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International Monetary Fund. Statistics Dept.
A joint CARTAC, IMF capacity development engagement with the Central Statistics Office (CSO) in the Ministry of Finance in Dominica to improve estimates of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was undertaken. The capacity development focused on three main aspects: supporting improvements of the GDP series in line with the 2008 SNA standards, including training for re-referencing the volume estimates of GDP; identifying data holdings which could be used to improve the quality of the estimates; and developing a work program for improving the timeliness of macroeconomic statistics in Dominica. Administrative data including value added tax data was used to compliment survey based estimates to enhance the current price estimates of GDP. To identify potential other data sources, meetings with various government stakeholders took place to discuss accessibility of data to continue to improve the quality of the macroeconomic estimates in the future. In addition to re-referencing the volume estimates of GDP to 2018 prices (from the existing 2006 base year), refinements to the GDP compilation system were developed to increase the capacity development of the staff to maintain and update the compilation of macroeconomic statistics in the future.
Ms. Jingqing Chai
and
Rishi Goyal
Tax concessions have been employed as a central component of the development strategy in the small island states comprising the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union. This paper compares the costs of concessions in terms of revenues forgone with the benefits in terms of increased foreign direct investment. The costs are very large, while the benefits appear to be marginal at best. Forgone tax revenues range between 9½ and 16 percent of GDP per year, whereas total foreign direct investment does not appear to depend on concessions. A rethinking of the use of concessions in the region is needed urgently.
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.
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.
International Monetary Fund
This paper assesses the evolution of Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU) real exchange rates over time, and examines whether the region has lost competitiveness. The main finding is that there is little evidence of overvaluation of the Eastern Caribbean (EC) dollar. The relationship summarized above permits the calculation of equilibrium current account balances or norms. The financing of ECCU current account imbalances appears stable. This paper also provides evidence on the distinctive impact that tourism plays in the determination of the real exchange rate in tourism-driven economies.
International Monetary Fund
This paper discusses key findings of the Seventh Review Under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) for Dominica. Policy implementation under the program has remained strong. All end-June 2006 performance criteria were met, and all indicative targets for end-June and end-September were met with comfortable margins. Progress has been made on the structural benchmarks for the Seventh Review. Fiscal performance in FY2005/06 was commendably strong, and the FY2006/07 budget reflects a continuation of strong fiscal policies.
International Monetary Fund
Dominica showed a commendable progress under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) program. Executive Directors welcomed the strong macroeconomic performance, fiscal adjustment, and collaborative debt restructuring effort. They appreciated the introduction of a value-added tax (VAT) and an excise tax and stressed the need for the implementation of robust structural reforms to promote a sustained strong growth and poverty reduction. They agreed that the strong implementation of the policies under the program will help balance the risks and provide adequate performance.
Mr. Sebastian Sosa
Tax incentives have been used extensively in the countries of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU) to promote investment. The associated revenue losses are large, and benefits in terms of new investment have been limited, raising doubts about the cost effectiveness of the tax incentive schemes. This paper examines the effects of incentives using the marginal effective tax rate approach (METR), adapting this methodology to the case of a small open economy where the marginal investor is a nonresident. The results show that METRs are high in the region; that there is a large dispersion in the size of METRs across financing source; and that METRs on investment are larger than the overall distortion on capital, with a substantial subsidy to domestic saving. In the presence of tax holidays-the most common incentive scheme in the region-the distortion on capital basically vanishes.
International Monetary Fund
This 2000 Article IV Consultation highlights that after a period of slow growth in the mid-1990s, mainly owing to a decline in banana output, economic growth of St. Lucia has improved since 1998. In 1998–99, real GDP rose by an average of 3 percent a year. Executive Directors have stressed that further diversification and enhancements to international competitiveness are needed to permanently raise long-term growth and to reduce the external vulnerability of the economy, particularly in light of the market uncertainties facing the crucial banana industry.