Kiribati: Staff Report for the 2014 Article IV Consultation
Author:
International Monetary Fund. Asia and Pacific Dept
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Publication Date:
27 May 2014
eISBN:
9781498395212
Language:
English
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; government; debt; GDP; real GDP; Kiribati authorities; PV; reform program; financing plan; investor protection regime; government finance; Agroindustries; Public enterprises; Fiscal consolidation; Current spending; Global
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KEY ISSUESKiribati’s key economic challenges are to reduce large structural fiscal imbalances and increase growth and employment opportunities, while facing obstacles posed by remoteness, lack of scale, vulnerabilities to external shocks and climate change.The significant fiscal consolidation envisaged by the authorities will help stabilize Kiribati’s sovereign wealth fund (the Revenue Equalization Reserve Fund, or RERF) in real per capita terms. This stabilization effort would also require that fishing license fees remain close to recent exceptionally high levels, with windfall incomes relative to the conservative budgeted baseline saved. In the event of weaker fishing license fee revenues, a more ambitious adjustment in the non-fishing budget would be needed.The small private sector share in the economy due to remoteness and weaknesses in business climate constrains growth and puts strain on public finances. Continuing the fiscal and structural reform program is essential. Climate change brings additional risks and fiscal costs.Main Recommendations:• Continue fiscal reforms designed to deliver fiscal consolidation and improved public financial management. Seek to maintain fishing license fees above the current conservative budget baseline, with windfalls saved to strengthen RERF balances. If fishing license fee windfalls cannot be sustained, explore other options to further strengthen fiscal balances.• Continue reforms of state-owned enterprises (SOEs).• Facilitate growth through improving the business climate and infrastructure, including through streamlining government services.

Abstract

KEY ISSUESKiribati’s key economic challenges are to reduce large structural fiscal imbalances and increase growth and employment opportunities, while facing obstacles posed by remoteness, lack of scale, vulnerabilities to external shocks and climate change.The significant fiscal consolidation envisaged by the authorities will help stabilize Kiribati’s sovereign wealth fund (the Revenue Equalization Reserve Fund, or RERF) in real per capita terms. This stabilization effort would also require that fishing license fees remain close to recent exceptionally high levels, with windfall incomes relative to the conservative budgeted baseline saved. In the event of weaker fishing license fee revenues, a more ambitious adjustment in the non-fishing budget would be needed.The small private sector share in the economy due to remoteness and weaknesses in business climate constrains growth and puts strain on public finances. Continuing the fiscal and structural reform program is essential. Climate change brings additional risks and fiscal costs.Main Recommendations:• Continue fiscal reforms designed to deliver fiscal consolidation and improved public financial management. Seek to maintain fishing license fees above the current conservative budget baseline, with windfalls saved to strengthen RERF balances. If fishing license fee windfalls cannot be sustained, explore other options to further strengthen fiscal balances.• Continue reforms of state-owned enterprises (SOEs).• Facilitate growth through improving the business climate and infrastructure, including through streamlining government services.

Background

1. Smallness, remoteness and climate change risks combine to impede growth and fiscal sustainability in Kiribati (Figure 1). Given its narrow production and export base, Kiribati continues to heavily rely on fishing license fees revenues, official transfers and workers’ remittances to finance its structural trade deficit. There has been some pick-up in private sector activity with the commencement of key donor funded projects, even though the public sector still dominates the economy. Climate change risks provide further challenges for the country’s already limited infrastructure and administrative resources.

Figure 1.
Figure 1.

Kiribati: The Setting in a Cross-Country Context

Citation: IMF Staff Country Reports 2014, 138; 10.5089/9781498395212.002.A001

2. Fiscal outcomes have been dominated by volatile fishing license revenues, which have been unusually high in the last two years (Figure 2). Government cleared its expensive commercial debt in 2012, which have helped with containing previously large spending outlays. Problematic SOEs and overruns on copra subsidy payments have continued to be a drag on the budget. On the revenue side, non-compliance dented government’s tax revenue collections, even as high fishing license fees allowed the government to bolster the value of the Revenue Equalization Reserve Fund (RERF)1 in 2013. The high financing demands placed on the country’s sovereign wealth fund (SWF) via large and excessive current fiscal deficits over the years have significantly reduced the RERF real per capita value which is now significantly below its 2000 level.

Figure 2.
Figure 2.

