. Finally, we discuss potential caveats, including GDP rebenchmarking, non-linear relationship between initial conditions and targets, and repeat programs. We do not study, and make no claims about, causality.
Keywords:
IMF Programs; LICs; Fragility; Tailoring; Optimism; appendix H. country classification; fragile and conflicted-affected states; histogram of program approval; growth optimism; IMF country team; FCS classification; Pb XOXG; FCS program; Inflation; Fiscal stance; Wages; Debt reduction; Stocks; Sub-Saharan Africa; Global
Cover Selected Issues Papers
Revamping the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) Fiscal Framework
Can Sever
and
Athene Laws
This paper aims to provide a broad perspective on the WAEMU fiscal framework. Based on backward looking exercises and forward looking scenarios, it shows that (i) repeated fiscal slippages and historically large stock flow adjustments contributed to the surge in the WAEMU public debt, and (ii) stock flow adjustments can have significant effects on the WAEMU debt dynamics going forward. This paper also discusses that it is essential and urgent to reintroduce the fiscal rules and the Convergence Pact and to enhance the rules. Revamping the fiscal rules should focus on introducing a correction mechanism (which could contain surges in debt in the future) and an escape clause (which would enhance fiscal discipline and predictability), as well as capturing the extensive extra-budgetary and below-the-line operations and strengthening the enforcement mechanism. Any consideration to changing the fiscal deficit target should also encompass addressing extra-budgetary and below-the-line transactions (for example by changing the definition of the deficit). It is not appropriate to increase the debt ceiling.
Keywords:
Fiscal policy; fiscal rules; fiscal governance; PFM; fiscal coordination; monetary unions; WAEMU; stock flow adjustments; flow adjustment; debt dynamics scenario; deficit target; scenario assumption; deficit measure; deficit combination; so called SFA; Government debt management; Debt sustainability analysis; Debt limits; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
Macroeconomic Effects of Dividend Taxation with Investment Credit Limits
Matteo Ghilardi
and
Roy Zilberman
We analyze the effects of dividend taxation in a general equilibrium business cycle model with an occasionally-binding investment credit limit. Permanent dividend tax reforms distort capital investment decisions in the binding long-run equilibrium, but are neutral otherwise. Temporary unexpected tax cuts stimulate shortterm real activity in the credit-constrained economy, yet produce contractionary macroeconomic outcomes in the slack regime. The occasionally-binding constraint reconciles the `traditional' and `new' views of dividend taxation, and highlights the importance of measuring the firm's initial borrowing position before enacting tax reforms. Finally, permanently lower dividend taxes dampen financial business cycles, and help to explain macroeconomic asymmetries.
Keywords:
Dividend Taxation; Occasionally-Binding Borrowing Constraints; Investment; Business Cycles.; borrowing position; tax relief; dividend distribution; dividend tax rate; dividend tax adjustment; tax environment; benchmark system; dividend tax shock; dividend tax cut; tax adjustment; dividend tax system; Dividend tax; Credit; Corporate income tax; Collateral; Stocks
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Somalia: Enhanced Heavily-Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative-Preliminary Document
International Monetary Fund. Middle East and Central Asia Dept.
This Enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative Program’s preliminary document discusses that as per the agreement by the IMF, Somalia can be eligible for debt relief under the Enhanced HIPC Initiative. It provides a clear recognition of Somalia’s sustained commitment to key economic and financial reforms under consecutive staff-monitored programs with the IMF. Helping Somalia achieve debt relief and unlock access to the needed resources to increase growth and reduce poverty is a key priority for the IMF. Once Somalia has reached the Completion Point, it would qualify for unconditional debt relief under the HIPC Initiative, and for debt relief under the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI) from the World Bank's International Development Association and the African Development Fund, together with beyond-HIPC assistance from the IMF. Paris Club creditors are also expected to provide further beyond-HIPC assistance at the Completion Point. With HIPC, MDRI and beyond HIPC assistance, Somalia’s NPV of debt-to-exports ratio is projected to decline from 491.7 percent in 2018 to 57.0 percent in 2027 and 41.5 percent in 2038.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; authority; Enhanced HIPC Initiative; public finance management; reform agenda; reform; Somalia's eligibility; Somali authorities; sustained commitment; Club creditor; Debt relief; Arrears; Debt service; Debt service ratios; Stocks
Cover IMF Working Papers
Is the Public Investment Multiplier Higher in Developing Countries? An Empirical Exploration
Mr. Alejandro Izquierdo
,
Mr. Ruy Lama
,
Juan Pablo Medina
,
Jorge Puig
,
Daniel Riera-Crichton
,
Mr. Carlos A. Végh Gramont
, and
Guillermo Javier Vuletin
Over the last decade, empirical studies analyzing macroeconomic conditions that may affect the size of government spending multipliers have flourished. Yet, in spite of their obvious public policy importance, little is known about public investment multipliers. In particular, the clear theoretical implication that public investment multipliers should be higher (lower) the lower (higher) is the initial stock of public capital has not, to the best of our knowledge, been tested. This paper tackles this empirical challenge and finds robust evidence in favor of the above hypothesis: countries with a low initial stock of public capital (as a proportion of GDP) have significantly higher public investment multipliers than countries with a high initial stock of public capital. This key finding seems robust to the sample (European countries, U.S. states, and Argentine provinces) and to the identification method (Blanchard-Perotti, forecast errors, and instrumental variables). Our results thus suggest that public investment in developing countries would carry high returns.
