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Business and Economics > Production and Operations Management

You are looking at 1 - 10 of 18 items for :

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Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Panama: Selected Issues
International Monetary Fund. Western Hemisphere Dept.
This Selected Issues paper presents the main features and weaknesses of the current Panamanian tax system and provides an international comparison of its performance. Panama’s macroeconomic performance has been notably robust. Panama’s macroeconomic performance has been notably robust, but Panama’s tax collection has been historically low. A tax system without adequate revenues led to chronic fiscal deficits and a lack of resources to invest in human capital (education and health) and promote social inclusion policies. In addition, the tax system is notably regressive, and several rules are very inefficient and distortive contradicting the overall policy objective of the country to attract investment. Taxation of the business sector is very complex. On the other hand, the system is very generous regarding benefits. Overall, the desirable reform direction is clear: A reduction in tax incentives, following their analysis, as well as stronger anti-abuse provisions, and revenues from an international minimum tax can finance reductions in the inefficient parts of the tax system, such as the multiple business taxes and the strict loss carry forward.
Keywords:
VAT indicator; directorate General; C. consumption tax; tax comparison; revenue performance; International reserves; Total factor productivity; Tax incentives; Corporate income tax; Caribbean; Central America; South America; Global; Asia and Pacific
Cover IMF Working Papers
Keeping it Simple–Efficiency Costs of Fixed Margin Regimes in Transfer Pricing
Sebastian Beer
,
Sebastien Leduc
, and
Jan Loeprick
Simplifying tax policy comes with costs and benefits. This paper explores simplification options for the taxation of MNEs, an area where administrative and compliance costs of the current rules are large. Simplified approaches seek to reduce these costs by relying on an approximation of the true tax base, potentially distorting resource allocation. We examine the efficiency cost of transfer pricing simplification theoretically and empirically. Using a sample of 300,000 firms located in 22 countries, we estimate that common transfer pricing practices reduce efficiency between 0.25 and 2.2 percent of total factor productivity across sectors. Focusing on the manufacturing sector, we then observe that simplification more than doubles sectoral inefficiency on average. However, large differences exist, with moderate efficiency costs in several sectors.
Keywords:
Taxation of Multinational Enterprises; Transfer Pricing Simplification; Efficiency Costs; modelling transfer pricing Benchmarking; efficiency cost; annex I. descriptive statistics; simplification option; transfer pricing practice; efficiency loss; Transfer pricing; Total factor productivity; Productivity; Tax wedge; Manufacturing; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
Worker Mobility and Domestic Production Networks
Marvin Cardoza
,
Mr. Francesco Grigoli
, and
Mr. Nicola Pierri
We show that domestic production networks shape worker flows between firms. Data on the universe of firm-to-firm transactions for the Dominican Republic, matched with employer-employee records, reveals that about 20 percent of workers who change firms move to a buyer or supplier of their original firm. This is a considerably larger share than would be implied by a random allocation of movers to firms. We find considerable gains associated with this form of hiring: higher worker wages, lower job separation rates, faster firm productivity growth, and faster coworker wage growth. Hiring workers from a supplier is followed by a rising share of purchases from that supplier. These findings indicate that human capital is easily transferable along the supply chain and that human capital accumulated while working at a firm is complementary with the intermediate products/services produced by that firm.
Keywords:
WP; production network; connected firm; firm pair control; worker flow; origin firm; hiring firm; dummy variable; buyer-supplier relationship; Labor mobility; Wages; Productivity; Human capital; Trade balance
Cover IMF Working Papers
Potential Output Growth Estimates for Central America and the Dominican Republic
Mr. Roberto Garcia-Saltos
,
Fan Zhang
, and
Iulia Ruxandra Teodoru
This paper presents estimates of potential output for all Central American economies. Our findings are that potential output growth has declined in recent years in most economies of Central America. Lower capital accumulation and TFP growth are accounting for most of this decline. Apart from Costa Rica, there are no indications of significant economic slack in 2015 in Central America. Looking forward, potential growth in most Central American economies is expected to continue at an average of 4 percent in the medium-term due to structural constraints to capital and employment growth, and low TFP growth. Increasing potential growth, thus, should be a policy priority and structural reforms must be directed at improving business conditions, product and labor markets, and enhancing the capacity for innovation.
Keywords:
WP; output gap; capital stock; potential output; productivity; macroeconomic modeling; production function; Central America; TFP performance; TFP series; employment growth; Central American economy; Total factor productivity; Employment; Production growth; Labor force participation; Western Hemisphere
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Guatemala: Selected Issues and Analytical Notes
International Monetary Fund. Western Hemisphere Dept.
This Selected Issues paper estimates potential output growth and the output gap for Guatemala. Potential output growth averaged 4.4 percent just before the global financial crisis but has since declined to 3.75 percent owing to lower capital accumulation and total factor productivity (TFP) growth. It is estimated at 3.8 percent in 2016, and the output gap has virtually closed. Potential growth is expected to reach 4 percent in the medium term owing to the expected improvements in TFP growth. Policies should also prioritize mobilizing domestic savings to invest and build a higher capital stock.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; GDP; yield; Guatemala; food inflation; inflation headline inflation; inflation expectation; macroeconomic fundamentals; commodity price inflation; nominal interest rate; Financial inclusion; Inflation; Financial sector development; Credit; Global; Central America; Asia and Pacific; Caribbean
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
El Salvador: Selected Issues
International Monetary Fund. Western Hemisphere Dept.