Kiribati: Fiscal Dynamics

Citation: IMF Staff Country Reports 2014, 138; 10.5089/9781498395212.002.A001

Sources: Kiribati authorities; and Fund staff estimates.

3. Government’s reform program to address the country’s fiscal and structural challenges continues, with the support of the donor community. Key reforms to public financial management, tax systems, SOEs and the private sector are ongoing, in line with IMF advice. Significant progress has been made in SOE reform and work is underway to implement the recently-approved fisheries policy, and improve cash and debt management. Based on this reform progress, the World Bank has provided budget support for 2014 and further donor budget support is envisaged based on the continued progress of the reform agenda. The reforms are consistent with the IMF advice provided during the previous Article IV consultations and staff visits.2

4. The IMF has been actively involved in all relevant aspects of the government-led reform program in coordination with the World Bank, AsDB, AusAid and other development partners. The Fund has provided macroeconomic, fiscal, and debt sustainability assessments and projections. IMF experts from headquarters and PFTAC have provided TA in the area of public financial management, management of the RERF and the Kiribati Pension Fund (KPF), national accounts, government finance, and external statistics.

Outlook

5. In 2013, the economy experienced its third year of consecutive economic growth on account of donor projects and increased private sector activity. Construction activities related to the sea-port and private sector projects drove last year’s growth outcome. Consumer and business confidence has improved with the commencement of the road project in 2014 and the anticipated positive spillover to the retail, wholesale and service-related sectors. Increased spending related to the donor projects is expected to raise inflation to about 2.5 percent in 2014, after a subdued 2013 outturn of 0.8 percent, due to moderate commodity prices.

6. Kiribati’s external position, while in deficit, continues to be sustained by a steady flow of official capital transfers and recently also by high fishing license fees. While the trade balance deteriorated slightly as a result of increased import demand associated with the donor infrastructure projects in 2013, positive balances in the income and transfers categories kept the current account deficit similar to 2012 levels. Moderate commodity prices also helped contain spending on imports. Notably, higher-than-expected fishing license revenues allowed the government to shore up the value of the RERF and favorable yields for Australian assets ensured steady income flows on Kiribati’s SWF.

A01ufig01

Food and Fuel Imports and Prices

Citation: IMF Staff Country Reports 2014, 138; 10.5089/9781498395212.002.A001

Sources: IMF WEO; and staff calculations.
A01ufig02

International Price Index and Domestic Price Index on Selected Items: Rice and Sugar

(Index, 2006=100)

Citation: IMF Staff Country Reports 2014, 138; 10.5089/9781498395212.002.A001

Sources: IMF, Primary Commodity Price System, Kiribati National Statistical Office and IMF Staff Estimates.

7. Recent and planned key improvements to infrastructure should strengthen the growth momentum into the medium term. Apart from creating jobs, the growth dividend to ongoing infrastructure projects includes improving the climate for increased investment and business activities.

8. Risks to the near–term outlook are balanced (see risk assessment matrix). While the positive impact of domestic public works may be larger than presently envisaged, a further softening in the external environment and volatile commodity prices present downside risks to growth. In addition, volatile fishing licenses represent a real risk to stability of fiscal revenues. In the long term, the country’s vulnerability to climate change and natural disasters presents risks to growth prospects.

Kiribati: Seamen Employment and Remittances

Seafaring provides an important source of employment and remittances for Kiribati, which both having exhibited clear downward trends in recent years. While remaining sizable, employment fell sharply during the global financial crisis. As of December 2013, there were about 1008 Kiribati seamen on board, compared to 1452 in 2006. Over the period, seamen remittances fell by about 4 percent of GDP, and stood at 6 percent of GDP in 2013. The depreciation of the U.S. dollars over the past few years has also had a negative impact on the Australian dollar value of seamen remittances (see the figure below).

A01ufig03

Kiribati: Seamen’s Remittances

Citation: IMF Staff Country Reports 2014, 138; 10.5089/9781498395212.002.A001

The recovery in world trade from the global crisis did not produce a corresponding recovery in seamen employment for a number of structural reasons. The shipping industry continues to suffer from low profitability and overcapacity. In addition, the increasing size of ships and automation of ship operations have reduced the demand for seamen.