Keywords:
WP; investment multiplier; Fiscal multiplier; Public investment; Stock of public capital; Crowding-in; multiplier estimate; public investment multiplier; multiplier calculation; government spending multiplier; Public investment spending; Stocks; Government consumption; Private investment; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
Rethinking Fiscal Policy in Oil-Exporting Countries
Mr. Tokhir N Mirzoev
and
Ling Zhu
We examine the existing fiscal policy paradigm in commodity-exporting countries. First, we argue that its centerpiece—the permanent income hypothesis (PIH)—is not consistent with either intergenerational equity or long-term sustainability in the presence of uncertainty. Policies to achieve these goals need to be more prudent and better anchored than the PIH. Second, we point out the presence of a volatility tradeoff between government spending and wealth and re-assess long-held views on the appropriate fiscal anchors, the vice of procyclicality, and the (im)possibility of simultaneously smoothing consumption and ensuring intergenerational equity and sustainability. Finally, we propose what we call a prudent wealth stabilization policy that would be more consistent with long-term fiscal policy goals, yet relatively simple to implement and communicate.
Keywords:
WP; interest rate; physical capital; government spending; Fiscal policy; oil exporters; permanent income hypothesis; fiscal rules; wealth stabilization; target path; oil price shock; spending policy; PIH expenditure benchmark; oil wealth; wealth target; subsoil wealth; level of wealth; PIH Policy; wealth dynamics; targeted wealth; Consumption; Oil prices; Stocks
Cover IMF Working Papers
Do Temporary Business Tax Cuts Matter? A General Equilibrium Analysis
William Gbohoui
This paper develops a dynamic general equilibrium model to assess the effects of temporary business tax cuts. First, the analysis extends the Ricardian equivalence result to an environment with production and establishes that a temporary tax cut financed by a future tax-increase has no real effect if the tax is lump-sum and capital markets are perfect. Second, it shows that in the presence of financing frictions which raise the cost of investment, the policy temporarily relaxes the financing constraint thereby reducing the marginal cost of investment. This direct effect implies positive marginal propensities to invest out of tax cuts. Third, when the tax is distortionary, the expectation of high future tax rates reduces the expected marginal return on investment mitigating the direct stimulative effects.
Keywords:
WP; proportional tax; Ricardian Equivalence; Corporate Tax Policy; Financing Friction; General Equilibrium; dividend constraint; equity issuance; dividend payment; irrelevance theorem; proportional tax tax rate; net investment effect; investment effect; dividend policy irrelevance theorem; firm investment; investment equation; financing constraint; financing decision; Stocks; Corporate income tax; Return on investment
Cover IMF Working Papers
Sub-National Government’s Risk Premia: Does Fiscal Performance Matter?
Mr. Sergio Sola
and
Mr. Geremia Palomba
This paper examines the determinants of sub-national governments risk premia using secondary market data for U.S., Canada, Australia and Germany. It finds that, as for central governments, fiscal fundamentals matter in the pricing of risk premia, and sub-national governments with higher public debt and larger deficits pay higher premia. However, this relationship is not uniform across countries. Market pricing mechanisms are less effective in presence of explicit or implicit guarantees from the central government. Specifically, we show that in pricing risk premia of sub-national governments, markets are less responsive to fiscal fundamental when sub-national governments depend on high transfers from the central government, i.e., when there is some form of implicit guarantee from the center. Using primary market data, the paper also looks at whether transfer dependency from the central government influences sub-national governments’ incentive to access markets. We show that high transfer dependency lowers the probability of sub-national governments to borrow on capital markets.
Keywords:
WP; GDP ratio; primary market; risk premia; GDP growth; secondary market; Sub-national governments; fiscal policy; interest rates; government debt; markets price sub-national governments; dispersed SNG spread; transfer dependency; SNGS issue debt; yield to maturity; Bonds; Fiscal federalism; Sovereign bonds; Fiscal stance; Liquidity; Global
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
United Republic of Tanzania: Selected Issues
International Monetary Fund. African Dept.
This Selected Issues paper discusses the potential fiscal impact of a large-scale gas project and explores aspects of macro-fiscal management of the associated revenue flow. The chapter also provides background and context focusing on recent offshore natural gas discoveries. The paper also describes features of the current petroleum fiscal regime in Tanzania and will present tentative simulations of the fiscal impact of a potential gas project. A string of natural gas discoveries in Tanzania’s deep offshore waters have generated considerable expectations. The outlook for natural gas in Tanzania is positive, albeit still highly uncertain. If major revenues are obtained and put to fruitful use, they could have a transformational impact on the economy. At the same time, expectations need to be tempered by the remaining uncertainty about the eventual size of the gas resources; no company has yet made a final investment decision involving the deep offshore gas reserves. This uncertainty will hopefully diminish in the next few years.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; revenue; equity; cost; expenditure; Tanzania; gas revenue; revenue flow; aggregate revenue impact; revenue collection; LNG project; Natural gas sector; Production sharing; Stocks; Income and capital gains taxes; Asia and Pacific; Global