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Social Science > Demography

You are looking at 1 - 10 of 37 items for :

  • Type: Journal Issue x
  • Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue: General x
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Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
South Africa: Post-Financing Assessment-Press Release; and Staff Report
International Monetary Fund. African Dept.
This paper presents South Africa’s Post-Financing Assessment report. The new government of national unity that took office in June faces significant challenges, including declining real per capita growth, high unemployment, poverty, and inequality, and a rising level of public debt. The new administration has committed to address these challenges by continuing ongoing structural reforms aimed at addressing supply constraints and bolstering inclusive growth, while maintaining fiscal discipline. Monetary policy should carefully manage the descent of inflation to the mid-point of the target range and stay data dependent. The report recommends that policies should focus on bolstering inclusive growth and restoring fiscal sustainability, while managing the descent of inflation to target and safeguarding financial stability. Monetary policy should stay data dependent and rate cuts be considered only after inflation declines sustainably toward the midpoint of the target range. The authorities should continue to monitor financial sector risks, including those related to the bank-sovereign nexus, and enhance supervision and prudential regulations.
Keywords:
U.S. dollar; inflation decline; government operation; per-capita GDP figure; Policy discussion; IMF's transparency policy; IMF team; Fiscal stance; Africa; Global
Cover Technical Notes and Manuals
Compliance Risk Management: Developing Compliance Improvement Plans
Mr. John D Brondolo
,
Annette Chooi
,
Trevor Schloss
, and
Anthony Siouclis
All tax administrations seek to maximize the overall level of compliance with tax laws. Compliance improvement plans (CIPs) are a valuable tool for increasing taxpayers’ compliance and boosting tax revenue. This note is intended to help tax administrations develop a CIP, by providing guidance on the following issues: (1) how to identify and rate compliance risks; (2) how to treat risks to achieve the best possible outcome; and (3) how to measure the impacts that treatments have had on compliance outcomes.
Keywords:
Taxes; tax compliance; revenue; revenue administration; risk management; risk rating; risk treatment template; compliance risk-management framework; medium-sized business; value-added tax obligation; FAD Technical Notes; Tax administration core functions; Compliance risk management; Compliance improvement plans; Interest rate parity; Tax return filing compliance; Africa; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
Doing More with Less: How Can Brazil Foster Development While Pursuing Fiscal Consolidation?
Valentina Flamini
and
Mauricio Soto
Following a benchmarking exercise, we estimate the spending required to reach satisfactory progress in the Sustainable Development Goals in the health, education, and infrastructure sectors in Brazil. We find that there is room for savings in education (up to 1.5 percentage point of GDP) and health (up to 2.5 percentage points of GDP) without compromising the quality of services but additional investments for over 3 percent of GDP per year are needed to close large infrastructure gaps in roads, water, and electricity by 2030. Brazil can do more with less, but increasing efficiency of public spending will require substantial reforms.
Keywords:
WP; spending; cost; infrastructure gap; generation capacity; SDGs; development; fiscal policy; public spending; Brazil; pf GDP; Health expenditure distribution; spending ceiling; GDP Capita; Infrastructure SDG cost; GDP loss; cost estimate; Brazil's GDP; infrastructure quality; spending floor; Infrastructure; Health care spending; South America
Cover IMF Working Papers
Digital Connectivity in sub-Saharan Africa: A Comparative Perspective
Mr. Emre Alper
and
Michal Miktus
Higher digital connectivity is expected to bring opportunities to leapfrog development in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Experience within the region demonstrates that if there is an adequate digital infrastructure and a supportive business environment, new forms of business spring up and create jobs for the educated as well as the less educated. The paper first confirms the global digital divide through the unsupervised machine learning clustering K-means algorithm. Next, it derives a composite digital connectivity index, in the spirit of De Muro-Mazziotta-Pareto, for about 190 economies. Descriptive analysis shows that majority of SSA countries lag in digital connectivity, specifically in infrastructure, internet usage, and knowledge. Finally, using fractional logit regressions we document that better business enabling and regulatory environment, financial access, and urbanization are associated with higher digital connectivity.
Keywords:
WP; digital connectivity; EDAI SSA distribution; account ownership; ICT indicators database; SSA countries lag; Digitalization; unsupervised machine learning; fractional logit model; connectivity index; SSA economy; Information technology in revenue administration; Infrastructure; Machine learning; Income; Global; Sub-Saharan Africa; Africa
Cover IMF Working Papers
Attaining Selected Sustainable Development Goals in Guatemala: Spending, Provision, and Financing Needs
Mrs. Esther Perez Ruiz
and
Mauricio Soto
Raising living standards continues to be the main challenge facing Guatemala, as a matter of economic success and social cohesion. This paper discusses the spending, financing, and delivery capacity aspects of a viable development strategy for Guatemala couched within the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda. Overall, Guatemala faces additional spending of about 8½ percent of GDP in 2030 to attain health, education, and roads, water, and sanitation infrastructure SDGs. While substantial, these cost estimates are commensurate with a well-defined financing strategy encompassing continuing tax administration efforts, broad-based tax reform, scaled-up private sector participation, and greater spending efficiency. Improving delivery capacities is also essential to secure access of those public goods to all Guatemalans, irrespective of their place of residence, ethnic group, or ability to pay.