Kiribati seamen are trained in the Kiribati Marine Training Center, which is considered one of the best vocational training institutes in the region. Nevertheless, seamen from Kiribati have become less competitive compared with those from the South and South-east Asian countries because of higher transport costs and longer visa processing times. Addressing these obstacles would help maintain the seamen profession as an important source of employment, training, and national income.

A01ufig04

Kiribati: Seamen’s Remittances and changes

Citation: IMF Staff Country Reports 2014, 138; 10.5089/9781498395212.002.A001

Policies to Achieve Fiscal Sustainability and Promote Long-Term Growth

Key policy challenges are to reduce structural fiscal imbalances and increase growth opportunities, in particular for private sector growth. These challenges are interconnected because private sector growth is vital for reducing the fiscal burden. Improving the business climate and implementation of remaining SOE reforms are vital. Enhancing access to finance for viable business projects, while maintaining adequate financial risk management is also important.

A. Fiscal Policy

Main policy challenges in the fiscal area include the implementation of the planned reforms to improve fiscal outcomes and fiscal frameworks. Ensuring the sustainability of the RERF needs to remain among the main objectives.

9. The government continued to make improvements into its public financial management framework. It has strengthened the process for debt and guarantees approval and substantially reduced the exposure to SOE guarantees. For 2014, the government incorporated into the budget the subsidies called community service obligations (CSOs) in the amount of 1.7 percent of GDP to account more transparently for SOE-related budget costs. Next year, with the planned national elections, spending restraint will become even more important.

10. The VAT has been introduced on April 1 as planned. The initial implementation phase is expected to involve some challenges. The required documentation for submitting VAT returns may yield additional revenue benefits through strengthening compliance. In this regard, the authorities are encouraged to continue to make the relevant technological investment and training to allow for an easing into this transitionary phase.

11. Fiscal adjustment should continue with the excess revenues from fishing license fees saved in the medium-term while maintaining essential expenditures and investments in infrastructure, health, and education at sufficient levels. The report considers two main scenarios given the uncertainty and volatility of fishing licenses (see Box 2 for details).

12. Following the framework of the 2013 Article IV report the baseline (or lower fishing license fees) scenario assumes a conservative path for fishing license fees, which would return to the levels of about 22 percent of GDP for 2014. This scenario also corresponds with the authorities’ budget assumptions and incorporates their current commitment to reforms, with estimated fiscal consolidation of more than 10 percent of GDP by 2019 and additional adjustment in the longer term. Despite significant consolidation effort, the RERF per capita balance continues to decline. Stabilization of the RERF in this case would require a challenging further fiscal adjustment. The stabilization of the RERF per capita value around 2023 would require narrowing the current fiscal balance to about 3½ percent of GDP. In addition stronger fiscal adjustment would lead to lower GDP growth compared to the baseline scenario.

13. The higher fishing license fees scenario assumes that these fees will remain high at close to 2012–13 levels. This outcome, if it materializes, would largely eliminate the need for additional fiscal consolidation to stabilize the RERF above the level assumed in the baseline. However, it would be important to save these windfall license fees to strengthen RERF balances, rather than to finance additional spending. Stronger RERF balances would sustain a higher long-term current fiscal deficit of about 4½ percent of GDP in the longer run.

14. Further improving budgeting mechanisms around generation and use of sustainable fishing license fees are important. License fees have been volatile and are currently difficult to project with confidence. To strengthen budget planning and cash management, improvements in the timely exchange of information about the performance of the various components of fishing license revenues between key ministries and the Ministry of Finance would be important.

15. Restructuring the copra subsidy scheme and improving operational efficiency at the Public Utilities Board (PUB) remain outstanding issues to reduce fiscal costs. The government plans to make further steps towards enhancing revenue collections by introducing more modern meter equipment and improving operations of the PUB with the assistance of the World Bank.

Kiribati: Ensuring Fiscal Sustainability

  • The baseline scenario assumes conservative fishing license revenues and incorporates the authorities’ current commitments to reform. It takes into account the recent introduction of value added and excise taxes, and assumes that current expenditures will grow more slowly than nominal GDP in the medium and longer term. This scenario also incorporates donor budget support of A$25 million under the reform program in 2014–16. Under this scenario, the current fiscal deficit will be reduced from 22⅔ percent of GDP in 2014 to 11.8 percent of GDP in 2019 and stabilize at this level in the longer run. The RERF drawdown would be reduced from 14½ percent of GDP to 11.8 percent of GDP correspondingly. Despite the significant narrowing of the current fiscal deficit by more than 10 percent of GDP, the RERF per capita value does not stabilize and declines by more than 40 percent by 2030 compared to the projected 2014 level.