This paper focuses on policies to raise growth; underpin fiscal sustainability while enhancing social safety nets; and strengthen financial sector stability, deepening, and inclusiveness. GDP growth averaged 2 percent during 2000–14, well below the Central American regional average of 4½ percent. While the underlying causes of the low growth are complex, a key channel through which they are evident appears to be low investment. Given the need to increase growth, revenue-raising measures should be accompanied by cuts in distortionary taxation. Stress tests suggest that financial buffers are adequate to contain most risks. The financial deepening and advancing financial inclusion could have a meaningful impact on both growth and poverty.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; TFP growth; employment growth; TFP; crowding out; liquidity; productivity shortfall; labor market rigidity; TFP performance; liquidity constraint; Pension spending; Fiscal rules; Pensions; Central America; Global
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
St. Kitts and Nevis: Ex Post Evaluation of Exceptional Access Under the 2011 Stand-By Arrangement-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for St. Kitts and Nevis
International Monetary Fund. Strategy, Policy, &amp
and
Review Department
This paper discusses St. Kitts and Nevis’ Ex Post Evaluation of Exceptional Access Under the 2011 Stand-by Arrangement. The program focused on (1) an ambitious fiscal consolidation, (2) a comprehensive debt restructuring, and (3) a further strengthening of the financial sector. These goals aimed to address the key issues behind the debt crisis, and the potential financial sector outcomes of the restructuring. The program had many successes. The debt reduction was one of the largest in recent times, the headline fiscal and current account balances improved substantially, important tax and public financial management reforms were enacted, and sovereign risk was removed from the banks. Robust growth also resumed.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; authority; debt; program risk; staff finding; federation; vulnerability of St. Kitts and Nevis; St. Kitts and Nevis to exogenous shock; minimum wage; Debt restructuring; Capital spending; Caribbean; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
Potential Output and Output Gap in Central America, Panama and Dominican Republic
Mr. Christian A Johnson
Potential Output is a key factor for debt sustaintability analysis and for developing strategies for growth, but unfortunately it is an unobservable variable. Using three methodologies (production function, switching, and state-space), this paper computes potential output for CAPDR countries using annual data. Main findings are: i) CAPDR potential growth is about 4.4 percent while output gap volatility is about 1.9 percent; ii) The highest-potential growth country is Panama (6.5 percent) while the lowest-growth country is El Salvador (2.6 percent); iii) CAPDR business cycle is about eigth years.
Keywords:
WP; Potential growth; output gap; growth decomposition; switching; state-space model; output gap volatility; output gap-production function approach; output gap variability; standard deviation; CAPDR country; potential output gap; Potential output; Production growth; Sustainable growth; Total factor productivity; Central America
Cover IMF Working Papers
To Cut or Not to Cut? That is the (Central Bank’s) Question In Search of the Neutral Interest Rate in Latin America
Mr. Nicolas E Magud
and
Ms. Evridiki Tsounta
This paper estimates neutral real interest rate (NRIR) ranges for 10 Latin American countries that either have full-fledged inflation targeting regimes in place or have recently adopted them, using an array of methodologies commonly used in the literature. We find that NRIRs have declined in the last decade, with more economically and financially developed economies exhibiting lower NRIR levels. Based on the estimated NRIRs, we assess that the current monetary stance (measured by the interest rate gap) is appropriately neutral in most of the considered economies, in line with closing output gaps. We also observe that the interest rate gap can be a good predictor of future inflation dynamics and economic growth. In addition, looking at the recent experiences in Brazil and Peru, we suggest that macro-prudential policies could affect the monetary stance even in the absence of direct interest rate changes, through affecting the NRIR.
Keywords:
WP; monetary policy; real interest rate; central bank; neutral interest rate; monetary stance; macrorpudential policies; interest rate gap; monetary policy rate; potential GDP; output gap estimate; rate of inflation; stimulus withdrawal; interest rate observation; economic growth; accommodative monetary policy; utility function; interest rate hike; monetary policy tightening; Output gap; Real interest rates; Central bank policy rate; Inflation; Global
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Nicaragua: Selected Issues
International Monetary Fund
The paper is an elaborated report on Nicaragua’s potential economic growth. The challenges and idiosyncratic shocks were immense but the policies of better education, labor contracts, and accomplishments in public investments paved the way for movement of the economy. The external competitiveness and exchange rate assessment also have an important hand. The achievements in the electricity sector and the improvement in reforming the pension system are the prominent aspects. On the whole, the Board considers this growth as a positive trial of development in the global panorama.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; tariff; minimum wage; maquila export; tariff-cost gap; generation cost; reserve coverage; tariff policy; tax shock; Doing Business Indicators rank Nicaragua; Electricity; Tariffs; Output gap; Total factor productivity; Public investment spending; Central America