Keywords:
WP; development outcome; private sector; provision level; spending needs; secondary education; Sustainable Development Goals; Development; Fiscal Policy; healthcare system; spending objective; health risk; Guatemala's healthcare system; education outcome; Guatemala's development outcome; cost saving; Infrastructure; Public expenditure review; Central America
Cover IMF Working Papers
Does an Inclusive Citizenship Law Promote Economic Development?
Patrick A. Imam
and
Mr. Kangni R Kpodar
This paper analyzes the impact of citizenship laws on economic development. We first document the evolution of citizenship laws around the world, highlighting the main features of jus soli, jus sanguinis as well as mixed regimes, and shedding light on the channels through which they could have differentiated impact on economic development. We then compile a data set of citizenship laws around the world. Using cross-country regressions, panel-data techniques, as well as the synthetic control method and subjecting the results to a battery of tests, we find robust evidence that jus soli laws—being more inclusive—lead to higher income levels than alternative citizenship rules in developing countries, though to a less extent in countries with stronger institutional environment.
Keywords:
WP; citizenship law; economic development; dummy variable; law country; country authorities; naturalization law; Citizenship laws; legal origin; Western Hemisphere country; regime country; government activity; country of immigrant; common law country; civil law; country's citizenship; sub-Saharan country; civil law country; Personal income; Migration; Legal support in revenue administration; Sub-Saharan Africa; Western Hemisphere; Europe
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Greece: Selected Issues
International Monetary Fund. European Dept.
This Selected Issues paper analyzes insolvency and enforcement issues in Greece. The Greek insolvency and creditor rights framework has improved since the onset of the crisis as a result of successive reforms. Nonetheless, it remains underutilized, fragmented, and distortive, and is not supported by an adequate institutional setting. This is because many of the reforms undertaken in recent years were not part of a coordinated and comprehensive nonperforming loan resolution strategy, but were instead piecemeal and taken without proper stakeholder consultation and impact analysis. Also, the frequent and uncoordinated reforms have undermined legal predictability and certainty. This situation of distress, if left unaddressed, affects enterprises, households and financial and public creditors by preventing investment, credit, and consumption from recovering.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; pension; debt; tax; tax debt; NICs; pension benefit; business insolvency regime; pension provision; SSC debt; targeted pension; Pension spending; Pensions; Tax arrears management; Solvency; Tax administration core functions; Europe; Southern Europe; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
Fragmentation and Vertical Fiscal Imbalances Lessons from Moldova
Mr. Serhan Cevik
Using a novel municipality-level panel dataset, this paper investigates the empirical characteristics of vertical fiscal imbalances (VFIs) in Moldova over the period 2005–13. The results show that the extent of variation in VFIs across 898 municipalities can be explained by the level of per capita income, fiscal capacity, and demographic characteristics, as well as the central government’s fiscal behavior that reflects fiscal constraints and policy preferences at the national level. Political affiliation does not appear to be a significant factor, and the results are inconclusive in terms of direction. While some model specifications show larger VFIs when the mayor of a municipality belongs to the same party ruling the central government, other models suggest better coordination and thus lower VFIs. Altogether, these findings underscore the need for well-coordinated reforms to create economies of scale, enhance revenue collection, and improve the composition of spending at the subnational level.
Keywords:
WP; central government; revenue; vertical fiscal imbalances; Vertical fiscal imbalance; fiscal decentralization; subnational governments; budget balance; finance statistics; fiscal policy stance; revenue effort; effort variable; dependency ratio; restructuring revenue administration; mean value; Fiscal federalism; Budget planning and preparation; Global
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Kingdom of the Netherlands-Aruba: Selected Issues and Statistical Appendix
International Monetary Fund. European Dept.
This Selected Issues paper analyzes sustaining potential growth in Aruba. As in the other Caribbean countries, there are growing concerns in Aruba about the slowdown in economic growth over the past two decades and the consequent tepid outlook for potential growth. Tackling such concerns requires identifying the underlying factors. This paper presents an overview of Aruba’s economic growth performance since 1990, analyzes factors behind the slowdown, and discusses how potential growth can be sustained. It suggests that Aruba should aim to finance its renewable energy and other future growth initiatives sustainably.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; Aruba; cost; revenue; spending; impact multiplier; market share; side measure; replacement rate; structural competitiveness; projected decline; physical capital; Aging; Pensions; Caribbean; South America; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
Burkina Faso: Policies to Protect the Poor From the Impact of Food and Energy Price Increases
Ms. Isabell Adenauer
and
Mr. Javier Arze del Granado
This paper assesses the effectiveness of policies taken by the Burkinabè authorities to protect the poor from the adverse impact of a combined food and oil price shock in 2008. Estimates of the impact based on household survey data and a price pass-through model suggest that these policies were not well-targeted, benefiting the wealthier groups of the population rather than the poor. More effective policy measures, such as a conditional cash transfer system, which is already being implemented on a pilot basis in urban areas, are discussed as an alternative policy option.
Keywords:
WP; price; food; loss; price increase; benefit; cash; Burkina Faso; fuel price subsidies; food price shock; conditional cash transfer system; food price; price shock; energy price; price effect; price change; price impact; Inflation; Food prices; Consumption; Energy prices; West Africa; Sub-Saharan Africa