  • The baseline stabilizing RERF per capita value scenario incorporates additional fiscal measures to stabilize the RERF per capita values by 2023–24 at about A$3,900 in constant terms. Under this scenario, the current fiscal deficit has to narrow significantly to about 3.8 percent of GDP on average in 2023–30. Such stabilization will be difficult to achieve. It requires narrowing the current fiscal deficit by more than 8 percent of GDP in the long run.

  • The high fishing license fees and stabilizing RERF per capita value scenario, assumes higher fishing license fees revenues and also some fiscal measures to stabilize RERF per capita values by 2023–24, at about A$4,500 in constant terms. Owing to the high fishing license revenue, the required fiscal consolidation scale to stabilize the RERF balance is smaller than the baseline scenario, with the current fiscal deficit narrowing to 4.2 percent of GDP in the long run.

  • Under all of the above scenarios, Kiribati is projected to remain at high risk of external debt distress. This reflects a projected from grant to debt financing for large infrastructure needs (Supplement I).

A01ufig05

Baseline Scenario: Current Deficit and RERF Balance

Citation: IMF Staff Country Reports 2014, 138; 10.5089/9781498395212.002.A001

A01ufig06

Baseline RERF Stabilizing Scenario: Current Deficit and RERF Balance

Citation: IMF Staff Country Reports 2014, 138; 10.5089/9781498395212.002.A001

A01ufig07

High Fishing License Fees and RERF Stabilizing Scenario: Current Deficit and RERF Balance

Citation: IMF Staff Country Reports 2014, 138; 10.5089/9781498395212.002.A001

16. The government’s financing plans include mainly project and budget support grant financing in the near term. Over the medium-term the government is also expected to access the concessional financing on IDA like terms (for details see Box 1 of the DSA Annex). The policy of avoiding non-concessional debt financing of the recurrent budget should continue.

Linkages Between the Government Sector and Growth and Fiscal Multipliers in Kiribati

Due to small size and diseconomies of scale in Kiribati, the government sector plays a significant role for growth and employment prospects. In 2013, total government current spending accounted close to 60 percent of GDP, and government sector for more than 28 percent of GDP. Government employees represented 21.5 percent of total employment and 42 percent of formal employment. Therefore, evaluating the impact of fiscal policies on growth and the overall economy is critical for the design of macroeconomic policies.

This box briefly presents a practical framework that incorporates the two-way linkages between government spending and real GDP growth and allows estimating the impact of fiscal policy on the economy, including through evaluating fiscal multipliers.1 In this framework, GDP on the production side is conceptually divided into government GDP and private GDP. The government GDP mainly consists of wages of public employees; the private sector follows an augmented Cobb-Douglas production function. The impact of government sector on GDP is evaluated through the influence of government taxation and spending which critically depends on consumption, saving and investment decisions by the government, domestic residents, and foreigners, and on their shares of spending on domestic versus imported goods. The parameters are calibrated, with estimation procedures taking into data limitations.

We simulated different scenarios, including nominal wage shock and public expenditure shock scenarios. Then we calculated the corresponding fiscal multipliers under each scenario. The fiscal multipliers are defined as the ratio of a change in GDP output (ΔY) to a discretionary change in government spending (ΔG). Here GDP is in real terms, so the multiplier means the effect of a $1 increase in spending on the real GDP level. Regarding the time frame, we focus on the impact multipliers, which are defined as ΔY(t)/ΔG(t), where t denotes the year fiscal multipliers are examined.

The simulation results show that different spending shocks have different multipliers. As the shares of imported goods and services in household consumption and government expenditure are high in Kiribati, the stimulus effects of expansionary fiscal policy on domestic GDP are limited, and fiscal multipliers are relatively lower compared with economies with more developed domestic industries. Under a positive nominal public wage shock, the impact multiplier is 0.44, while the multiplier under a positive public expenditure is 0.472, which implies that expansionary fiscal policy’s stimulus effect on GDP growth is limited in Kiribati.

Combining the above calculated fiscal multipliers with budgeted current and development expenditure data, this framework also allows us to better project GDP growths, which is 3.0 in 2014 and 2.7 in 2015, as shown in the SEI table.

A01ufig09

Impact Multipliers in Kiribati

Citation: IMF Staff Country Reports 2014, 138; 10.5089/9781498395212.002.A001

Regional Arrangement for Fishing License Fees

Fishing license fees are a major source of revenue for several microstates in the Pacific (in particular Kiribati, Micronesia, Marshall Islands, and Tuvalu). Since 2011, fishing license revenue has increased significantly, at an average rate above 30 percent during 2011–13. A large share of this increment is attributed to the implementation of minimum fishing license fees under the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA).

The PNA is a regional agreement among member countries’ to coordinate the management of marine resources. The Agreement was initially established in 1982 among eight Pacific island countries1, although it took several years until it reached its current form. This agreement sought to strengthen the bargaining power of license-issuing countries and regional control to address illegal fishing.

A01ufig10

Selected Members of the Nauru Agreement: Fishing License Fees Revenues

Citation: IMF Staff Country Reports 2014, 138; 10.5089/9781498395212.002.A001

Note: Includes countries heavily dependent on fishing license fees.Sources: IMF, Asian-Pacific Small States Monitor, April, 2014.
A01ufig11

Parties of Nauru Agreement: Vessel Fishing Day Price

Citation: IMF Staff Country Reports 2014, 138; 10.5089/9781498395212.002.A001

Sources: PNA and Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency.

In 2007, PNA members introduced a new mechanism, the vessel day scheme (VDS), to increase the PICs’ bargaining power and ensure sustainability of its marine resources. Instead of only setting a limit on the number of vessels in the region as was done previously, the new scheme also limited the total number of fishing days (limits both number of days and number vessels). Under the VDS, Nauru Agreement members jointly consented to allocate a fixed number of transferable fishing days for their combined Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs), apportioned to members according to the individual sizes of their EEZs and historical catch. The fishing companies pay a flat fee per vessel per day with adjustment for the size of the vessel. 2

The PNA members further strengthened the VDS in 2011 by introducing a minimum fee for fishing per vessel day. The minimum fee was set at US$5,000 effective in 2012 and raised to US$6,000 effective January 2014. In addition, the current practice includes revisions of total fishing days for the combined EEZs of the parties and annual revisions of the VDS minimum prices.

Sources: IMF, Asia & Pacific Small States Monitor April 2014; and PNA and Pacific Island Forum Fisheries Agency.

B. State-owned Enterprises Reforms

17. Staff supports the extensive SOE reforms undertaken by the government with the assistance of the AsDB. The closures of underperforming SOE have significantly reduced fiscal risks, including through the reduction of outstanding government guarantees. Government plans for the near term include privatizing certain enterprises and effectively implementing key provisions of the new SOE Act, particularly in the areas of SOEs’ strategies formulation and financial reporting. Measures towards commercialization of SOEs and improving the operational efficiency of some others are all steps in the right direction. Nevertheless, realistic expectations need to be made about the commercial viability of those public enterprises that fulfill social mandates, including the shipping company that services the outer and dispersed smaller islands. Adequately complying with the government’s debt and guarantee policy as well as enhancing the oversight and accountability according to the recently introduced SOE Act should contain these fiscal risks.

Authorities’ Views

18. The government is committed to the SOE reform agenda. The authorities indicated that visible success in SOE reforms has increased the community’s buy-in for other public sector reorganization policies pursued by the government.

19. The authorities acknowledge that even with privatization of some public enterprises, structural factors impede private sector activities. Lack of management expertise and the unavoidable cost disadvantages of geography and diseconomies of scale mean that government will continue to tolerate some loss-making by key public enterprises.

C. Increasing Private Sector Growth Opportunities

20. The private sector in Kiribati remains small, limited by its market size, poor connectivity and high transport costs. Since the combined cost impact of smallness and distance effectively undermine competitiveness, private sector activities that have grown in Kiribati are concentrated around imports distribution/retailing; meeting the demands for the public sector and associated projects; fishery related activities, and niche tourism.

21. Proceeds from access to Kiribati’s fishing waters and seamen remittances continue to be a large part of the country’s national income. Despite the positively high fishing license fee receipts in the recent past, the value of fish caught in Kiribati waters far exceeds fishing license fees and total Kiribati GDP. Kiribati must continue to encourage investment in onshore marine processing of its fish resources in order to fully realize its fisheries industry’s potential. Recently, Kiribati seamen employment has been flat, as technological improvements to ships and high transport costs have cut into the demand for seafarers.

Staff Views

22. Reducing high unemployment should be among priorities. According to the 2010 Census, the unemployment rate exceeds 30 percent. Given the ample challenge of creating jobs and raising economic growth, facilitating the mobility of Kiribati workers under existing arrangements can be further strengthened. Temporary migration programs for low-skill labor are quite attractive for PIC workers who are skilled at agriculture and fisheries and lack the professional qualifications to permanently migrate. The government has rightly encouraged training in technical areas for which there is external demand at its various education institutes.

23. Exploiting opportunities and addressing constraints within existing areas of advantage are vital. Ongoing infrastructure projects and the consequent demand and inflow of foreign workers have been met by growth in the retail and accommodation sectors, apart from greater awareness for Kiribati’s niche-tourism potential. With the completion of these projects, improvements to public service delivery should also encourage confidence and increased private sector activity. On constraints, seamen recruitment and fishing industry stakeholders have raised the issue of high airfares and air freight charges as an unnecessary additional cost to doing business.

24. With its vast marine resources, developing fisheries further appears to be most promising. Kiribati’s marine resources are quite significant that rents can be gained in spite of the inherent high cost structures. Government’s planned development of Christmas Island, with a particular focus on fisheries, should raise job opportunities and help promote increased private sector activities. Even so, government is encouraged to continue to carefully analyze offers for joint ventures in developing its marine resources and promptly address concerns about the difficulties local fishermen face in accessing formal funding, if locals are to meaningfully participate in this key industry.

25. Calling for modification, including increasing quotas, to existing regional seasonal worker schemes may be beneficial. The assistance of regional governments is being sought to increase opportunities to work abroad, including increasing country quotas through seasonal worker schemes. Going forward, the authorities are encouraged to find avenues for directing graduates from its local educational institutions to some modified system of the seasonal worker scheme offered by both Australia and New Zealand in order to increase job opportunities and sustain growth and macroeconomic stability into the medium term.

26. Ongoing infrastructure projects should support private business growth, outside of improving the business climate. Improvements to strategic infrastructure such as the port and roads, and planned airport works should partly improve ease of doing business and cost competitiveness. In addition, government is advised to scale back red tape associated with the need for multiple business permits from town councils and various government agencies.

Authorities’ Views

27. The authorities acknowledged the benefits of supporting the private sector and viable industries. The government noted that with the exit of SOEs from certain wholesaling/retailing roles, the private sector promptly took over those functions, indicative of the willingness to do business. Improvements to telecommunications should also encourage other private sector entrants.

28. Government continues to support labor migration. Workers’ remittances have been a dependable source of foreign exchange and income for Kiribati. However, the authorities are aware of other regional governments’ concerns for making jobs available first to their citizens given the uncertain global economic environment.

D. Financial Sector

Background

29. Formal financial sector lending remains limited. The country’s weak property rights and investor protection regimes preclude credit expansion. Between the country’s only commercial bank and the Development Bank of Kiribati (DBK), accessing credit is relatively expensive. In addition, high spreads have kept lending profitable. Since government cleared much of its commercial borrowing in 2012, household credit has risen to largely take up that slack. Credit expansion to the agriculture, forestry and fisheries and construction sectors have been brisk, in particular after reducing public sector bank borrowing since 2010.

30. The Kiribati Provident Fund’s (KPF) small loans scheme (SLS) continues to grow. Increased demand for credit has seen the SLS expand to around A$11 million.3 While the KPF’s overseas investment income performed resiliently last year, the Fund must be watchful of nonperforming loans.

Staff’s Views

31. Further improving the accessibility of land may create new opportunities for viable credit. Given its small size, lending opportunities for financial industry players are quite thin. Hence, developing Kiribati’s land market, by strengthening dispute resolution mechanisms and improving its land registry should assist with banks’ collateral recovery.

Kiribati: Outstanding Banking Loans, 2007–13

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Source: Data provided by the Kiribati authorities.

32. Capacity constraints mean that operational and lending standards and risk management strategies must be tightened. In the absence of a financial system regulator, the country’s nonbank financial institutions often have relatively high NPLs and low-asset quality, contributing to financial risks. For the KPF in particular, returning to a positive funding position is important for its long term sustainability as a pension fund as most retirees take lump-sum withdrawals. The KPF also must monitor vigilantly its financing of physical assets acquisition by SOEs, given the past poor financial track record of SOEs.

Authorities’ Views

33. The authorities broadly concurred with staff views. Since the country’s economic base will hardly support additional market players, the authorities recognize that addressing current impediments to increased financial intermediation and strengthening lending practices and investment strategies will help ensure financial system stability.

E. Exchange Rate Assessment

34. The Australian dollar circulates as legal tender. Kiribati has accepted the obligations under Article VIII of the Fund’s Articles of Agreement and maintains an exchange system free of restrictions on the making of payments and transfers for current international transactions.

35. Reflecting the weakness of the Australian dollar and some global commodity prices, the real effective exchange rate (REER) is close to its long run average. This depreciation of the REER reduces potential risks of overvaluation. That said, precise estimates of exchange rate valuation are difficult for Kiribati. CGER-like analysis is currently neither feasible nor meaningful for Kiribati given the data limitations. In addition, given its narrow production base, the real exchange rate plays a limited role in BOP performance, which is driven more by exogenous factors affecting fishing license fees and donor flows.

A01ufig12

Kiribati: Real Effective Exchange Rate

(Index, 2005 = 100)

Citation: IMF Staff Country Reports 2014, 138; 10.5089/9781498395212.002.A001

Sources: INS, APDEER and IMF staff calculations.

36. The use of the Australian dollar as the official currency remains appropriate. It has provided a strong nominal anchor, given Kiribati’s close linkages with Australia and in light of its limited capacity to conduct its own monetary policy. The reforms aimed at boosting private sector growth discussed above will be crucial to improving and maintaining competitiveness. The current account deficit in relation to GDP is largely driven over the medium term by fiscal policy. Consistent with this, the projected fiscal consolidation in the coming years will also be important to help narrow the trade deficit.

Staff Appraisal

37. Kiribati has made significant strides since starting the government-led reform program supported by the donor community. Key policy challenges include the steady implementation of planned fiscal and structural reforms with the aim of eventually stabilizing the RERF per capita balance and improving growth prospects, and facilitating the development of the private sector through improving infrastructure and enhancing business climate conditions.

38. Fiscal adjustment should aim at stabilizing the RERF in real per capita terms over the medium term. This will require determined implementation of the currently planned fiscal consolidation efforts, while ensuring adequate investment in the priority areas of infrastructure, health and education. The authorities should seek to boost fishing license fees above the current conservative baseline, with additional receipts saved to replenish the RERF. In the event that fishing license fees cannot be sustained at recent high levels, the authorities should explore options for further strengthening other aspects of budget performance to ensure longer-term fiscal sustainability.

39. The government made impressive progress with SOE reforms. These reforms should continue, including through the implementation of the SOE Act and planned privatization and reforms in the telecommunication and infrastructure sectors. The problems with underperforming SOEs, in particular the PUB, need to be addressed. Government intentions to tackle the inefficient copra subsidy system and reform related enterprises are welcome.

40. We commend the authorities on introducing the VAT this year. The challenge now is to ensure robust implementation. Ensuring adequate compliance for other major taxes is also very important, and the authorities need to maintain resources in this area.

41. The private sector is critical for lifting growth prospects for Kiribati and reducing high unemployment. We welcome plans to develop fisheries infrastructure on Christmas Island with the assistance of the EU. High transport costs, including airfares, present a big hurdle for doing business in Kiribati and the efforts to address these with the help of the regional and donor communities are welcomed. Expanding opportunities to work abroad, including for qualified graduates, would help increase employment and build human capital.

42. Improving access to credit for viable private sector projects while ensuring robust risk management is important. Introducing modern banking technologies such as payment through mobile phones would help improve financial inclusion through facilitating access to financial accounts and transactions, including paying utility tariffs. At the same time appropriate risk management procedures need to be maintained. Also, the pension fund needs to return to a positive net funding position.

43. It is recommended that the next Article IV consultations continue to take place on a 12-month cycle in light of ongoing structural challenges and vulnerabilities and government reforms that require close involvement of the IMF.

Risk Assessment Matrix1/

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The Risk Assessment Matrix (RAM) shows events that could materially alter the baseline path (that is, which is the scenario most likely to materialize in the view of IMF staff). The relative likelihood of risks listed is the staff’s subjective assessment of the risks surrounding this baseline. The RAM reflects staff’s views on the source of risks and overall level of concerns as of the time of preparation of this document.

Table 1.

Kiribati: Selected Economic Indicators, 2009–15

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Sources: Data provided by the Kiribati authorities; and Fund staff estimates and projections.

Assumes conservative path for fishing license fees in 2014 and onwards. Higher fishing license fees at the level of A$60 million would imply a current deficit of 13 percent of GDP in 2014.

Current balance excludes grants and development expenditure.

The Australian dollar circulates as legal tender.

Index, 2005=100.

Table 2.

Kiribati: Summary of Central Government Operations, 2009–19

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Sources: Data provided by the Kiribati authorities; and staff estimates and projections.

Includes subsidies to copra production.

Development expenditure equals grants plus loans for development projects.

Current balance excludes grants and development expenditure (see footnote 2 above)

Overall balance in the table is different from official budget because loans are classified as financing.

Table 3.

Kiribati: Medium-Term Projections, 2009–19

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Sources: Data provided by the Kiribati authorities; and Fund staff estimates and projections.
Table 4.

Kiribati: Balance of Payments, 2009–19

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Sources: Data provided by the Kiribati authorities; and Fund staff estimates and projections.

Includes fishing license fees, which would be shown as current transfers under conventional international guidelines.

Including errors and omisions for projections.

Excludes valuation changes.

Comprises the Consolidated Fund, Development Fund, and STABEX Fund.

Table 5.

Kiribati: Summary of Central Government Under Different Scenarios, 2012–34

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Sources: Data provided by the Kiribati authorities; and Fund staff estimates and projections.
1

The Revenue Equalization Reserve Fund (RERF) is a sovereign wealth fund established in 1956 and capitalized using phosphate mining proceeds before phosphate deposits were exhausted in 1979. It is one of the main sources of fiscal income and budget financing for Kiribati.

2

Staff conducted Article IV consultation and a staff visit in 2013. Both missions were conducted jointly with the World Bank and AsDB teams. The main recommendations of the consultation and the staff visit included: conducting a medium-term fiscal adjustment to ensure fiscal sustainability and to preserve the value of the RERF; continuing the structural reform agenda, including reform of the SOEs; executing authorities plan to strengthen the tax revenue, including through the introduction of the value added tax (VAT); streamlining inefficient subsidies; carrying on measures to promote private sector development through improving the business climate and infrastructure, and facilitating the development of the marine sector. The authorities advanced on most fronts as discussed in this staff report. Some areas, such as reforms of copra subsidies and public utilities remain to be addressed fully.

3

A member may borrow up to 35 percent of accrued balances for a maximum two years.

1

For more details, please see the book chapter: “Growth and Fiscal Multipliers in Small States – the Case of Pacific Island Countries”, forthcoming.

2

It is worth noting that development expenditure’s impact multiplier is even lower (our estimate is 0.05–0.1, as most development expenditures are spent on imported goods and services in Kiribati). However, if development expenditure can increase productivity, the long-term fiscal multiplier would be higher.

1

The members of the Nauru Agreement are: Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu.

2

Large vessels pay a price of 1.5 times the standard fee.

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Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Kiribati: Staff Report for the 2014 Article IV Consultation
Author:
International Monetary Fund. Asia and Pacific Dept
Volume/Issue:
Volume 2014: Issue 138
Publisher:
International Monetary Fund
ISBN:
9781498395212
ISSN:
1934-7685
Pages:
57
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5089/9781498395212.002
Figure 1.

Kiribati: The Setting in a Cross-Country Context
Figure 2.

Kiribati: Fiscal Dynamics

Food and Fuel Imports and Prices

International Price Index and Domestic Price Index on Selected Items: Rice and Sugar

(Index, 2006=100)

Kiribati: Seamen’s Remittances

Kiribati: Seamen’s Remittances and changes

Baseline Scenario: Current Deficit and RERF Balance

Baseline RERF Stabilizing Scenario: Current Deficit and RERF Balance

High Fishing License Fees and RERF Stabilizing Scenario: Current Deficit and RERF Balance

Impact Multipliers in Kiribati

Selected Members of the Nauru Agreement: Fishing License Fees Revenues

Parties of Nauru Agreement: Vessel Fishing Day Price

Kiribati: Real Effective Exchange Rate

(Index, 2005 = 100)